“The rules that once kept us safe should never become the rules that constrain us in our ability to live, to think and to be ourselves.”
With ‘Don’t Hold Back’ Paul Ariss (of Prescot, just outside Liverpool) delivers a message about individuality, personal freedom and the sheer importance of making the most of the life you’ve got. He’s had a long running solo career and this track is a collection of some of those thoughts brought together. It’s a call to question the expectations that we’re all subjected to and a reminder to take time to appreciate the people and the opportunities in life. At the core of “Don’t Hold Back” is a very interesting reflection on the lessons we’re all taught as kids. A lot of the rules we’re given are there to protect us. Paul looks at how those very same rules can end up stifling curiosity, creativity and a desire to go out and explore. As we grow older we come to realise that not every rule is going to be something we should just accept. We also become more conscious of the prejudice, the hypocrisy and the downright dishonesty that can be found in the world at large. He links that to his critique of the current US administration and the self-serving people he believes are in charge both in the open and in the shadows.
It’s not just a political statement really. The wider message is about not letting the world in general dictate how we live. It’s about recognising the worth of being yourself and having the guts to take your opportunities rather than just sitting on them. There’s a very personal message too in there about not taking the people you love for granted. You never know what life is going to bring and if you assume that the people you love are going to be there all the time you’re going to miss the chance to show them how much they mean to you. That’s the balance that the song is about in terms of its emotional content. One of the key decisions in the recording was to keep the production as bare as possible. Paul wanted the arrangement to have space for the message rather than be overloaded with all sorts of layers which would have simply distracted from what he was trying to say. The idea was that the message could stand on its own. It wasn’t necessarily the production that gave a song its strength. Sometimes the sheer force of the message and the clarity of the point of view is all that’s required to get people to stop and think.
‘Don’t Hold Back’ was recorded at The Music Projects Studio in Pemberton, Wigan with John Kettle on production. John Kettle has been working with Paul for the past few years and is someone who has worked with both The Lathums and Merry Hell. The studio has a fairly interesting history in itself having been used by both The Lathums and Merry Hell and it’s also been used by two of the former members of The Lottery Winners as a music teaching studio. Paul’s work has already got some radio love. Two of his prior tracks “Blinded” and “Your Truest Faith” have been singled out for praise (Song of the Week from Radio Airplay in New York and Track of the Week from Blues ‘n Roots Radio). In 2025 he had over 1000 radio plays. All that said he’s still very much in the “I’m just so lucky to be able to do this at all” camp when it comes to releasing music and doesn’t really care how many people hear it. That’s the attitude behind “Don’t Hold Back” really. Paul isn’t interested in making music just to make music. The whole point of the song is to get you to think, to be independent, to appreciate the people in your life. It’s a message to question the boundaries we’re all put into, to make use of the freedom we have and to not put off the things that actually matter. That’s what he’s trying to get across with this one. Paul Ariss is telling you quite clearly with this release: don’t let fear, don’t let convention, don’t let other people’s expectations stop you from living.
English