Emerging from shadowy chords and psychological tension, Garrett Anthony Rice crafts “The Prisoner” as a dark, Bowie-inspired journey through shifting perspectives, atmosphere, and mystery, blending experimentation with emotional intensity.
1. “The Prisoner” is a striking and unsettling title. What first inspired the concept behind this song, and how did the narrative begin to take shape?
The very first Guitar chords in the verse came first and they were dark and moody. An artistic quirk that I have is that I cannot read or write music so apart from the standard chords, I make up my own through a process of experimentation and additions or subtraction from the shape of a normal chord. The intro to the chorus sort of wrote itself and I wanted something powerful yet lighter for the chorus which I hopefully got right.
2. The track follows a dark psychological arc — from captor to captive, from confession to denial. What drew you to explore this kind of twisted perspective in your songwriting?
I think Bowie said that 80% of artists don’t know what they are creating until the creative process is nearly complete. Most of my songs on this record and my new triple album “AMERICANNA Vol.1” have a theme running through the song however, because the first two chords I came up with were so dark, there had to be a brooding and shady theme. The new record has a song called “Downstream” which again is about a repeat killer.
3. You’ve cited David Bowie and Joy Division as key influences. In what ways did their artistry shape the mood and storytelling of “The Prisoner,” particularly the Bowie-esque tone reminiscent of “Ashes to Ashes”?
I have always been drawn to Bowie since I was 3 or 4 years old because my Dad was a huge fan and used to hometape songs from the radio so I would listen to Bowie songs from a blank tape jumping between the eras that he created in, from Hunky Dory to Let’s Dance. Joy Division came from somewhere else in the universe, like Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, Bowie’s Low all related in time and space.
4. You worked alongside producer Chris Potter and an impressive lineup of musicians including Geoff Dugmore, Adam Philips, Chris Webb, and Tim Wills. How did their individual contributions help bring the song’s dark atmosphere to life?
Chris Potter is one of the most distinctive atmospheric producers there’s ever been (The Verve’s Urban Hymns, for example) so I knew creating a sense of foreboding in the song was not going to be a problem and then you have the other geniuses all contributing their parts with undulating electric guitar by Adam Phillips, a perfect rhythm section and Tim Wills contributing effects and Tim was a huge contributor to the record generally taking on some songs voluntarily and enhancing them expertly.
5. The single was recorded between Kore Studios in London and Chris Potter’s home studio in Bournemouth. How did these recording environments influence the final sound and emotional intensity of the track?
As per above, the dye was cast when I wrote the demo and explained to Chris what I wanted from the track. I tend to write everything (Lyrics and arrangements) out and we can change that if necessary during the recording process and I will send an iPhone home demo of the song on acoustic guitar to Chris to give it structure and we then strategise on a zoom call what we are going to do, the mood we are looking for and the musicians to use and their parts etc. The locations did not influence the mood that much but did give us a quiet space to experiment.
6. “The Prisoner” moves from darkness to light and back again. What do you hope listeners take away from this emotional journey when the single releases on February 23rd, 2026?
I’d like to introduce a touch of mystery to songwriting which nowadays seems to be formulaic and give the listener something to think about. If you listen to the ending, I sing as a background vocal “Do you remember a guy that’s been?” A subtle nod to Bowies “Ashes to Ashes”. He is the primary reason I am a songwriter/performer in the first place and I can’t wait to tour this track and my two albums to date on the UK and Europe this year!
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