Today, Nashville singer-songwriter Paul McDonald has unveiled the official music video for his single “Dark Side.” The track is from the artist’s forthcoming album, So Long To The Dark Side, due on July 11, 2025. 

“‘Dark Side’ was written about pulling yourself out of a rough place and making the decision to shift your mindset – to stop feeding the negativity and start focusing on the good,” McDonald told Relix. “For the video, I teamed back up with my longtime friend & collaborator Jason Lee Denton. We wanted to show that turning point visually, a change in tone that mirrors the heart of the song and capture some of the live energy that comes with playing it on stage. It’s about owning your story and choosing to move forward with love and light.”

The “Dark Side” video opens with McDonald dressed and surrounded by uninspired hues of brown, a visual element used to evoke a sense of tiredness and need for change as he strums his guitar and lyrically questions his current trajectory: “I feel so lost, I feel so alone/ What’s the point?” 

McDonald ponders the cost of living, the feeling of being broke and alone, actively nudging self-defeat before a bolt of light, quite literally, brightens up the shot and casts a golden halo around the artist. Presented like on-screen enlightenment that coincides with the lines: “Well, I want to be free, I want to be wild/ And I want to see through the eyes of a child/ And I want to shine on, and I want to shine bright/ So, so long, so long to the dark side.”

As McDonald moves toward the light, the nostalgic nature of his range strikes a tonal similarity to the greats, landing somewhere between Bob Dylan’s distinctive gravitas and Cat Stevens’ ability to tap into the emotional pull of the lyrics; the use of both comparisons supports a sense of nostalgia, vintage-tinged appreciation for the music that leaves a mental imprint–begging for replays.

In doing so, McDonald follows the light and unlocks his adolescence: “I want to be free, I want to be wild/ And I want to see through the eyes of a child/ And I want to shine on, and I want to shine bright.” Color and imagination dominate the second half of the video, complementing the musician’s freedom-fledged lyrics, “So long to the dark side,” which lyrically represent the album’s title. 

He accentuates the notion of bidding farewell to the blues by leaving his dream world and taking the stage with his band, The Mourning Doves, which gives viewers a sense of their live show and high-energy performances, which helped them earn their stripes on the Nashville scene. 

In the end, “Dark Side” contains a message of hope that coincides with McDonald’s experience as a hardworking artist in Music City, never giving up hope, even after burnout. So Long To The Dark Side is McDonald’s first full-length release since 2018. Pre-order/ save the set now. 

For more information, visit www.thepaulmcdonald.com. 

Watch the official music video for “Dark Side” below.