Finding Home Through Loss: Darryl Scotti on His New Single and the Stories We Tell
Some songs arrive from personal pain. Others emerge from watching someone you love slip away. For Darryl Scotti, his new single “Coming Home” does both.
The singer-songwriter and social impact artist released “Coming Home,” an Americana-pop ballad that explores memory, mortality, and the hope that love endures beyond loss. Written with LA bassist and producer Larry Antonino and songwriter Joey Gutos, the track tells the story of a son watching his father’s decline while grappling with fading memories and the weight of reconciliation. Anchored by Sergio Gonzales of Pablo Cruise on drums, the song blends heartfelt storytelling with the Big Yard Sound tradition and modern pop sensibility.
Darryl Scotti shares the inspiration behind “Coming Home” and what it means to write music that connects with the most human parts of grief and hope.
Q. “Coming Home” tells the story of a son navigating his father’s decline. What inspired you to write this song, and how personal is the story behind it?
Darryl Scotti: Too often this is swept under the carpet. Shame, embarrassment and gossip keep the issue from coming out into the sunlight. Any family that has dealt with the mental decline of a father or mother knows that love and compassion is the antiseptic that helps them deal with and heal from this natural and sometimes beautiful part of human life.
Q. The lyrics explore memory and mortality with lines that ask where the sun and moon have gone, and whether we disappear or come home. What do you want listeners to take away from these questions?
Darryl Scotti: ‘Where is the sun, where is the moon, all those nights have slipped from view’ is the opening lyric portraying the father and his deep desire to hang on while in the chorus ‘Beyond the veil can I face the truth, Will I be gone forever or am I coming home to you?’ is the desperate cry out.
Q. You collaborated with Larry Antonino, Joey Gutos, and Sergio Gonzales on this track. How did working with these musicians shape the sound and emotional direction of the song?
Darryl Scotti: Without a doubt the Big Yard sound is profoundly shaped by Larry Antonino. Larry is a long time friend and plays bass for Pablo Cruise. His vocalizations and musicianship are at the forefront of Big Yard as our producer. His subtle use of the fretless bass in our material brings out a uniqueness in the sonic landscape and a smoothness that is easy on the ears.
Joey Gutos, is an up and coming artist we’re excited about. We’re in development of new material written by JG slated for 2026. Joey has a sense of style and pop songwriting and brings a fresh newness to Big Yard. We hope to continue our collaboration with Joey. Keep an eye out for JG, his artistry, his shows and follow his catalog wherever you stream.
What can I say about Sergio also with Pable Cruise. Serge is a rock solid drummer with a great ear for dynamics. It’s so much fun working with him in the studio. I recall when we were recording ‘Weight Of The World’, he got the track down in a couple of takes, came back into the control room, and I gave him some direction like “think arena rock here” or do “Whitesnake in that section”. He goes back to his kit and watches me directing through the glass as I air drum my way through the crescendos to the end of the track. We love us some Sergio.
Q. You describe your music as rooted in the Big Yard Sound tradition with modern pop sensibility. How do you balance staying true to Americana storytelling while making it feel fresh and relevant today?
Darryl Scotti: Like I said Joey has a lot to do with the modern pop sensibility of ‘Coming Home’ and Larry’s ear for producing artistic soundscape is meticulous, in my opinion.
I’d say the lyrics I write are rooted in everything I’ve ever heard or been a fan of since the 80’s and I’m proud to wear it on my sleeve. Social injustices, pop culture and an appeal to common sense decency are at the core of my Americana Rock, Blues and Folk roots.
This I co-wrote with Larry and Joey. I love that today you can talk about things in lyrics that used to be uncomfortable to the listener. We tried to take our fans to the edge, without taking them too far by provoking thought and compassion. Revealing a story that often doesn’t come to life until you watch the video is a beautiful way, we hope, to leave our fans inspired and entertained. We use this medium with all our releases.
‘Back to Georgia’ is a love story in a song we put out this year about a young couple meeting, falling in love and then lost when she passes on all too early. His longing to hold on, look into her blue eyes and dance with her again becomes a prayer. You can watch the cinematic video of ‘Back to Georgia’ on YouTube. I hope you enjoy the chemistry of the young actors portraying the story line.
Q. As a social impact artist, you create music that connects with real human experiences. How does “Coming Home” fit into your larger mission as an artist, and what do you hope this song does for people who are facing similar losses?
Darryl Scotti: Thank you, I hope it inspires our followers to listen to our songs like ‘Better Day’ paying respect to our veterans and bringing awareness to the high suicide rate of these brave souls or ‘Weight Of The World’ bringing a voice of hope to Homelessness.
Anything that takes a listener out of their comfort zone and thinks is the beauty of music. Soon after Bono wrote “Sunday Bloody Sunday’ he was quoted as saying “music can change the world by changing lives”. I believe this to be true.
We’re excited for 2026 when we release ‘Poets and Heroes’ title track to our new EP inspired by guys like Dylan and Poe… legends in time, tellers of tales who show meaning through rhyme and write about sinner’s, vagabonds and Kings. Just a little reveal friends… stay tuned 😉
Thanks again to Indie Pulse Music, we appreciate the support.
Music can hold the things we struggle to say out loud. “Coming Home” offers that space for grief, reconciliation, and the belief that love does not end when memory fades. Scotti has created a song that listens back.
Listen on Spotify.
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