How much do real life events inform your songwriting, what were you going through when writing the album?
I think my record is more of an aesthetic thing than a story. I spent a lot of time with the sounds and the textures and that’s what I enjoy focussing on, but I definitely think the sounds were influenced a lot by what was going on in my life. I definitely had a vision and a sound that I wanted to pursue.
What was that vision?
Darker than my first record, quite high energy. There’s quite a big variety of stuff on the record – I tried to make sure there wasn’t one general vibe. I wanted some harsh, more challenging stuff to go with the stuff that’s easier to hear.
Quote:
Did you feel under pressure to write a radio-friendly record after the success of the first album?
Yeah there is a little bit of pressure. I want to grow. I could write a record full of crazy, weird instrumentals and that would be cool but I think if I did that I would find myself with a limited fan base. I wanted to make something more commercial and also do the weird stuff. I want to fill both voids, not just do one end of the spectrum. So this record has some more poppy stuff than I’ve ever done before but it’s also got some weirder stuff that I’ve ever done before.
Quote:
Do you use visual references to create your music?
My inspiration comes from technology mostly. I’m a massive nerd and I find it fascinating, all the new equipment you can get these days and the sounds that technology can create. What’s most exciting for me is that I know I can sit down on any day and create a sound that no one’s ever heard before.
Recently I’ve been time-stretching sounds to the point where they are unrecognisable, where the computer is trying to make it sound like it isn’t being stretched. It’s a crazy strange sound and I’m trying putting that into my music. It’s using technology in a way that it’s not supposed to be used. That’s what I want to do. There are so many options with a computer, when I get an idea or a technique down then the ideas for a song will develop around that and I will write chords. Every song for me is like a mini-experiment.
Omg...
Check out the full interview in the link below and don't forget to pre-order Skin!
