| “Don’t Have A Cow, Man!”. is out now.https://youtu.be/Z4WjRhHXYbk |
What is the idea behind your single ‘Don’t Have A Cow Man?
It’s a song about redemption and hope, even when there feels like none. It’s also about the cycle of addiction I was in at the time I wrote it.
Where did you shoot the video? Who came up with video concept?
The video was shot in the village I grew up in by my pal Keith Morrison. Gress on the Isle of Lewis. I wanted to do something light and simple as it was the first single so I just came up with the concept of the cow costume myself (which I found in my Garage) it was the most beautiful day of last year and the scenery really looks beautiful.
Your album ‘Late Night Drinking’ out later this year, is this single a good indication of what we can hear from it? Can you talk us though some of the tracks?
I hadn’t intended on doing a full album when I started recording. There were 11 songs that told the full story of my last few years in LA to moving back to Stornoway. Don’t have a cow man was the first choice for a single as it’s one of the lighter moments on there. The title track is a dark and brooding fuzz, noise explosion and other tracks are really stripped back and hypnotic. The song Blink of an Eye is my favourite, I can’t wait to play it live eventually. I believe that’s going to be the 3rd single.
How long did you spend writing and recording it?
It was written over the course of a few years I suppose, but a chunk was completed when I moved back to Lewis. It was recorded in eight days straight at Calum Buchanan from Sea Atlas’ studio in UIG.
Is it harder to be doing this solo rather than in Astrid?
It definitely is but Willie (who sang on this album) has been great to talk me through the whole solo thing. It’s nerve wracking because this collection of songs are so personal I felt like I didn’t have a choice but to write them, as a form of therapy. I wrote the last song on the album knowing my father was going to die and about the process of his illness and losing him that way.
You have a lot of different projects that you’re involved in, how do you decide what you want to get into how does your process work?
I’ve been really lucky with some of the people that I’ve got to collaborate with. My favourite one being sugarplum fairies from Austria but live in Los Angeles. I worked on two records with them. It has to be an organic feel and generally if the vibes are right and the songs are good with the people involved I will almost always certainly do it
You lived in LA before moving back to Scotland, do you miss LA and do you find your location helps you to write your music better?
I’m definitely influenced by my surroundings and where I’m at and I definitely miss LA. It was home for long enough and I feel grateful to have had the experience I had over there but life has a funny way of shaking things up!
Who inspires you musically?
Robert Pollard from Guided by Voices. I love the fact he can still churn out 4 or 5 albums a year and they’re all great. I have huge gaps between my solo releases but not for lack of material it’s always lack of funds to do a DIY release start to finish so god bless Alan McGee for this one.
What music are you currently streaming and what would be your recommendations for the listeners?
I absolutely love Geography of the Moon, Scott C Park and I’ve been obsessed with Clarke and the Himselfs
What have been some of your career highs so far?
Summersonic in Japan with The Reindeer Section, evacuating BBC Manchester with Snow Patrol, the first Astrid tour with Belle & Sebastian and Hebcelt 2016 with Astrid.
How have you been during lockdown? What have you missed the most?
Ive been fine up till recently. Starting to feel it now. I’ve written another solo album during the lockdown and written songs for Astrid as well as shooting videos for Late Night Drinking. I’ve missed seeing my friends and playing shows.
What are your plans for 2021?
I’m just going to keep promoting the singles as we release them and then the album will come out around August. Hopefully by then we will be looking at booking shows, tours, festivals and all that good stuff.
