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This latest LP is a documentation of raw emotions that tackle personal and difficult themes with impressive musicality and a strong, genuine energy.
Since his debut back in 2005, the artist has demonstrated a talent for composing pieces that pull from a variety of musical and real-world influences to create a fresh piece. With a UK and European tour right around the corner, it felt like the perfect time to chat to him about this current chapter of his career.
I massively respect the candidness that the album ('A Sober Conversation') displays. How do you find the process of creating something so raw and real?
Well, this album was my first album I've ever made off drugs. I had a lengthy cocaine habit. That perpetual haze kept me at arm's length from my traumas. Being off drugs has indeed given me a sort of clarity. But what the self-help books may not tell you is that clarity cuts both ways. By this, I mean I can better contextualise my future and current state of being, but I was also thrown into these awful childhood memories that were waiting for the fog to lift. I only want to write about the truth, things that are hard and human. So, I figured this was something I would tackle head-on and know that it was going to beat me up. I wasn't looking for catharsis. I wasn't even really looking for answers. I suppose I just wanted to stop running and finally admit to myself that I had been hurt as a child and that this has shaped my whole life. I expect now that this is going out to the world, that I will inevitably feel a bit worse before it gets better. It's all still, as you say, raw. But, I owed it to myself as a human being to stand up for myself. I also owed it to myself as an artist to not worry about scaring the industry away and just make something I felt was important.
Is there a track you are most proud of on this record? If so, why?
No, not really. Like all music, there are certain songs that resonate with us on certain days. Not to sound like an absolute douchebag but I'm most proud of the album as a collective thought. Being wildly ADHD, it was a feat for me to string together an album with such a cohesive thread. I love that each song supports other songs, the characters interplay, the story has a powerful beginning and end. I don't know if people even really listen to full albums anymore. To some extent, I don't care. I am long past the point in my career where I'm interested in making vacuous pop hits. I want to make things that matter to me, selfishly.
Musically, what were your influences for 'Where You Taking My Baby'?
Hard to say exactly. I'd have to take a harder listen in a few years. Haha. I suppose I can hear some Jeff Lynne in the treatment of the acoustics, I hear some Andy Shauf, Prefab Sprout, classical influences in the opening. I've been making music for so long that I'd like to think I'm mostly my own influence now, but sure, there will always be the pillars from when I started the writing journey.
The style of the 'Where You Taking My Baby' video is really interesting. Do you enjoy creating music videos for your singles?
Not really. I find it way more intrusive than making music. I'd rather sing about being abused than be on camera. However, I understand they are a useful tool. My partner Jessica is a bit of a wizard and has taken most of the responsibility for videos onto her shoulders. She has a real eye for it. And she has a talent for telling me to, “stop fucking whining and do the scene”. It's a beautiful partnership. The weird thing is I love films and am deeply inspired by filmmakers. I'd love to work more in film, as long as I'm doing the music and not on camera sucking my gut in.
I really enjoyed the single 'Two Legged Dog' with Abigail Morris from The Last Dinner Party. How was the collaborative experience?
I had another singer lined up who had to back out at the last moment. The Last Dinner Party are fans of BC Camplight. They came to see me at Glastonbury. So when I needed someone in a pinch, I thought maybe there was a one percent chance Abigail would say yes. She jumped on it immediately and knocked out the take in about an hour. All the ad-libs you hear her do were her idea. She brought the song to life. It turned out way better than I had imagined. I owe her a lot for that. Perhaps I will volunteer to be the cover model of their next album.
What do you think the biggest change has been within your music since you began your career?
I think early on I was trying to be a little too wacky. I was hiding behind my true feelings by making the music almost completely inaccessible. A few people labelled me a "tortured genius". For a couple years, I lived in that role. Now I find that all so fucking boring. And untrue. The fact is, I am finding it much more of an achievement now to be able to use my neurodivergence for good, to try to find new angles to talk about things that are true and human. I wasn't too concerned about the truth when I was young. I just wanted to be weird, which I eventually found out isn't for me. Nothing weird about being a drug addict who is squatting in a church basement. It's merely sad. And I don't want to be sad anymore.
Emily Teague
Image: Marieke Macklon
