Slow Down & Simplify
Combining music and mental health
June 2021
ISSUE 6
MINDFUL Melody
Introduction to Issue 6 - Slow Down and Simplify
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Music, Mental Health and Me #6: David - Meditation Memoirs
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Interview: Morgan Wade
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Sublime Simplicity - Quadeca's 'From Me To You' Reviewed
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Interview: Canaan Smith
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Top 10 Slowed Down and Simplified songs
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Thomas Rhett 'Country Again (Side A)' Review
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Mood Board with Delaney Royer
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Quote of the Issue
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Interview: Seafret
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Music, Mental Health and Me #6: Maxim - Country Music and Gratitude
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Interview: Emma Moore
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The Safety of Familiarity
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Contents
We'd like to dedicate this issue to our fathers
Introduction to Issue 6...
Maxim Mower
So, why you should slow down and simplify? Life is busy! How many things can you think of that you’ve been meaning to get around to, people you've been meaning to see or even something that you’ve always wanted to try? Between education and careers it sometimes feels like we won’t ever get time to ourselves, and in an increasingly modern world where information is constant and immediate switching off has become nigh on impossible. For our mental health and wellbeing it is crucial that we take a bit of time for ourselves and adopting a mantra of ‘slow down and simplify’ can help you do that! Life is all about the simple things and sometimes we forget that; the pandemic has recently forced people to reassess what is important and our time has been filled very differently. The things that we used to consider normal and simple parts of our everyday life are the things that we all crave and miss now. That’s why ‘slow down and simplify’ is so important - to give us an appreciation for all of the basic pleasures in life, to take some time for ourselves and to keep our minds healthy. If you don't know me by now... I'm a musician with a love for writing! I play the saxophone and after a journalism module at uni started writing articles and reviews in my free time. I also suffered from depression and creating this magazine is a great way for me to keep my mental health in check!
Together we write and design the entirity of each issue - we really hope you enjoy it!
David Dawson
Welcome to this special Slow Down and Simplify edition of Mindful Melody Magazine! The idea to make this a special Slow Down and Simplify edition came from my love of Country music, which I’ve found myself leaning on especially hard throughout the last year or so. During a time when everything was thrown up in the air, it felt comforting to listen to these odes to what matters most in life - which largely boils down to the time we have and who we spend it with. Before the pandemic hit, it felt like we were always rushing and hurrying, and that the most important thing was productivity. Although COVID has of course been horrific in so many ways, the global shutdowns and lockdowns have forced us to press pause, and that’s given us the space to take stock and reshuffle our priorities. Now that everything is opening up again in the UK and US, it would be so easy and tempting to fall back into that stressful, pre-pandemic rhythm of living life in fast-forward. So that’s why we feel it’s the perfect time to dedicate an entire issue to this message of Slow Down and Simplify. A little about me... I'm a writer with a love for music! I'm currently a postgrad studying Buddhist techniques for improving mental wellbeing. When I'm not listening to music, I'm either out playing golf, over-watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or wondering why it's so quiet...
Music, Mental Health and Me #6: David
Photo by Dingzeyu Li on Unsplash
I’m a stress head, it’s no secret. I’m indecisive, a perfectionist, anxious, lacking in self confidence and put a ton of pressure on myself. I’m sure that sounds relatable to a few people and in the past it’s really been a burden on my mental health. Since studying Philosophy and Ethics at school meditation has always been something that I’ve found curious but never thought to try. I used to categorise it as some spiritual act in which people feel that they are connecting to something that, in my classic pessimism, I thought they could never connect with. To be honest, I thought the whole thing was a bit of a farce and was only utilised by strictly religious or spiritual people. My mind changed when Maxim sent me some meditation music and whilst listening I felt instantly more relaxed. It was hard to describe but it felt like I was suddenly aware of every function in my body; hearing every breath and feeling every heartbeat. So, with a co-founder and best friend who practises meditation, and with the artists I have interviewed holding in such high regard the benefits that meditation has on their mental health, I decided it’s high time I give it a go. After all, if it really is as good as people say it is, then it should do wonders for me, right? Well, written below (in a more readable format) are the brief notes I took after each meditation session over a month. I will then give my view at the end as to whether it really helped me and whether you should give it a go yourself. Session 1 So I got some advice from Maxim to focus on my breathing, and I’m using the meditation playlist he made me as a background. I have to say, sitting down and not thinking about anything sounds really easy, but it definitely isn’t. I found it really difficult to turn my mind off and was constantly distracted. I eventually managed to gain some peace by focusing my eyes whilst they were closed, and staring into the darkness of the insides of my eyelids. It sounds strange, and it felt strange, but it was what finally managed to help me clear my mind. The music definitely helped as it blocked out surrounding sounds and was so peaceful in my ears that it helped me cool down. I tried to focus on my breathing as Maxim suggested and the music helped this too as I would time it with the music to keep it regulated. After I finished my first session it took me a while to become alert again, sort of like waking up after a long nap. It was as if my mind and body had all slowed and it took time to get them going again. I could definitely see why this may be beneficial as taking time for myself and shutting things out was a refreshing change. I don’t feel like I’m getting the benefits yet though as at this stage it was really quite hard work to stay on track. Session 2 It was a lot easier to switch off this time around. I think it helped that I was already somewhat sleepy heading into the session so I found it much easier to sit down and switch off without things buzzing around in my brain. I made the mistake, however, of trying to meditate when I was pressed for time and this didn’t help as I would have to periodically break my focus to check the time. I did, however, eventually set up a meditation song that was exactly the amount of time I had, and after this I was able to relax fully, knowing I just had to listen for the end of the song. Session 3 By this point my motivation to find time to meditate was somewhat wavering. At this early stage I still wasn’t seeing much benefit, and although it sounds easy to sit down and relax, it actually takes a lot of concentration. I’ve always been a busybody and I just find it difficult to sit down for too long not doing anything, and even more difficult to schedule in the time to do so. This time I meditated in the morning and it was my first really ‘unsuccessful’ session. I think I’m just too awake in the mornings and I really found it difficult to empty my mind and switch off so soon after waking up in the first place. Despite trying various techniques, I just couldn’t get into the zone and was constantly distracted and fidgety. I think meditating in the mornings has been ruled out from this moment. I did find this session really demoralising as I felt like I’d seen some improvements in the last session and this kind of sent me back to square one. Session 4 To be honest, it had been a while since the last session. After my failed attempt I struggled to get motivation to try again and was worried that I’d just keep having failed attempts. I did finally find myself some time and forced myself to get back on the horse – and it went much better. Like in session 2, I was already feeling sleepy and relaxed so that helped me and I found it fairly easy to clear my mind. I did have a few momentary lapses but I managed to keep them as just that. I am finding that it is quite difficult for me to meditate for too long as the sheer concentration I have to put into keeping my mind blank is actually quite tiring, and I can feel when I’m coming to a natural end in a session when I start getting distracted more frequently. I’m hoping I’ll get to a point where it’s fairly easy for me to just slip into that mode of focus and relaxation so that I can enjoy longer sessions, but for now it seems I’ll have to keep persisting to get there. Session 5 Like with session 4, I found it relatively easy to switch off. The playlist really helped and the music definitely kept me concentrated and relaxed. I had some slight distractions but stayed on track and didn’t let them break my focus. This was the first time I’d meditated in a week or so as I’d been more busy; and I did feel better for taking some time for myself afterwards. So that was my month of meditation – did it help? Well, the first thing you may notice is that in a whole month I only managed five short sessions. When I first meditated I had planned to make it a regular part of my weeks and envisioned that once every two or three days I’d settle down for a session. The reality is that we all have busy lives and as silly as it sounds it isn’t all that easy to schedule in a few minutes of not doing anything. Especially on those days that you have a lot on, I just found that it fell down the pecking order behind other tasks, and when I was busy I could never sit down and relax in that way as I’d just be thinking about all the things I needed to be doing instead. Ironically, it’s this kind of stress that is why I maybe need to meditate but it did make it hard to find the time. The other thing is that it’s actually really quite hard and this makes it even more difficult to schedule, because when I do finally have some free time I don't really feel like it. Before the first time, I thought that it would be pretty easy – I mean, it’s sitting and doing nothing, right? What I quickly learned is that keeping up this concentration and focus and trying to keep your mind away from any distractions requires a lot of energy. I don’t think I had a single session without at least one or two distractions and it even managed to ruin my third attempt completely. It kind of built up this thing in my head where instead of meditation being a helpful tool for relaxation as it should be, I’d kind of end up dreading doing it like it was more of a chore. So I’m aware that so far I’ve been pretty negative about my whole experience – but I can reassure you that it wasn’t all like that! I actually found after most of my sessions that I did feel better. I’d be calmer and more relaxed and just feel a bit better about myself. I also really enjoyed taking a little bit of time for myself in this way because I don’t do it often enough, as I’m sure is the case with many people. I think for me I just need to stick at it because I could feel progress, and I’m convinced that if I can keep it up, there will come a point where I find it much easier to switch my mind off and have these moments of peace, and that I’d be able to have longer sessions and make it a more regular part of my week. I think the main thing about meditation for me is that it’s personal, it’s about you. For a busybody like me I found sitting and emptying my mind really difficult, but I did feel the benefits, and with some persistence and regularity I’m sure it would become even more beneficial. The stigmas I had over the practice and whether it really had any sort of effect whatsoever have definitely gone, and I can see why people make it such a big part of their lives. I think for me personally I get the same kinds of benefits when I exercise; it gives me time alone to be with myself and gets me away from distractions. I also find it’s much easier to schedule as part of your day, and even when life gets busy, whilst I’m running I can’t be doing anything else and therefore my 'to-do list' isn't eating away at me. When I interviewed Serena Ryder in Issue 3 of Mindful Melody she summed up meditation perfectly for me – “I’ve meditated almost every day for like two years then it started feeling like a job, like work … now a lot of my self care is going for a walk and playing with my dog. I also kind of moved my meditation to dancing; I put on my favourite music and I look like a complete idiot in my house but I just put my headphones on and jump around and move; but that has turned into what I feel I need.” Whilst I do encourage you to try the traditional form of meditation for yourself and see how it benefits you, I think the real takeaway for me is to find your own form of meditation – something that you enjoy that allows you to take some time for yourself in a busy life; whether it’s dancing in the kitchen, exercising or even something creative like writing or painting.
Meditation Memoirs
Photo by Toni Reed on Unsplash
Photo by Taylor Brandon on Unsplash
Hi Morgan! Thank you for taking the time out to chat today. You released ‘The Night’ back in 2019, and this has a brilliant mental health message. In particular, the line “There’s a rule down in the South that you can’t talk about your mental health” feels very significant. Two years on from its release, do you think mental health is any easier to talk about in Southern US culture? I think we’re getting there, especially since COVID. People were stuck at home, struggling financially and mentally, so it became more evident that we have to talk more and embrace things like therapy. There are also artists like Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and Julia Michaels who are all very outspoken about mental health, and they’re getting radio play. The more people that speak up about it, the more people will feel comfortable talking about these things. It almost feels like a contradiction, because songwriting is by its very nature a personal process where artists are seen as baring their souls and putting themselves in a vulnerable position. So isn’t it strange that, despite this apparent openness about emotions in Country music, which is known for its songwriting, mental health isn’t something that’s widely talked about? I think it’s interesting. If you turn on Country radio over here it’s just men, and having been around Southern men growing up, they don’t talk about emotions. They don’t talk about processing feelings. They’re told, ‘You’re a man, you don’t cry’. Men are told not to be weak, and that women talk about their feelings, but men don’t - which is so stupid, because everyone should talk about their feelings. So I think it does make sense that I’m hearing a lot of that on Country radio, because it’s mainly men on there. It needs to change. This makes the album even more inspiring, because it’s unashamedly vulnerable. In Britain, we’re also known as being reluctant to open up about our feelings, with our stereotypical ‘stiff upper lip’. What advice would you give to people that might feel uncomfortable expressing themselves? I got to a point where I realised I was so sick of feeling like the people I listened to didn’t have any problems. You get on Instagram, and everyone acts like everything is always great, when in reality it’s not. I started just being honest, and I realised there’s a lot more people out there that want this honesty and vulnerability. As you slowly start to become yourself more and more, it becomes easier. It feels a lot better to just be honest about things rather than pretending, because if you pretend for so long, you’re going to explode. It’s easier to just let that go, and just be yourself. We only get one life, so we might as well try to live that as authentically as possible. 'Last Cigarette' has a really interesting double meaning - there’s the struggle to let go of a lover, as well as the difficulty of emerging from addiction. Now that you’ve been sober for four years, how does it feel listening back to this song? I wrote that song around two years ago. I’m a big fan of Russell Brand and his book, 'Recovery' - people think that recovery only pertains to drugs and alcohol, but you can be recovering from a lot of different things, such as people, relationships, social media - anything. For me, it’s a song to look back and reflect. We as a society are so addicted to so many things - I don’t even know how many times a day I pick up my phone and think, ‘Well, why are you doing that? If you picked up a book as many times as you pick up your phone, you might be feeling a little bit better’. ‘Last Cigarette’ is actually my favourite song off the record, I had a lot of fun recoding that one. The sound is different to anything I’ve done before. It can sometimes be the case that when people go through something difficult, like addiction, once they’re on the other side they want to forget that part of their life, and perhaps pretend it never happened. What inspired you to be so open about your own struggles through your music? I’ve always been pretty honest, even as a kid writing songs for myself, because it was a way for me to release what I was struggling with. That’s the only way I know how to write. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Did I maybe say too much?’ - but generally those turn out to be my best songs! I feel like a lot of times if I’m scared to release something because I’m scared of being judged, then it’s probably the best thing for me to just put it out there. There’s a line in ‘The Other Side’ where you say to your partner, “You’ve seen the parts of me that the world says I should hide”. Parts of this album are about transformation and self-development, while others are about embracing flaws and staying true to yourself. Has it been difficult to find this balance of when to say, ‘Okay, I need to change this’, and when to say, ‘No, you know what, this is who I am’? Even as we grow and change, I don’t want to look back on the times before I was sober and be super ashamed and mad at myself for who I was, because I had to go through that. A lot of the time, we try to sweep things under the rug, but I think it’s okay for me to remember the things that I went though because they made me who I am. It’s important to remember where you’ve come from, and to embrace that that’s where you were in your life, and to be proud that you’re not there anymore. ‘Don’t Cry’ is another hugely emotional song, where the lyrics find you reassuring yourself in the midst of a difficult situation. The overall tone feels optimistic, and you reach a point of acceptance, epitomised in the line, ‘It’s okay not to be alright’. How important to you was it to include this recurring theme of self-acceptance on the album? I start that song saying, ‘I’m my own worst critic’. If you want to make any changes regarding mental health or addiction, it starts with you. Unless you really want it, you can’t make those changes and get healthy. People can reach out and offer you help, but until you really want that, it’s just not going to happen. We’re the hardest on ourselves, and we always believe that we don’t deserve good things. If I believed everything my mind told me, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you, and I wouldn’t be involved in music. You’re going to be stuck with yourself as long as you’re here, so take care of yourself, and that’s something I’m continually learning. We just don’t treat ourselves. It’s been pushed into my brain that if you take time for self-care, then you’re being selfish. But it’s alright to tell people ‘No’, and it’s okay to do things for yourself, and we need to continue to normalise that and not just do what other people want us to do. ‘Don’t Cry’ isn’t just about sobriety, it’s also about killing that part of me that was like, ‘You have to do this’ or ‘You can’t do this’. I was writing it at a time too where I was trying to figure out who the hell I was. We’re all on that journey. It sounds so cliché to be like, ‘Love yourself’ - I was always one of those people to be like, ‘Okay, well that sounds like some ‘granola stuff’, I don’t want to hear that’! But now I’m that person that’s like, ‘No, I totally get it!’ On ‘Mend’, you are looking to someone else for support. As you talk about all the ways that person has helped you to grow, how important do you think it is to look outwards in times of need, as well as inwards? If I’m feeling depressed and just generally having a hard time, when I start feeling myself separate from other people, and not wanting to reach out because I feel like I’m a burden, those are the moments when I need to reach out to people the most. I think we all need some help. In trying to be independent, I’d sometimes think, ‘Well, I shouldn’t have to ask anybody else for help’. But sometimes we really need that, because we can’t see clearly what’s gong on in our own head, so it can be helpful to get someone else’s perspective. I don’t think we should always listen to everything everybody else says, but I think there are moments where reaching out to other people is super important. Finally, what are your favourite three songs with a theme of mental health? 1. 'Shadow' - Macklemore 2. 'Just Like You' - NF 3. 'Ride' - Lana Del Rey
"It's important to remember where you've come from, and to be proud that you're not there anymore"
US Country singer-songwriter Morgan Wade chats to Maxim about walking the line between self-improvement and self-acceptance
"We only get one life, so we might as well try to live that as authentically as possible."
Morgan Wade's brand new album, Reckless, is out now on all platforms!
Photos by David McClister
David Dawson Quadeca finally released his album ‘From Me To You’ recently, and anyone who has been keeping tabs will know that it has been a long year since we were promised the project was ‘coming soon’ at the end of the ‘Alone Together’ music video. Anyone who has heard of Quadeca will probably know him from his cliché and cheesy YouTube beef with KSI, who called him out as being a less than impressive lyricist. This is how I too was introduced to the young rapper, and having heard his diss track I never really saw myself being a fan. Sure, it was a good laugh and a perfectly fine song for the purposes of a YouTube beef, but it never really had me doubting that KSI’s harsh sentiments were untrue. It was with the release of his first album ‘Voice Memos’ that I finally realised the talent that the young man had. Whilst his album as a whole wasn’t anything particularly ground-breaking, it did fully showcase the skill and potential that Quadeca has to offer and certainly got me excited for projects in the future. Since then, some very strong single releases have had me eagerly anticipating the release of this new album, and I have to say it really didn’t disappoint. The atmospheric, dark and anthemic sounds on display in ‘From Me to You’ are truly magnificent, and it presents a far cry from ‘Voice Memos’. It seems that the artist has now gained the confidence, after releasing a fairly commercial sounding album, to go and do things his own way and I personally am all for it. Before I listened to this album I have to say there was an extra weight on its shoulders for me. A while ago now I wrote an article on whether it is fair to tarnish all YouTube artists with the same brush. Having not come up through the A&R channels of mainstream label artists and with many not being musicians prior, it is so easy to just assume that with every YouTube release comes a rich kid trying to make more money. Releases like ‘Obsessed’ by TikTok star Addison Rae do little to help this. With Quadeca, though, it is different, he has always been about his music and he is genuinely talented. He himself rapped "people judge my music by the platform used to distribute it" in his ‘Not a Disstrack’ video, along with some other scathing lines about the snobbery used to judge Soundcloud rappers who then go on to top the charts. With this album, therefore, I was keen to see whether he could shake this whole YouTube rapper judgement and gain some respect because his music speaks for itself. ‘Sisyphus’ opens the album as the first full song following the short ‘Couloir (Intro)’. This was released as a single shortly before the album and only intensified my excitement for the project. The song encapsulates almost everything that excites me about Quadeca as an artist. Throughout there is imagery of mountains and the wilderness with sentiments that the young man wants to leave his hectic lifestyle behind and get away from it all, living peacefully in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. There’s also a really great line about following the path up the mountain, which leads on to Quadeca saying that he has been so close to the peak but is now worried about avoiding the drop. This line packs a meaningful punch about how the artist has had some success in the past, but really feels that pressure to try and capitalise on it and not fall short. What is also great about this line is that it is shortly after talking about a metaphorical drop we hear the beat drop for the chorus; if I didn’t know Quadeca, I’d suggest maybe it was a happy accident, but it isn’t the first and won’t be the last time that we see just how clever Quadeca is when putting together a song. In fact, the opening of this song is another moment of sonic genius. The song begins with a beautifully atmospheric and dramatic build complete with vocals and a really broad sounding instrumental; a dash of reverb gives it the feel of a distant yet powerful sound. When Quadeca’s rap comes in suddenly the reverb disappears and the instrumental drops right down, there is a new closeness to the sound. I’m not sure words can quite do it justice but the contrast of the vast and distant build with the vocal really gives the impression of the wilderness; as if you are surrounded by huge mountains and vast landscapes before zoning in on Quadeca, stood alone in the middle of it all. It’s so intelligent but it also sounds amazing. ‘Alone Together’ is another high point. As mentioned in the intro, this song preceded the album as a whole by nearly a year and has been a favourite of mine long before the album came out. I was excited to hear that on the album, however the song comes with a new opening; a full minute's worth of a beautiful string introduction complete with all the drama and emotion that the rest of the song requires. As with ‘Sisyphus’, this song encapsulates a lot of what the album - and Quadeca - is about. The instrumental is pretty simple, consisting mainly of a deep synth playing the same sequence over and over, but somehow sounds like the most vast and intense backing behind the vocals. This is echoed when the drums come in, again playing a slow and simplified beat but somehow completely dominating the track. The new album version actually has slightly different drums than the original single release; there are no major changes, but some of the hard-hitting snares have been replaced with an almost alien-like laser beam sound. I have to say I was a little disappointed by this as so much of the gravitas of the song was carried in those simple yet sensational drums. Quadeca’s vocals manage to keep the intensity of the song, however, switching seamlessly between an almost shouted section to completely quiet and close in the chorus. The whole song is just packed with such emotion and power that it really is something that you have to listen to. ‘Summit, Pt.1’ and ‘Summit, Pt. 2 (Outro)’ signal the end of the album, and aside from the singles that I was already familiar with, are probably my favourites on the whole album. Continuing the mountain theme, ‘Summit, Pt.1’ almost feels like Quadeca looking back at the end of the album, considering where he has come from and where he is now. The sentiment of the song is that he has come a long way but is still far from done, with the summit being the metaphor for success. Quadeca raps that some people would say he is halfway there, but he thinks he is still halfway from it, emphasising that instead of resting on his laurels he is determined not to fall off the edge, similarly to ‘Sisyphus’. The song in the second verse addresses someone else, presumably a partner, and is a beautiful message about how the rapper knows the sacrifices the other person has made to help him get where he is, and that he is ready to repay the favour for them. After the second chorus the song breaks down into a hauntingly beautiful passage in which we just hear a piano and some strained, distant vocals harmonising. It is unclear what the lyrics are, but this section really isn’t about the lyrical content and more about the amazing sound that the vocals produce. It contrasts perfectly with all of the intensity and power that has come before it in the album. As with the start of the album where the first few songs beautifully blend into each other, ‘Summit, Pt.1’ ends with the piano quietening and slowing before ‘Summit, Pt.2’ re-introduces some vocals to the same backing. Again, as with the end of part one, you cannot easily distinguish what the lyrics are, but as the outro to the album this is so perfect. After all the emotion, intensity and anthemic power that has come before it, this stripped back, calm and quiet ending is just so beautiful. So, what did I think overall? The album really surpassed my expectations. ‘Voice Memos’ really was quite commercial and I expected ‘From Me to You’ to be quite similar for the most part, despite the singles from it that I had already heard. Throughout listening and reviewing the album, the whole time I was trying to think of someone who had a similar sound, or a similar style to compare it to, but I’m not sure that there is anyone. This album really feels like Quadeca expressing himself and I love that. Beyond the great lyrics and rapping on this album, I think my favourite thing is the sound. I’ve never heard anything like it. It is unbelievably simple in its mechanics but the whole thing just sounds so vast. This is completely deliberate too, it feels like every sound and every moment has a purpose on the album. The whole thing carries a real intensity and drama throughout that uses the most basic of instrumentation to create this huge, huge sound. It gives that sensation that you are in the wilderness, that you are surrounded by mountains; it conveys that in a way that I’ve never heard before. It’s so unique. After listening all the way through, I really had this strange feeling that I’d just been a part of something special, as if I’d experienced something, and that for me is the sign of a truly amazing album. What is even weirder about this is that the album is so much more than a collection of songs; I did like the songs individually and there were a couple I really liked, but in the context of the album they all work. Some of the songs on there are good but not great, you’d maybe be indifferent about them if you listened to them on their own, but in the context of the project they were all moving parts to create this one amazing collective at the end. This was helped by the way a lot of the songs seamlessly transitioned into the next, creating the feeling that this is one continuous piece of art rather than a bundle of a few completely separate pieces. I’d say that the one thing the album missed was some of the really impressive rapping that Quadeca can do; the lyricism was great on this album, but there weren’t any particularly fast or wordy bits and he is so talented that it would be great for him to have showcased this. I also, however, completely understand why he didn’t, as this is what he showcased on ‘Voice Memos’ and this project wasn’t really suited for that kind of rapping. Overall though, Quadeca’s YouTube diss tracks showed him as a good ‘YouTube rapper’, ‘Voice Memos’ showed him as a talented lyricist, whereas ‘From Me To You’ shows that he is a great artist, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Sublime Simplicity Quadeca's Atmospheric 'From Me To You' Album Reviewed
Stream 'From Me To You' Now!
Photo by Rodrigo dos Reis on Unsplash
The Virginia songsmith tells Maxim why family time means so much more to him than studio time
Hi Canaan! Thanks so much for taking the time out to talk to me today. Your new album, HIGH COUNTRY SOUND, epitomises the theme of this issue, and you’ve talked a lot about how you ‘came home’ when writing this project. This pandemic has given us a lot of time to refresh and appreciate where we are in life. How much of this project was created during quarantine? Eight of the twelve songs. I have a studio here in my garage, I used to have a place in the house but then we moved here and had a baby girl, so there’s no spare room anymore! I sat out here singing underneath a blanket facing the baffles, which was really cool because it was all in my own time and in the comfort of my home. Metaphorically, it was all very much the same messaging for me. I feel like I had to come home, and God knew it, and I’m thankful I was forced to do it because I needed to grow and shed a lot of layers. My perspective needed shifting, the hierarchy of the things I thought were important needed changing, and I needed to balance work and home better. I started embracing the parts of me that are true, and trying to dig deep within instead of reaching for things. I was driven to be different for the wrong reasons. I think everyone is different just by being themselves, and I was trying to create what would make me different, instead of just being myself. I got lost and I got a bitter taste for music because I was always being disappointed. I was measuring myself by chart positions and comparing myself to other artists. There were different decisions that led me down paths of confusion, and I wasn’t even aware of what was happening until I was forcibly removed from the scenario because of COVID. That changed my perspective in such a good way. Through the birth of my daughter, Virginia, I was reminded what a gift life is. Trust me, that’s been a battle too, I’ve had to pull away from work sometimes because I have my duties at home. My wife’s a nurse and we don’t have a sitter, so I’m the one here with Virginia. Sometimes the days are long and challenging - pre-COVID me would’ve been a disaster, but post-COVID me has learned that you have to live life to really have anything to say. Life doesn’t look like the social media version of itself. There are so many ups and downs, just in the course of 24 hours - moments of complete joy and moments of complete frustration. You mentioned your daughter, Virginia, who you welcomed in 2019. How has becoming a father influenced your music? I just have to be selfless because it’s all about somebody else now, it’s not about me. Artists are so conditioned to think everything’s about them, like when we go on the road everything’s catered to us, and it’s so easy to get caught up in this mentality of having someone else do everything for you. I’ve stepped back and I see what’s wrong with that. That doesn’t work for me anymore - it doesn’t work for my marriage, or for me as a father. You can’t be first. You have to take care of your needs obviously, and you have to be well in order to show up for somebody else. But beyond that, everyday my mission differs now to what it was. It’s about my family, which is a much bigger, more meaningful purpose than it was previously. Before, I was just hungry to wake up and have success, and I defined success by all the wrong things. I love music with all my heart, but it’s not number one in my life, and it used to be - to a fault. I was in a really tough place mentally, failing to see how blessed I already was and how much I’d already been given. I was overlooking all that because I always wanted more. Having a baby has been a recalibrating season mentally, and I feel healthier in that regard than ever before. The overriding feeling I get from this project is one of gratitude, and ‘Grounded’ epitomises this mentality of always searching for silver linings. How long did it take to get to this place where you could look back and say, ‘Okay, these felt like obstacles at the time, but now I appreciate them for bringing me here’? I got to this point when I was with Mercury Records and after a couple of misfires in terms of single releases, I felt really lost and I felt like I needed to start over. I had to let go of a manager, and I walked away from an incredible record deal with the biggest label in Country music, just to find myself again. I didn’t remember those stories that I sing about now, I didn’t remember anything about my life that mattered because I was so worried about the present coming together the way I wanted it to. Once I hit pause, and signed a publishing deal with Tree Vibez Music and then a record deal with Round Here Records shortly after that, even then it took me two years to really find my groove and get back to my story. When I moved to Nashville sixteen years ago I was singing the kind of music you hear on HIGH COUNTRY SOUND. I’ve been getting texts from friends saying, ‘This sounds like your old stuff, I love it’. That’s so rewarding to hear because it means I’ve come full circle and I’m doing what I came here to do. I credit BK [Brian Kelley] and Tyler [Hubbard] for helping me remember my strengths as a writer and as an artist. They met me back when I first moved here, and they’ve done a great job in helping me remember that what I bring to the table is enough and that being myself is what ultimately wins. It’s a cool place to be, man - I’m not looking for other people to tell me what I am anymore, I’m feeling it in my heart and being led by the Lord to know what’s best. ‘Mason Jars & Fireflies’ is as Country as it gets, but at the same time, it could also easily be seen as an EDM track. It really finds that balance between being experimental, but also traditional. What inspired you to give ‘Mason Jars & Fireflies’ this innovative sound? Man, I just started diving into the cultural history of where I’m from and my natural instinctual reactions on the mic. It’s coming from within. Why replace that with an instrument if that’s what it needs to sound like, and it’s already emotionally getting across what it needs to just by doing a holler like that? There’s freedom in that for me, to know that the only rule is to remain true and not second-guess it. You co-wrote one of my favourite songs on Florida Georgia Line’s recent album, ‘Good to Me’, which goes back to that feeling of gratitude and appreciation. How did that song come about? That was written while I was on tour with the guys two summers ago. We were writing multiple songs every day out there. I grew up in the church, so I’d heard it said so many times, but I’d never really stopped to survey the significance of that particular phrase - ‘God’s been good to me’. Now that I have more tangible things right in front of my eyes to make sense of that, it comes to the forefront a little more naturally and from a deeper place of gratitude than before. I know that Brian and Tyler feel the same way, so that song was easy to write because we all believe it and we all feel very blessed. It’s almost like a Christian worship song, really, with a little bit of front-porch sitting to bring it home to Country. It’s about not overlooking what you have because you’re hungry for more, but instead just being in the moment and appreciating what’s there now. ‘High Country’ is another of my favourites from your album, as it captures that feeling of being out in nature, and feeling cushioned and comforted by the trees. What do you find therapeutic about being outdoors, and how do you use this to help you when you’re feeling low or stressed? I think it does ground me to be out there in nature, where the only distraction is the natural beauty. That’s so much more impressive and there’s so much more to take away from that, compared to having your head down glued to a screen. I love the fresh air. I love how majestic old forest growth is and the power of that. God’s creation is so majestic, man, it’s just awe-inspiring. When I find myself out there, it shifts my entire outlook. I could be having the worst day ever, but drive ten minutes down the road and walk through the woods for an hour and come back a whole new person. It gives me a sense of peace, and I feel more at home out there. That’s where I’m most inspired and most at rest. Once it’s safe and COVID-secure, can we look forward to you returning for another UK tour? I had a great time when I was last in the UK, and I’ve always wanted to go back. You guys are so good at giving us your ear and your attention, and at really appreciating the lyrics. You don’t just want to be entertained at the bar and have a rowdy time - I’ve done those shows here in the States so many times, and I don’t want to do that same thing again. Maybe COVID has changed things, and I hope and pray that the next time around when we all go out the appreciation for music in the US is on a whole different level. There’s a place for every kind of music, but where I’m most gratified is on a stage with just me and my guitar, singing songs from the heart that people are appreciative of, and not having to compete with the noise of the crowd, but rather the crowd hanging on the words of the song. I think this album really lends itself to that. We’ll definitely come up with plans to go back over to the UK - hopefully soon. I’d love that. Canaan's Top 3 songs with a theme of mental health: 1. 'Son's Gonna Rise' - Citizen Cope 2. 'Easy Come, Easy Go' - George Strait 3. 'White Gloves' - Khruangbin HIGH COUNTRY SOUND is available to stream on all platforms now!
CANAAN SMITH
Photo by Kurt Ozan
how he found himself through fatherhood, faith, and a little help from the forest
Life can be hectic. Time moves fast and we are always busy! In line with this issue's encouragement to 'Slow Down and Simplify', here are our Top Ten anthems to help you do just that!
I wrote in the last issue about how Jhené’s music has such a calming effect on the listener, and this song epitomises that serenity. The hook - “Going the wrong way down a one-way street” - could apply to any kind of rebellion, but to me the song plays as a rejection of the pressures we put on ourselves (“Melancholy, mediocre mess, maybe I should just give it a rest now, I just gotta get this off my chest, lately I have been so f***ing stressed out”). I also love how the song switches between muffled vocals and lucid rapping, as if drifting in and out of sleep. MM
‘The Life’ tells the story of a hard-working businessman who encounters a sun-tanned, barefooted islander named José while on holiday, and is subsequently inspired to reevaluate the way he lives his life. Similarly to Zac Brown Band's ‘Chicken Fried’, José shows him that it’s the little things that matter most, like playing your guitar and having good times with good friends. ‘The Life’ always feels like a window into a completely different way of life to the one we usually think we should chase after, and my favourite moment is when José shows the main character that there’s more than one way to ‘make a living’ - “I said I make a good living back home where I’m from, he smiled and said, ‘Amigo, me too’”. MM
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7. Peace of Mind Avicii
For anyone who read my ‘Malibu Theory’ this song fits that category. Whilst I had always been aware of ‘Video Games’ I was completely indifferent about it until hearing it again recently. The understated instrumental perfectly sits beneath Lana’s unique vocals and gives the song a really beautiful feel about it. I had always labeled Lana’s songs before as sounding somewhat miserable or boring but I’ve recently gained a new appreciation for her slow, simplistic and emotive style. Sounding like a classic from some 20th century era Hollywood work, ‘Video Games’ is one of those songs that I could close my eyes and listen to on repeat. DD
6. Falling – Duke Dumont Remix – Haim
5. The Life Kenny Chesney
9. One Way St. Jhené Aiko ft. Ab-Soul
8. Video Games Lana Del Rey
This is something I recently discovered hidden as a late bonus track on Haim’s brilliant ‘Days Are Gone’ album. I wasn’t really sure what I would make of it as ‘Falling’ in its traditional form is a fantastic song anyway, but Duke Dumont manages to change the whole inflection. A simple but satisfying synth chord sequence and a basic drum beat are the main elements which are supported by snippets of Haim’s original vocals and the whole thing just sounds so chilled. There’s nothing really magical or complex about what Duke Dumont does with the song mechanically, but in terms of the feel it has completely transformed into a simple, mellowed classic that would be a joy in my headphones on a sunny beach somewhere. DD
“Dear society, you are moving way too fast, way too fast for me” - the opening lines of this song feel so pertinent, and captures that sense of being forced to move through life at a speed that someone else dictates. The general message of this track is given even more poignance and urgency from the fact that it was the stress of constantly travelling and touring that contributed to Avicii’s mental health struggles and untimely death. ‘Peace of Mind’ ends on a plea that feels both innocent and hauntingly modern at the same time - "Can I get a little peace of mind?" MM
Our Top Ten...Slowed Down and Simplified Songs
10. Follow Me Uncle Kracker
It’s been debated whether this song was written about heroin or about having an affair – but don’t get the wrong impression. Without looking too much into the lyrics ‘Follow Me’ is such a great tune, a simple but catchy guitar line and the smooth vocals make it all seem so relaxed. The lyrics do help this; the chorus of "Follow me, everything is alright", whilst more vulgar in actual meaning and context, do give an impression that actually things will be okay - as does the whole song. It’s one of those that you listen to and just instantly feel more relaxed, giving you the urge to let go of your worries because life isn’t so complicated after all. DD
2. Footsteps in the Dark, Pts. 1&2 – The Isley Brothers
1. . Simple - Florida Georgia Line
To be honest, this was a toss up between ‘Peak’ and ‘Summer Games’, but while both are great songs, ‘Peak’ really encapsulates the simplicity better. You could probably characterise the whole song with two elements: the most stripped-back bass and snare 1, 2 drum beat you’ve ever heard and a chorus which includes some sort of sound effect playing a rising 2, then 3 note arpeggio. That is literally it. Drake’s vocal then navigates around these and fills out the rest of the song. Although it doesn’t give me that same smile on my face that other songs in the playlist do, the simplicity of the whole thing and its lethargic tempo just make it feel like the world slowed down for a second - and to be honest I need that sometimes. DD
Okay, I’ll admit this one is a bit on the nose in terms of this issue’s theme. But it’s one of my favourite songs of all time, and I listen to it whenever I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. It’s full of inspirational bon-mots about tuning out all the noise and decluttering your mind. In today’s digitalised world, we’re bombarded from all angles by controversial headlines, opinions and gossip, with news channels and social media pages jostling noisily for our attention. This song is a tribute to the mental health benefits of unplugging and keeping it ‘simple like a six-string - the way this world was meant to be’. MM
4. Peak Drake
Any fans of Ice Cube or 90’s Gangster rap in general will instantly recognise the instrumental of this song for its use in ‘It Was A Good Day’ – and it’s clear to see why it was chosen for this. The whole song just feels laidback, and even though I haven’t really got any memories to associate with it, it sends me to a sunny day driving round with the windows down without a care in the world. That was ultimately the message that Ice Cube’s song was going for – the perfect day where everything feels just right. ‘Footsteps in the Dark’ (and ‘It Was A Good Day’) are slow, smooth and simple in the best way possible and instantly put a smile on my face. DD
3. Chicken Fried Zac Brown Band
Another one of my all-time favourites (and not just because I love fried chicken…), this song in many ways acts as a recipe for some homegrown happiness. Zac’s essentials include seeing ‘the love in my woman’s eyes’, ‘the touch of a precious child’, and ‘turning the radio up’. It underlines to me that the most valuable things in life aren’t objects, rather it’s those priceless moments spent with the people we love. But it also reminds me that those moments are even better with a little bit of chicken fried… MM
You could argue that Thomas Rhett’s route to becoming ‘Country Again’ started on his 2019 project, Centre Point Road. Despite being laden with pop impulses, songs like ‘That Old Truck’ and ‘Remember You Young’ showcased the Country songwriting purist in Rhett. I mean, does it get more Country than writing a love letter to your first Ford 4x4? In all seriousness, what does it actually mean to be ‘Country Again’? Is it just making songs about cold beers and fishing, or is it something more? To me, at the heart of Country music lies an appreciation for a simple life, and a rejection of the insatiable, modern-day mindset of always chasing more. On Country Again (Side A), Thomas Rhett bottles up this feeling of slowing down and being thankful for the little things - hence why, for me, it’s the perfect album for this special Slow Down and Simplify issue of Mindful Melody. The title track acts as a summary of Rhett’s journey, epitomised by his symbolic tug-of-war between the glitz and glamour of California and the down-home modesty of Tennessee. There’s a charming straightforwardness with which the Country superstar explains his disillusionment with life in the fast lane (“I traded sunsets with my wife for hours on my phone”), so that his decision to slow down feels like it’s obviously the right option. However, in reality, rebelling against today’s culture of relentless hurry is a pretty difficult thing to do, and often seems like anything but the obvious choice. Whenever we decide to say ‘Yes’ to self-care instead of work, it’s hard not to feel our productivity-junkie brain replying in its best Siri voice, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Please try again.’ That’s what makes Country Again (Side A) such an inspiring project. On the face of it, it’s a gentle, uncontroversial ode to spending more time with family and enjoying the simple pleasures of life. But in the modern context in which it arrives, it’s as rebellious an album as any. Thomas Rhett doubles down on the intimacy and familiarity that has drawn in so many fans over the years. This is most apparent on the tender ‘Heaven Right Now’, on which Rhett movingly wonders what a lost friend is getting up to in Heaven. The fact that this centres around a true story only serves to increase the vulnerability of the track, and Rhett’s inclusion of specific references makes the listener feel as though they are being confided in (“They still ain’t paved that road on lower Lickton Pike, I still look for your truck sometimes at Sonic on Friday night”). Despite the reflection and soul-searching that forms the backbone of Country Again (Side A), it doesn’t play as an overly serious or heavy album. Towards the end of the project, we get a couple of easygoing, party-starting jams. The first of these is the energetic ‘Put It on Ice’, featuring budding Country star HARDY, and this is followed by a light-hearted tale of blowing off work and getting lost down Country lanes on ‘Blame It on a Backroad’. Although the inclusion of these songs makes sense to temper the introspection of the previous tracks, they struggle to leave a lasting impression. After the songwriting masterclasses that we see on so many other songs on the album, you can’t help but wish for a little more meat on the bones of these pop-leaning tracks. Thomas Rhett finishes Country Again (Side A) with a flourish, and the album-closer is undoubtedly one of my favourites. ‘Ya Heard’ feels like a natural progression from ‘Heaven Right Now’, and it sees Rhett in conversation with God about the things he feels most grateful for, whilst at the same time recalling the times that he worried his prayers weren’t ‘getting through the ceiling’. There’s a heartwarming innocence and wide-eyed wonder that pervades ‘Ya Heard’. Whether he’s giving thanks for his wife, his career, or his children, you can feel Rhett’s genuine sense of contentment emanating through each line (“Cause I look at this green-eyed girl from Tennessee, the one I bothered You about since I was 17, and I know that I wasn’t wasting breath or words, ‘Cause I look at her and I’m pretty sure Ya heard”). It’s safe to say that Thomas Rhett has stayed true to his word of returning to his roots and becoming ‘Country Again’. I find it interesting that whenever someone has a major breakthrough or epiphany in their life, it’s often not a case of finding something they were searching for out in the world. Rather, it’s about ‘coming home’ and realising that what they needed was within them all along. So as I end this Country Again (Side A) review - a large portion of which I’ve spent stressing how we should appreciate what we already have, and not chase after what we don’t yet have - I find myself eagerly typing into Google, “When is Thomas Rhett’s Side B released?” Hmm, maybe I need to give this album another listen...
Thomas Rhett finds happiness at home on Country Again (Side A)
MM
In the modern context in which it arrives, it's as rebellious an album as any.
Country Again (Side A) is out now on all platforms!
Check out more of delaney's work at www.delaneyroyer.com - Interview by Maxim
""I’m constantly observing my surroundings, and I enjoy combining it with my curiosity of what could be - Looking beyond what initially meets the eye and using your imagination in any situation.""
""the US Virgin Islands are some of my biggest inspirations and my home away from home. The slower pace of living, nature as the primary focus, and the way colours are used in both architecture and landscaping are all qualities I try to share with others.""
Delaney's top 3 mental health songs: 1. Good News - Mac Miller 2. Happy & Sad - Kacey Musgraves 3. Pink Matter - Frank OCean
""Even before I met my husband [Country artist ERNEST], I have been surrounded by musical energy and artistry. I was raised by a songwriter/musician dad [Bread's Robb Royer] and an acrylic painter mom [Maddy Royer]. I have never known life where creativity wasn’t the focus and constantly cultivated. I had free space to create my entire childhood, and I took that sense of childlike wonder into my artistic process as an adult.""
"There is no music in a 'rest' that I know of, but there's the making of music in it. And people are always missing that part of the life melody." John Ruskin
Seafret Interview
Hi Jack and Harry! Thanks so much for talking to me today! This issue of Mindful Melody is a ‘Slow Down and Simplify’ special which fits perfectly with your recent EP ‘Piano Sessions’. Where did the idea come from to release these beautiful, re-worked piano acoustic versions of some of your old songs? Harry: I don’t know really – I’ve got a piano in the house now and I was just sat there and just having a go at it, thinking it would be cool to do ‘Oceans’ on piano. Jack: Yeah, I’ve often heard him play versions of the songs and they’re always gorgeous. I always thought that one day we would maybe surprise people at a show and do a piano version of the tracks. With us not being able to see each other as much with the whole lockdown, Harry is able to record stuff at home and we’ve been working from home just like everybody else. Usually we write together in a room and we haven’t been able to do that so it was a good thing to go back to the old stuff and bring it back in a new way. They came out really well, they are really relaxed and it gives a whole new feel to the songs. I have to say I was extremely excited when I saw the EP; ‘Atlantis’, ‘Wildfire’ and ‘Oceans’ are my three favourite Seafret songs – and it was also exciting to see something new on there with ‘Parachute’. What was it about these particular songs that warranted their inclusion in this project? H: I think they’re the songs that get the most reaction at the minute from the fans. That’s because they are really quite meaningful songs so to slow them down and strip them back to just the piano was quite interesting. We released them four, five and six years ago some of them, so it’s a while since we delved into those songs again, so it was really nice to rework it. J: Yeah, it was great to get back into that mindset. When we actually wrote them some of them came together really fast, it’s like we write them, record them, produce them and then it’s done. They kind of take on their own life after that and people interact with them. You don’t know what songs are going to connect with people but those are the songs that have really pushed on Seafret as a band so it felt right to choose them. We then wanted to add something new to it as well which is why ‘Parachute’ is on there. It’s almost a demo on that EP really because we will do a proper version of that track, but it just felt perfect in that simple format for that EP. H: Three classics and a new one! I love the production on this EP – the raw and honest feel of just letting the recording come through in its natural form creates something really emotive and special. This, however, is coupled with a great quality of mixing and instrumentation which maintains the feel of these songs – building up and fading away in all the same places as the originals. Was there a particular sound that you wanted to achieve with all of the songs from the outset, or was it more a case of ‘Let’s see what these sound like with the piano?’ H: Yeah, exactly the latter - ‘Let’s see how it comes out!’ It was so nice to add some production, it would have been nice just piano and vocal but it was nice to have a bit more dynamic with the other instruments. We did the first one and we thought, ‘That’s so cool’ and then we were trying to keep on that vibe with the rest. J: We had no intention of changing the songs dramatically, we just wanted to give them a different flavour and see how it would all work together. We do that with songs when we are writing; we will write something and I might be writing lyrics to it while it’s being produced up in the studio, but then we just strip it back to guitar and vocal and sing it in the room. It’s always pretty intense doing it; it’s a make or break time for a song, but if it feels strong in that simplistic form you know you’re onto a bit of a winner, you know the song is emotionally strong and it isn’t just a case of people listening to the drums. Although not the original intention of the song, I feel that ‘Oceans’ (in its original or ‘Piano Sessions’ form) would particularly resonate with people over the last year. The title line ‘It feels like there’s oceans between me and you’ underlines perfectly the situation in which many people find themselves, kept apart from loved ones. Can you shed some light on the original inspiration behind the song and how you think the pandemic may have given it a new inflection? J: When we wrote the song it was when we’d moved from our hometown in the North-East of England to London. It was all new to us and we felt like we were leaving all of our loved ones behind - that was the original. ‘Atlantis’ too was just born from failing relationships from just never being there. A lot of the songs can be interpreted in different ways, we don’t like to nail it to one thing, I think that is the appeal of those songs. Like ‘Oceans’, it’s so simple and it came together so fast, didn't it? H: Yeah, in a few hours in an afternoon. We were at this point where we had moved from home down to London and I was only 18 at the time and Jack wasn’t much older and it was all new. They did come from that place and I can see why it is resonating now because we haven’t been able to see anyone for ages, it’s kind of the same emotion. J: A lot of people are going through a similar thing now even when they’re just down the road from each other, feeling like there’s oceans between them when they can’t see each other. Hopefully we are through the most of it now, I’m ready for things to open back up. ‘Wildfire’ featured a couple of years ago in the Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Longest Ride’ starring Scott Eastwood. Can you tell me how this came about, and what was your reaction to the song being used? H: It was so random, it just came about. J: We just got an email didn’t we? H: We hadn’t even released the song yet either so we had to rush and release it. It was out of the blue, I guess the guy doing music on the film just thought it was perfect for it. I’ve watched it and I have to say it's pretty perfect for that scene. J: I didn’t watch it for years! I was kind of embarrassed by things and I just couldn’t watch it! I finally did watch it on a plane. H: Yeah, we both did! We both watched it on a plane. J: It was really cool, it was right at the end, it’s like the whole last scene of the film. I had friends and family messaging me and I remember my grandparents went to watch it at the cinema and were messaging me telling me that they’d been crying! H: It was amazing to get, what a thing to have! We are still buzzing from it now! One thing I love about your music is how emotive and honest it is – can you shed some light on your songwriting process and how much of an inspiration your emotions and experiences become when putting music together? H: It starts most of the time from a bit of music, whether I’ve got a bit of piano or guitar, and we’ll build from there and get melodies. I think that starts the emotion off because the whole feel of the song will come from this piece of music. It’s all kind of subconscious. You explained it well once Jack – it’s almost a delay, isn’t it? J: Yeah, it is a bit like that. Something sad could happen now, that doesn’t necessarily mean we just write sad songs. You have to process the situation and it could be a year later, you’re really happy and someone will ask to listen to your latest song and it’s so sad! They’ll be asking, ‘Are you alright?’ - well I wasn’t at one point! We always send each other ideas, but it tends to be Harry on guitar mostly, although a lot more piano now because he’s gotten a lot better at it. Then I’ll just pick up on it, it will make me feel things, I’ll start hearing melodies from notes that have been played. H: And then he’ll send that back to me, and then I can feel what Jack’s feeling. This is more about the last year where it’s all been over Zoom. But yeah, then I’ll feel a bit more and add something and send it back to Jack and it just goes through that process. Jack finishes the lyric off almost with the track done. J: Usually I just send Harry melodies on piano – I can’t really play it but I can hear in my head what the notes are, I’ll record that and send it over. If it gets approved then I’ll write the lyrics to it, and usually by that point I’ve been hearing lyrics and I just build from that and the song takes its shape. I know a lot of people have a concept at the start of the song, for example a song called ‘Tornado’, then you just fill the verse with everything to do with wind! A lot of the time we don’t do that, we might not know what the song is called until the end. That’s exciting as well, it’s a slower way to do it but the song just builds in itself and gets more exciting. It’s been highly publicised that the origin of Seafret was the two of you hearing each other at an open mic night in 2011. Can you tell me a little more about what drew you to each other, and whether ten years ago you imagined you would be where you are now? J: No! No to the last bit! H: I’m sure Jack will tell you, but it was the first time he’d ever played in front of anybody and I think he’d only been singing a few weeks! He just sat there on this chair and it was so honest, and the voice that you hear now… J: …It was a lot more raspy… H: It was like Paolo Nutini had swallowed something! J: Yeah that was a scary night! It was candle lit with no microphone. It was my first time going and Harry did a couple of songs playing banjo and double bass. He was probably 15 or 16 and was absolutely rapid on the banjo! You could hear people in the room saying, ‘That’s Harry Draper’, you knew it was good and he was known to be good, and he was a child! I didn’t really think anything of that, it’s not like I saw that and thought, ‘I’m going to ask him to play with me’, I didn’t know him! Harry’s dad said that we should play together, our parents knew each other. H: Yeah, small town - everyone knows of everyone. J: Yeah, it just went from there, his dad said I should go to their house and play. I went and had to play to everyone to get “accepted”, which was probably the scariest gig I’ve done in my life! My voice was way different, I could hit notes but I had weird tone going on. If I listen back to early recordings it doesn’t sound like me! I’m grateful to Harry and his family for telling me that I’m a good singer, because if I’d heard myself I might have said, 'Maybe you don’t want to do this anymore!' I’m grateful that they saw the potential in me. Being a musician obviously requires a lot of travel and working with a lot of people. How have you both found navigating this unique situation we find ourselves in, and what are you most looking forward to doing when it’s over? H: It’s actually been alright – obviously the situation is bad, but personally it’s been okay. We’re so busy and we have been for quite a few years, going from Russia to Brazil and all over in-between! It’s been quite nice to have this time to reset, I think it’s important to do that because you get lost in everything and in yourself. As soon as we had that reset we started writing more, we are writing more now than we have ever written since we first started out. We are missing gigs now, definitely. J: We used to come off tour and then we’d have bits in between like writing and recording, a few days of this and a few days of that. With the current situation it’s been weird, at the start we didn’t feel like writing much, we weren’t contacting each other all the time. It just got to a point where Harry would send me an idea, and I’d send Harry one, then he’d send another and I’d send another. It got to the point where I was thinking, 'I’m behind now I’ve got six ideas to write!' I could’ve been sent those ideas and not written anything to them. Even though the world has stopped a lot goes on and still happens in life, so you have all these different experiences. I think it took a while for our heads to get round it. It’s about having that light at the end of the tunnel, even if it’s a date set by the government, everyone has that in their minds that they want to get to that. When our gigs were getting rearranged we started thinking, 'Well, come six months time we may be touring again', so now we’ve got this window that’s getting smaller and smaller! Suddenly the songs start coming, it’s really good, it’s kick-started it up again. H: Now the gigs are being pushed back again, most of them are next year now, whether they’ll happen I’m not sure. J: I realise now that not playing, I do feel it in myself. We go and do a tour, and when we come back we are relaxed. It’s like shifting a load of emotive junk in your head, it’s an outlet for it. When we don’t have that you feel like you’re stuck inside and that you should be creating and that you’re losing time. To start thinking about going back out and doing it is amazing. Sometimes it gets me nervous… H:…Oh, we’ll be nervous! It’s been so long, we were so used to it! I’ll need a few beers beforehand! You’ve obviously come a long way from where you started – was there a certain moment where you realised what you’ve achieved or how far you’ve come? H: There’s loads! We go to Russia, which is mad, and there’s loads of people there, and then we go to Brazil. J: I remember before we went to Russia my family saying, ‘You can’t go, it’s too dangerous’, just because of what they see in the news. You get there and it’s the nicest place! We get people turning up at airports who’ve waited for us in all these different countries. We go places that to me are in the middle of nowhere, I had no idea where it was and we are playing there! There’s places we go and there’s people queueing outside, those moments are mental! That’s why we are always grateful. We’ve had to take risks and put ourselves out there, perform in small places and intense situations that would scare a lot of people. We went to America and just went round and played at all of the big film companies with just a guitar and no microphone! We’d just turn up at 11am and play in the office. We were in America for the first time and I was 19, it was scary! Everyone would be in shorts and I’d be in my black skinny jeans and leather boots! H: We weren’t even old enough to get a pint! Finally, one thing we ask all of our interviewees is to name their top three songs that relate to mental health. What would be your top three? Harry: José González - 'Heartbeats' The Cinematic Orchestra - 'To Build a Home' Nirvana – 'Lounge Act' Jack: Arcade Fire – 'Wake Up' Tré Burt – 'What Good' Fleetwood Mac – 'Albatross'
Seafret Slow Down and Simplify with new Piano Sessions EP
From the moment the first shops were closed, the first concerts were postponed, and the first social restrictions were imposed, we’ve been eagerly counting down the days until they’d all open up again. Then a roadmap of dates was dangled tauntingly in front of our Zoom-weary eyes, which only heightened the sense of anticipation. And who can blame us for looking forward to this? COVID restrictions have been a major cause of stress and anxiety, so it’s only natural that we can’t wait until they’re condemned to the past. On the other hand, this fast-forward mentality has made it much harder to stay present. It’s been difficult not to wish away the days as the roadmap deadlines draw closer and closer, as we universally tried to press the ‘skip’ button on 2020. Long before COVID, we were already living in a world that was encouraging us to spent the majority of our time thinking about the future. Every stage of life - school, University, job, promotion, etc. - is portrayed as another rung on the ladder as we gradually progress towards…well…if we’re being honest, no-one really knows what it is we’re even trying to reach. I’ve always been quite a cautious person, which means if given the choice between something that will benefit me right now, and something that will help me in the future, I will nearly always choose the latter. We’re praised if we anticipate and plan ahead, and of course, thinking about your future-self undoubtedly helps us in the long run. However, it’s of course equally as important to slow down and appreciate each day for what it is. Not everything needs to be a stepping-stone, and the pandemic has helped me realise this. Which brings me to the main topic of this article - gratitude. I’d read about Buddhist monks practicing daily gratitude meditations, and there are various references to the value of giving thanks in their texts. But what really sparked my interest in this was the fact that over the course of the pandemic, there seemed to be an increasing number of Country artists releasing singles, EPs and albums that centred around one key theme. Frustration at not being able to tour? Cabin fever from being stuck at home all day? Anxiety about the future? Nope - the recurring theme was gratitude. Each week, new Country songs emerged about feeling grateful for getting to be with family and loved ones, and having the time to pick up old hobbies that touring and recording schedules usually wouldn’t have allowed for. It was just interesting to me that in this time when everything seemed to be going wrong, the mentality wasn’t one of anger or resentment. It was one of acceptance, and actively seeking the silver linings and blessings in disguise. I thought, if all these artists can find peace and contentment through a deep sense of gratitude during a pandemic, of all times, then surely it must be a pretty effective way to deal with anxiety and fear. This is something I’ve really honed in on over the past year, and I have to say, it’s been a huge, huge help to me in dealing with general stresses and worries. Firstly, gratitude feels really good. The feeling of gratitude releases dopamine, the ‘reward chemical’, and life coach Jay Shetty has called the feeling of gratitude ‘the world’s most powerful drug’. Although this is perhaps a little extreme, you do notice that as you start feeling gratitude for one thing, more and more things start seeming worthy of gratitude. You might start with the usual suspects, like ‘good health’ or ‘loved ones’, and then realise that you can make a point of being thankful for smaller things too, like ‘the comfort of this Kanye hoodie’ and ‘the awesome new song that Kenny Chesney just released’. Okay, I know what you’re thinking - these are also very broad things that everyone is obviously thankful for… Nothing is off limits, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem. For example, on his Instagram page Big Sean hosted a self-help discussion with his mother, Myra Anderson, and they talked about the importance of gratitude. Myra spoke about how she felt immense gratitude for her spit. I had the same reaction that I imagine you just had - spit? I mean, sure, it’s useful, I guess. But is it really something that truly warrants a great sense of appreciation? Myra’s reasoning was that a friend had gotten throat cancer, and she was having to painstakingly drink through a straw every 30 minutes, in order to replace the saliva that wasn’t being produced as a result of her treatment. Which brings me back to COVID. Of course, it’s been an awful situation, and it can be difficult to find gratitude when millions of people are suffering. On top of that, there can be a sense of guilt associated with focussing on things that are good in our lives, when so many people have had such traumatic experiences during the pandemic. I’m not by any means saying that we should just ignore all the pain and suffering that’s out there, or that we should gloss over the troubles that we’re dealing with ourselves. There will undoubtedly be times where we can’t, and perhaps even shouldn’t, feel gratitude for unfortunate things that happen to us. All I’m saying is, we live in a world that is moving faster and faster. So much so that we seem to spend more time worrying about what might or might not happen in the future, that we forget to stop and appreciate what’s happening right now. I’ll be honest, I’ve found this a difficult perspective to adjust to, and I still often catch my mind racing off into the distance. But starting and ending each day on a note of gratitude has really helped me to slow my mind down, and to feel a genuine sense of thankfulness for the simpler, smaller gifts that I don’t have to wait to receive, because they’re already right here in the present. And when I do get frustrated or anxious about the future, I find that Country music is brilliant for giving me those little reminders about what really matters. So many of my favourite Country songs are about how - despite the pressures we all feel - life isn’t necessarily all about chasing after things. Sure, your career is important, and all those plans you have for the future will stand you in good stead when the time comes. Just don’t miss out on your present by dreaming about a future time and place - because let’s face it, nobody knows exactly what the future holds, regardless of how watertight your plans might feel. So here’s a selection of some songs that help keep me grounded in the moment, and that remind me to appreciate the little things in life, rather than getting hung up on hypotheticals. Gratitude is powerful, and I can genuinely say it’s surprising just how significant an impact it has on the outlook and mentality that you bring to your daily life. Whether you want to start noting down three things you’re grateful for each night before you sleep, or whether you just want to start your day with a song or two that puts you into an appreciative mindset - there’s no right or wrong way to practice gratitude, it’s whatever suits you best. By the same token, we’ll all naturally feel thankful for very different things. For example - I might feel a huge sense of gratitude for the fact that you’ve made it this far in my article, while you might feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the fact that it’s nearly over…! Either way, if you’re looking for a little inspiration on how to start actively practicing gratitude, check out my ‘Gratitude Tunes’ playlist below - and feel free to make your own, and share it with us on social media! Maxim’s Gratitude Tunes Playlist
Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash
Music, Mental Health and Me #6: Maxim How country Music showed me the power of gratitude
Photo by Courtney Hedger on Unsplash
Emma Moore Interview Finding Self-Love in music and society David Dawson
This article is kindly sponsored by Scarlet River Management
Hi Emma! Thanks so much for doing this interview with us! You’ve recently released the The Table; I’ve seen a comment you made that the title comes from the name of one of the songs Late to the Table, and the phrase itself which you feel refers to how in life we can often feel we are second best – can you expand on why this phrase meant so much to you and why it seemed the right title for the EP? It was really difficult actually. With the album I wrote five years ago, as soon as I wrote one of the songs I knew that was going to be the title and it was so perfect and I was dead set on it at the beginning. With this one that moment never came, I really had to search for the title and that was way harder. I just started listening to the songs on repeat and focusing on the lyrics; thinking about their context outside of the songs and what they mean. I was listening to Late to the Table and was thinking about people listening to that song who would have been in circumstances close to it. The song just grew into this metaphor, the table became a representation of life; no matter what people say you should be doing or what you’re doing right or wrong there is always someone talking about it. Someone always has an opinion and the specifics don’t matter, there will always be something people pick up on. That song just became about life in general and as soon as I started looking at things that way The Table came to me as a title. All the songs and stories on the EP are linked into that by real life; they aren’t pretty or wrapped in perfection, there are flaws and mistakes and they are really grounded in reality. As soon as I made that connection The Table became the perfect title. Husband or Kids is a sort of protest at the idea that women are expected to follow a certain life path, but you say, ‘I’ll take option 3’ and say at the end of the song, ‘Tell me this ain’t all there is’. As a young woman, do you feel there is too much emphasis today of what we, and others, feel society expects of us and how do you think we can combat this? That’s a really big question! There is still a stigma attached; there’s a certain way people expect you to live. It feels like you’re supposed to grow up dreaming of the wedding and picking out your kids' names when you’re ten! That’s become the norm and there’s nothing wrong with that, it is a beautiful life for so many people but for some it just isn’t what they want. I wish I knew what the answer was but the song Late to the Table is also about that - the bridge ‘When did a life looking different to yours become a wrong choice’ sums it up really. I think everyone just really needs to stay out of everyone else’s business! The world would be such a nicer place if for the most part people did; if you’re not hurting or harming anyone you should be able to do kind of what you want, so maybe just a little bit less butting in people’s lives! Late to the Table – the title track – follows in a similar vein to Husband or Kids in which you are defending your right to make your own decisions and criticise those societal expectations as to where you should be as a woman at a certain part of your life. What advice would you give to young women and girls who may have that feeling, or have been told they are ‘late to the table’, and how important do you think it is to forge your own path through life? I think it’s really hard to say to somebody how they can change it. I’m lucky I was brought up by amazing parents who always said, ‘As long as you’re happy, we don’t care! Do what makes you happy’, and we need more parents like that! That’s a great step, just supporting people and not being afraid of things that are different. There’s a certain safety in following the rules or what everyone has done before you; it’s a path where you don’t expect an awful lot of surprises. Whichever way you want to go, whether you want a slightly different career or life choice, relationship or want to move halfway across the world - people do all kinds of things that aren’t the norm (whatever that is anymore!) It’s just knowing what you want; that’s not always easy to figure out. Do what feels right for you and if you don’t know what that is then just wait, there’s no rush. There are things people are doing later in life now, we come from this society where people expect you to have done everything by 30 and then there’s nothing to look forward to! Happily that’s no longer our world anymore. Waiting For You discusses the incredibly complex feelings that love and heartbreak can generate. The lyrics at the start ‘I can’t let go I know I will cry’ and ‘I should be able to fake a smile’ is something that many people will be familiar with, as it is common that we feel pressure to bottle up our emotions. This also comes back in the narrative of the song in which having not been able to express your love, you have to watch someone you have feelings for fall for someone else. How important do you think it is that we are able to express ourselves and let out our emotions for our own benefit, as well as for those close to us who may want to help? It’s absolutely vital! You don’t have to say every thought and feeling that comes to you, some people write songs, some paint, write poetry or stories, have a journal or just have great conversations with friends, and that’s all amazing. Some people are very honest and bold with their romantic feelings and can just walk up to someone and say, ‘I like you’ - all power to you! I think those people are incredible because you are really putting yourself out there and if those feelings aren’t reciprocated - no one wants to feel that! Those brave people are amazing, I’m one of those cowardly people that stays quiet, as Waiting for You details! Getting your feelings out is so vital, that’s how I started writing. It was a very quiet time in my life, but there were lots of big changes going on and I had no idea what I was doing! You have to find a way to get those feelings, fears, ideas and questions out. I think it’s really important and helpful for everyone. When focuses on the difficult situation of being the ‘other woman’ in a relationship but takes a strong confrontational stance in which you are demanding that the partner admits to himself what he is doing. I think this is a really powerful number in encouraging people to stand up for themselves in these situations, and to understand and appreciate their own value. Why was it so important for you to write this song in this strong style? It kind of came from two places. Quite a few relationships I’ve been watching around me or stories I’ve heard from friends. That bridge part came from a friend of mine who was cheating on his girlfriend; I was sort of thinking, ‘Do whatever, I’m not here to judge’, but he was very adamant that because very specific boundaries hadn’t been crossed, he wasn’t cheating, but the line was so thin. He was just under the impression that, ‘Well, it’s not really is it’, and it was so casual. The other side is that I’m completely obsessed with Grey’s Anatomy! I’ve written loads of songs inspired by it, I absolutely love it. One of the characters in it did have an affair but it was an emotional affair. She found out that he had been emailing this other woman while they were together, and she was so hurt by her husband telling someone else feelings that he wouldn’t talk to her about. That always stuck in my mind. That song is actually one of the oldest in terms of writing. I love cheating songs in country music, they’re so dramatic and some of the best in the genre! I wanted to find my way to make it more interesting so I actually wrote that story three times, in three different songs and from all three perspectives. It was like a writing exercise. I just wanted to see if I could do it. When it got to writing the other woman’s side of it, the initial one was quite different actually, but her story wasn’t one that you hear a lot. I wanted to try and find a voice and hear these conversations and it all beautifully melded together. It came at the right time. Match Made in Hell continues in this form in which you are understanding your own value as an individual and deciding not to change for others or waste time on those who don’t appreciate you for who you are. How important do you think it is in life that we understand our individuality and appreciate ourselves, even when others around us don't? That’s the hardest part isn’t it, doing it for yourself when you’re surrounded by people who aren’t all that true to themselves! I think somewhere in that song is a little bit of me having more guts in the song than I do in real life, that’s a goal of where I want to be and it’s very to the point. It is so important - I don’t really know what the answer is. I was always an odd kid; I was always the tallest in my class, the only redhead, always overweight, I loved to sing, I loved musical theatre and country music - none of those were or are really what the ‘popular’ kids liked or wanted to do. Everything I loved was always different so I never really noticed it. There was definitely a period where I tried to listen to the music the ‘cool’ kids liked; I remember buying this one album but I just had no interest in it whatsoever! I’d wear what I thought people wanted to see me in and do the things I thought people wanted me to do, but I’ve been lucky that every time I’ve tried to change it’s always cemented who I am to myself anyway. I’ve always ended up coming back; if I tried to dip away from country music I always ended up loving it even more. I guess that’s maybe a part of growing up - experimenting and trying things, but it is really important that once you find a piace of yourself you want to lock in, you try and hold onto it as tight as you can! The EP expresses self-love throughout in different contexts – what was it that inspired you to create an EP themed around this, or was it something that occurred naturally when writing and recording the music? I think maybe it is part of my style! I didn’t set out to write songs that had a certain message, I’ve never really been able to do that much. I did a Masters in songwriting, so some of those assignments had to be very specific and I could do them but they were never my best songs or ones I wanted to shout home about! I think it’s really interesting actually you’re one of the first people I’ve spoken to who has really listened to the songs for themselves - quite often I get my own song descriptions read back to me! It’s great to hear from someone who has listened with an open mind and found their own way in. I’m still listening to it myself, I listen almost every day and I’m still finding new things in there. Some of those things that you’ve brought up, they are there and they’re subconscious. It must just be super ingrained into my personality and writing style. I always write intentionally, I always want to have something to say. It’s never personally been enough for me to just think ‘This would be fun’ or ‘That’s a cool line’. There always has to be at least some part of me in every song no matter how different, Some of them are very literal - Waiting for You could’ve been a diary entry. Then you’ve got ones like Match Made in Hell which is a little bigger and a little different, but they always come back to me. I’ve never really noticed this self-love aspect running through it so that’s really interesting to me, but I’m very independent, I do a lot of things on my own, I wait for things and I’m into quality over quantity, so it feels like maybe there’s more personality coming through on this EP than I had even intended! Finally, one thing we ask all of our interviewees is to name their top three songs that relate to mental health. What would be your top three? 1. '9 to 5' - Dolly Parton 2. 'Anything' - Brandy Clark 3. 'All I Ask' - Adele
Photo by Abderrahmane Meftah on Unsplash
Recently I read something on social media (so it must be true, right?) that suggested that people who tend to be more anxious generally or suffer from anxiety watch the same shows over and over again rather than trying new ones. As I am currently re-watching ‘The Office’ for the umpteenth time and have watched ‘How I Met Your Mother’ a nearly as embarrassingly high amount I have to think that maybe this applies to me. Family members and friends have seen recommendation after recommendation snubbed so that I can settle into the cosy familiarity of a show that I can near enough recite the script to – so my main question is 'why'? And does this apply to music too? I think the main reason for me is there is just so much comfort in shows like ‘The Office’. It is easygoing and laidback, it makes me laugh and after so many watches I feel to a certain extent a connection to the characters. I can contrast this with another one of my favourite ever shows, ‘Breaking Bad’. Despite trying a couple of times to relive the glory days of watching for the first time, I’ve never been able to get back into it. The constant suspense makes the show all too stressful, and even though I know what ultimately happens in the end I still found myself on edge all the time. Obviously, that’s a credit to the writers of the show, and being on edge all the time was why I loved it so much the first time, as did so many others - but that just isn’t what I need right now. In a stressful world, I just want to settle down and escape with some light and easy comedy, and being on the edge of my seat just doesn’t scratch that itch. I think that’s why I stick to these American comedies, and, for example, why I much prefer the American version of ‘The Office’ to it’s UK original. American comedy is based off an underlying optimism that’s so reassuring. The character of David Brent in the UK version is just so unlikeable that he is hard to watch, but Michael Scott, whilst portrayed to have the same ignorance and arrogance, is given these redeeming moments that keep the audience on his side. There’s also the child-like innocence that goes with it; when Michael Scott says something offensive or inappropriate you concede that he doesn’t know any better and almost sympathise with him for it – with David Brent you just think he’s a very rude and unpleasant person. That’s why I find comfort in watching the US version of ‘The Office’ over and over again – I know what’s going to happen, I know the characters and most of all the bright optimism and comedy gives me a relaxing escape from the real world. Do I really want to settle down after a stressful day at work and watch an equally stressful show on TV? So, does this also apply to music? I think for me it does. I’ve found recently that I struggle to get excited about new music from my favourite artists, and unlike most fans will wait a good week or two after its release to finally get around to listening to it. Even then it feels like a forced act; I find myself putting it on whilst I’m doing something else just to give me a reason to stick around and listen to the whole thing. I think the problem here is the gamble. I know when I listen to my playlist or an old album that I already love it. I know the songs and sometimes know what song is coming next before it even plays. There’s a security in this – nothing is going to surprise me or disappoint me. With new albums there’s such a weighted uncertainty, especially when the music comes from an artist that you already love. What if the album disappoints? What if it isn’t as good as their old stuff? What if they’ve taken a new direction that I don’t like? This may read as completely ridiculous to some people - it isn’t life or death, it’s just music, so why all the unnecessary stress? I think for me it’s not that I’ve got some fear of listening to new music or put myself off of it, but sometimes it just takes time. Whilst many fans when offered the chance to hear some new music from their favourite artist would leap at the chance, I always approach with caution. This ultimately boils down to the similar reasons as with the TV shows – I enjoy the familiarity of older music. I can engage with it; I can sing along and enjoy it, waiting for all my favourite lines and sequences. With new music, I can’t enjoy it in the same way, I find myself intently listening, trying to tune into every detail; trying to break down every line or lyric. I can’t just put it on in the background and vibe with it like the stuff I already know, but I find myself concentrating and focusing when really I just want to switch off. Ultimately, I do watch new shows and I do listen to new music, and it’s not like I never enjoy it. I’m always finding new stuff to add to my playlists and there’s always songs that I hear once and become obsessed with. If I never tried new things my life would just stagnate on a constant loop, and no one wants that. What I am saying is that, using Drake as an example, if you gave me the option of listening to ‘Scorpion’ or ‘Certified Lover Boy’ (when it finally comes out) I’d probably take ‘Scorpion’. Sure, I’m intrigued and excited for the new album, but unlike those fans who just want more and more and more, I’m quite happy to settle down with the album I know and love, and sing along to the songs I like. Of course I will listen to ‘Certified Lover Boy’, and I’ll probably love it, which is why I suggest those reading who relate, and to myself, that although it’s fine to find comfort in what we know – make sure you do go and explore something new from time to time. After all, you never know which new thing could become your next favourite old thing.
Mental Health Contacts If you need assistance with your mental health please follow the link below to find a list of contacts and organisations that can help you
www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression /mental-health-helplines/
Albums to look out for...
Certified Lover Boy - Drake (TBC) On his birthday Drake dropped a dark and mysterious teaser video for his new album, in which he recreated some of his classic cover arts from over the years. If the new release manages to maintain the energy the lead single 'Laugh Now Cry Later' gave us, then it will be a fine project (when he eventually gets around to finishing it!).
Coming Next Issue Was I Right to be Optimistic about 2021? A follow-up Interview: Ray Fulcher
Sunshine State of Mind - Brian Kelley (June 25th) The Floridian half of Florida Georgia Line has doubled down on his love for all things wavy and water-based. He dropped a sun-soaked teaser EP earlier this year, and although the album title is yet to be confirmed, BK is certainly living up to his self-professed title of ‘Beach Cowboy’. It looks set to be the perfect summer soundtrack, with a signature blend of fun, boat-themed anthems and the more chilled, sunset-on-the-beach reflections.