to eat: mac & cheese with sage breadcrumbs. made this recently for friends - the crumb makes it vaguely wintery/festive. I added optional crispy bacon bits + had broccoli on the side [ health ]
I'm here in NYC! loooord I love it here. I'm here because a certain streaming company flew me out to be on a podcast & let me tell you it's not often (ever) anyone flies me out for work things so I jumped at the chance. it's a short trip with plenty of space for mooching about, romanticising my life in coffee shops, etc. I feel lucky
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
wrote this idea with a croaky ass morning voice today on my friend regina's guitar!
hey SDC : ) uploading 2 of these today as missed posting yesterday - I was flying to new york! (chic)
it's cold but sunny which I really like
another 'slap on a beat and jam over it' idea for you here. I really can't recommend it enough. also jumped on bass for this one.. I'm as much of a bassist as most guitarists who pick up bass are but it's great writing tool
I say this a lot so forgive any deja vu but my favourite thing about writing on bass is the ambiguity between the major + minor! leaving space for interpretation there can lead to some interesting moments (vs. writing on guitar/piano where you're giving yourself a lot more chordal information to factor in which in turns affects the vocal melody you end up writing). similar to writing with drums, bass also usually leads to me writing more rhythmically
feedback welcome in the comments, if anything comes to mind for you
piano ditty today. made a beat and just jammed over it! I recommend this as a writing method for solooooo folk (who wish they were in bands). keeps the pace up.. something to bounce around. stops me overplaying, too?
I like this one.. I couldn't quite figure out that transition between the two sections but if I can crack that I think it could be cool!
as per - thoughts are welcome. have a great weekend, SDC xx
quick song idea from today, scrappy as they come. hadn't quite solidified the melodies lol so you can hear me sort of be surprised by the chords as I play them ahaa sometimes I wish I had more music theory so I would be surprised less but sometimes I think that surprise is the whole ass magic !!!
sidenote my friends have been making wonderful music lately and listening to one today made me feel like this. I FUCKING LOVE MUSIC
ok - lyrics below:) I was thinking a lot about giving relationship advice to friends which I've given and sought out at various diff points as of late but really wtf is the point because you have to make your own decisions at the end of the day ??? but obviously - a friend's perspective is invaluable when we all do all inevitably get lost in the sauce
anyway, your thoughts and feelings welcome in the comments as always
today is the day I post 2 of these to catchup, I'm a day behind on my posting. thanks for all the love on the sad ditty from yesterday. the emotions this week are varied and flowing freeeeee. wrote this yesterday with a sweet 15 min timer on right before I had to leave my studio to go see a show (wolf alice at the O2 arena, btw. they were incredible). TIME PRESSHAAAA!!!!
been thinking (always) about drums. how juicy it is when the drums and the bass sync up. how juicy it is when the drums and the bass contrast & pull apart from eachother (like in this idea.. sort of). the rhythm section are always having a conversation and how much or little they co-operate with one another dictates the backbone of any track or live performance. imo both bass & drums can often disappear into the background, like wallpaper.. but sometimes the best instrumentation does that; a part should support the song, not command to be listened to! you sure as hell notice when bass or drums don't feel right.. for me that's often more noticeable than when they're working just right.
life imitates art
I love to write about guilt - I always will. blame my catholic upbringing
as always - your thoughts and feelings welcome below. love you dearly, SDC
OGx
lyrics:
see I contract to fill the space that you left me
call it a habit mmmmm
see I contract to fill the space that you left me
why do I do it ?
see next to you I always feel like the villain
call it a habit
give me a moment and a silence to fill in
why do I do it ?
hold a mirror to my face
all and nothing is the sameeee
as when I was yours
something about you
makes me feel guilty
it’s like a poison
and it kills me *(wanna change this to 'trying to kill me')
ok so little sad one here about something that's been v much oN THE BRAIN lately. I forgot to post this yesterday ooooops so I'll be catching up and also posting day 3 !!! here later
CRYING IS GOOD I think it's actually the moment right before crying that is the worst
I hope you enjoy - thoughts welcome below as always !
hey SDC! i’m trying something new in feb. as you all know I’ve been writing - writing for album 3, writing for other projects, writing for writings sake. working through the feelings but maaaan it’s solitary. I don’t wanna wait until the next era is ready to play shows ! I miss playing live
SO I’ve booked a solo show where I have no idea what the setlist will be. a lot of it will be songs I write between now & then! some songs I play on the night may end up on OG3.. others will be a one off moment in time. this show is not about confidently coming out with the next era like ‘HERE I AM’ - it’s about being bang in the middle of figuring it out and embracing that
general public sale is this friday 5th @ 10am UK time but we have a ✨ special secret demo club presale ✨ opening on that same link tomorrow (3rd) @ 10am. pre-sale access code is : ACOUSTIC26 ❤️🔥
I know not everyone can make it (damn u geography) but excited to see some of you there : )
ok SDC let's go: I'm writing something every day in december (up to christmas day). LET'S RUN THE TAP
day 1 turned out a little piano ditty. wanted something chordy, noodle-y. was thinking about how involuntary it is to give someone else power over you - be that a crush, a parent, a friend, an ex.. anyone. sometimes you blink and it's already happened past tense. they call the shots, you're powerless, boom
if I have a core image / mission statement for the song I've gotten into the habit recently of putting it at the top of the notes app page I'm writing lyrics on .. it tends to looks pretty manic but helps sometimes to keep me on track. for this I wrote 'HELL IS A PLACE WHERE YOU CONTROL ME' (giving tumblr 2012). it's like.. not a lyric that goes in the actual thing but the dumb /straight-up version of what I'm trying to convey in verse1?? stops me getting lost in the sauce when writing quickly
lyrics:
stamp on arrival
drink in the lobby
room full of people that
don’t wanna know me
they all seem to be fighting
man I hate the overhead lighting
you were the answer
that was the problem
all of the pressure built up like an atom bomb
(boom)
now i know what set it off
every part
of this body i’ve got
said not to give you the power
so i gave you the power !!
didn’t I
like w our demos, your feedback/thoughts + feelings are welcome on these ideas! if a memory is evoked, if you have an idea about where it could go next.. I'm all ears. also if you make things I highly recommend a challenge like this - call it whatever u like but learning to be less precious with creations is in my experience always a useful exercise.
I'm hoping to hit some kind of flow state this month.. maybe I'll uncover feelings I didn't even know I had? I'm open to it all, baby
it's been a super up-and-down couple of weeks in my head so that's for sure distilled that in this demo. I've been pensive, all at once stuck in the past and hopeful for the future! this song is a classic tale of the aftermath of love lost and the stickiness that follows
you can download the mp3 here or stream within the patreon site or app (where u can also save offline)! as always thoughts are welcome below - some prompt ideas : do you like the sounds? can you relate to any lyrics or no? did listening evoke any feelings or memories?
as always - the hugest love to you all for your support! it has meant the world these last few months. you're truly keeping the lights on at OG HQ whilst I write and dream up the next era.
2 quick orders of business:
gold tier patrons: your next live stream + zoom hang will be tuesday dec 2nd at 7:30pm UK time - please mark the date/time down if u can make it and I'll put the relevant links in a new post a few mins before the live stream!
I'm going to try 'WRITE-SOMETHING-EVERY-DAY-IN-DECEMBER' (up + including dec 24th). for accountability I'll be posting everything I write (be that audio for a musical idea or text posts for ideas made up of words) here on patreon for you :)
I'd like to try this instead of 1 big December demo - spreading the creativity evenly across the month into many bitesize pieces, ending up with an ideas advent calendar of sorts. I've done this write-every-day challenge once or twice before and found the process of being less precious / 'running the tap' really useful. so that is my plan! WISH ME LUCK and we'll start on monday, dec 1st : )
love you always,
OG xxxx
lyrics:
your face will change
i’ll cut my long hair
not happy for you yet
but I think that I can get there
time is a trip
it carries all the healing
but it also gives me space
for all this dreaming
and I’ve honestly been
picturing the day
you cut the final cord
and I feel you falling away
the smoking area was packed
but I gotta say
could tell you didn’t really want me
in your space
it hurts bad
..grieving the very thing
that used to drive me mad
see your attention was something
that I always had
can’t get it back
it’s all hers now
your face will change
i’ll cut my long hair
not happy for you yet
but I think that I can get there
time is a trip
it carries all the healing
but it also gives me space
for all this dreaming
is this what needs to happen?
to get me to the other side?
put your name on a napkin
some girl said throw it in a fire
is that what needs to happen?
is this the final stage of grief?
thinking of you with her really works in killing me
SDC : boo! HAPpppPpppPPPYY haalllLLLlooowEEEeeeeEeEEEn! and happy last day of the month / demo day to all who celebrate
so I've had a gnarly cold all week and after a stealthy 11 hour sleep last night (RIP) I woke up this morning with a much clearer head. I'm not 100%, but so much better than before (I re-sang this demo and ABing it with the one from yesterday was like night & day lol no amount of EQ could remove the nasal tone of the original). aaanyway - my energy and voice being more than compromised this week I opted for a simple demo of a song I wrote last month, called 'got you' (or 'that's my girl'.. can't decide). had to be soft on myself and not expect tooOo much from this particular demo.. but all of that said I'm still proud of this and I hope you like it
so I said this when I uploaded a min or so of this as a voice memo last month but this is essentially a love song to my best friend. I'm obsessed with FRIEND SONGS at the minute and also with friendship in general? I have a couple of standOUT friends around me that have helped me through some Very Big Shit the last year or two and so in turn I've helped them back and thought a lot about how much I CHERISH them. why so many songs in the world about romantic love, why not more for our friends!!!!!!!!????
for the guitar nerds : this ones in D-A-D-F#-A-E. I wanted to try a song in open D that wasn't in the key of D ! so this one's in A (I think?) and having those ring-y out-y top strings in relation to a different core key is really fun to me. there's like 5 different ways I could produce this up w drums etc.. but does it need it? it could go big & hard (from chorus 2 onwards especially) but whether it should I'm between 2 minds on. thoughts welcome below, on that or the song in general : )
as always you can stream the demo from within the patreon site or mobile app (where u can also save offline) and patreon has seemingly chanGEEED the ability to add an attachment for download on a post (or is it hidden somewhere? can anyone help? thanks, love grandma). in the meantime u can download the file for this demo here
if you joined the SDC this month - thank you for helping me continue to do my dream job in an increasingly uphill industry. it's crazy out here and the SDC funds vitally help cover my monthly overheads for living + keeping my small business afloat! whether you've been here for a week, a month or several years now I genuinely couldn't be more grateful. thank you for chucking a little of your hard earned £ at this here lil songwriter girl
I hope the demos (and the knowledge that I'm out here doing this because of Y O U) gives you some well deserved warm fuzzies.
ok - lyrics below - and top tier patrons I'll drop a date for our next live stream/zoom hang in the next few days!
I have a gnarly cold that has pretty much obliterated this entire week for me. I really hope I feel better tomorrow because I have planned suchchhhhcchch a sick halloween costume (chappell roan in 'the subway' music vid). I have a reeeeally long curly red wig and it will be a travesty if it gets no wear so please send me hopes/prayers/virtual vitamins
here is a little treat for you - an exclusive live session of 'thirty' from the extended version of ENAH : ) a few weeks ago I recorded 'Now What?' in the same setting for a series called 'global spin' by the recording academy (basically a way of trying to get on the radar of the company behind the Grammys !) and I thought - why not record another while we're here. I have been reasonably offline the last few months compared to this time last year and whilst I'm a little out of practice with social posts and filming myself, I do feel confident while performing after all the touring of the past year. so it felt good to capture these 2 songs with relative ease. shoutout to Alex who shot them and let us re-arrange and take over his living room to shoot these
against all instincts I'm taking it easy today and trying to rest through this cold - I've started your demo and feel hopeful I'll get it to you before end of day tomorrow : )
Lately I’ve been thinking about love songs and what constitutes a cheesy one in the year of our lord 2025. Collectively as a society we all seem to be beginning to embrace the idea that it’s cool to be cringe (if cringe = passion, then cringe = good, surely?). To be nonchalant about something for the sake of optics feels far less cool to me (although like many I’ve fallen into that trap when I was younger / eager to fit in). With my thirties stretched out in front of me I now simply want to loudly + proudly love the things & people that I do.
So like all things in music and art, ‘cringe’ is subjective. We all have our own individual cringe threshold. Is a cringeworthy song one with pure expression and no edge, I wonder? I often joke on stage that I specialise in “I love you, but ____” songs ('Kiss Ur Face Forever', 'Everybody Needs A Hero', etc..) and that I find those infinitely easier to write than songs that straight up say ‘I LOVE YOU. NO BUTS !’ ('Simple' is the only released one of mine I can think of that fits that mold). Is it for fear of being cringe? Some Irish aversion to actually being earnest and saying something without a wink and a nod? Or is straightforward, uncomplicated love simply less inspiring? Personally I think when there is less struggle, there’s less figuring out to do; less reason to put pen to paper in the first place.
Some recent love songs I like are ‘Touching Yourself’ by The Japanese House, ‘CPR’ by Wet Leg (and many more on that album, actually). Of course there have no doubt been many more released of late, shrouded in metaphors and less direct lyrics and so a little harder to spot (possible cringe protective measure??). Again though - both of the examples above have a slight wink and a nod (or a straight up horniness) to them that again perhaps offsets their lovey-dovey nature somewhat - in terms of directness they're certainly a fair cry from Celine's 'My Heart Will Go On'. The production/soundworld surely matters here too. Does anyone have any favourite love songs, recent or timeless to throw into the mix? Let's make a collective mixtape playlist here : )
Anyway, thoughts welcome (on the song idea or any of it). Excited to deliver you a demo next week! The ideas have been flooooooowwwwwwingggg
hey sdc! happy sunday : ) here's a song idea I had yesterday! also I still can't figure out how to attach a file to a patreon post anymore (patreon site has changed) so in the meantime here is a download link to 'so perfect', your last demo I uploaded last week!
OG xx
ok here's the lyrics for this one - it's a windy chord journey ahahaha
lauren got an app that helps identify the birds as they sing
is that not the cutest thing you’ve ever heard?
this is feeling, this is healing, I guess
dodie got an app that helps identify the stars
you can spot the constellations through the window of the car
this is feeling, this is healing, I guesssomething crazy happens
update : download link for this one here here ! (can't figure out how to do it within patreon since site has changed - using google drive for now)!
hey SDC! I present to you your september demo, 'so perfect'. really enjoyed the process of this one
can't tell you how much playing drums has affected the way I write, it's magic. I'm all about it ! I still have the tiniest shittest drumkit in my studes and yet.. it really doesn't matter. the ability to record a couple loops of how I feel the groove could sound and then to write on top of that with guitar/drums.. the rhythm sooo informs the other instruments and the vocal! on a good day I get into such a flow with it - I'm a proper lil one-woman band - and on a bad day I'm a crazed woman drinking too much tea and spending long days alone going feral
I think a lot about relationships and how vulnerable it is to really let someone else in.. to let them see all your grizzly sides. it's beautiful and scary and so exposing. this song is a cryyyy out to someone I love to say.. hey.. no need to perform. let your guard down with me, if you're willing.
the rubber bridge takes centre stage here.. the rhythm sort of reminds me of some old Nick Mulvey songs - (anyone remember this one? SO good. makes me emotional).. it also sort of gave me a vague feeling of old school Bombay Bicycle Club / Maccabees vibes? not sure - no specific songs, but I do feel there is some 2010's cutesy brit indie energy embedded in this one. at this point you know I like me a simple repetitive chorus when one lyric truly deserves it.. ("Alexa, play WHY AM I LIKE THIS by Orla Gartland.."). I feel there's something powerful about simplicity in certain cases.. especially a line that can have different meanings the more you say it. to me "you don't have to be so perfect" is like a compliment, then a desperate cry for emotional access, then a simple compliment again..
as always, you can stream this demo (and the others) from within the patreon site / mobile app (where you can also save offline) and usually you can download the attached mp3 for keepsies.. but the patreon site has updated and I can no longer see the option to do that (back on this soon if I can figure it out). if any thoughts, feelings or feedback come to mind when listening leave a comment below - for example, is this feeling one you can relate to?
SDC - thank you as always for your support. it's a mad time to be an artist - so much of the music industry (like other industries) feels broken and it's a hard time to be a small or even mid level artist without rich parents funding the whole frickin shebang. it's genuinely very hard to imagine how I'd sustain myself and be able to do really do this job without your collective support! it's so incredibly tangible.. aside from paying for things like my studio rent it's the absence of total financial panic that really helps me sleep at night. so thank you! I worry that when I'm less present online that they may get forgotten, but it means as much as ever (if not more) in these quieter, more introspective times
hey SDC : ) so for the past 3 weeks or so I've had no insta or tiktok on my phone and generally I've been the least active on socials than any other point over the last few years. it really shouldn't feel so radical but given as I've been almost constantly 'in campaign' from WOTI until now (WOTI > FIZZ > ENAH) it really has felt like a radical change. it's been a harsh reality check at times; putting so much time & energy into my online presence over the past decade has left me in a place where it is inevitably linked to my self worth. to be online (and to do well online) = good: a rule I've had no choice but to follow to justify giving so much of myself to the internet despite it's direct & negative bearing on my mental health. so trying to cut this cord of dependency on posting and scrolling to dish out those little dopamine hits has been difficult; more difficult than I'd like to admit, honestly. the headspace it has freed up in me (especially at a relatively quiet time career wise) has been both useful and pretty spooky - there's been noticably less to hide behind or distract myself with.
so who am I when I'm not online? that's what I've been trying to figure out. kindles give me the same kind of ick apple watches give me (soz apple watch lovers) but despite that my kindle has noticeably improved my reading habits. something about it's size (and maybe the fact that it sort of looks like a phone?) has me reading not just before bed but on the tube and in other scenarios where I otherwise might reach for my phone. so, some book recs from me:
Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth (endearing queer coming of age story based in a small Irish town)
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo (powerful non-fiction book following the sex and love lives of three women * TW for mentions of SA *)
Swimming In The Dark by Tomasz Jędrowski (tender story of two men falling in love in communist Poland on opposing sides of the political divide)
I loved all of these books - it's clear I've been thinking a lot about gender & sexuality these past few months!
I've been taking on a few household sidequests like being a good plant mama, re-arranging my bedroom and painting a desk I've had in my room for a few years (see pic above - we went from a light pastel-y teal to a deep blue). it felt really good giving it new life rather than just buying a new one.
kickboxing has also been a weekly joy - I really couldn't recommend it more. for a long time I've wanted a group activity that isn't a team sport (my job has me away often enough to make it hard to show up consistently) but I wanted the buzz of being around others (I go to the gym now & then but it feels so solitary). this local gals-only kickboxing class has really ticked that box for me; aside from the fitness aspect - my god I've never sweated so much in my life - it's also been a great outlet for anger, something I'm accepting I've got a fair amount of in me (often the air I'm punching is the worst parts of the music industry). sadly I missed 2 grading sessions when away touring this year but I think I'll make the next one... so I may soon have baby's first belt !
my question to you, SDC - who are you when offline? what hobbies or interests are a lifeline for you? let me know below :)
music-wise I've been working away on a fun project the last few weeks - frustratingly I can't tell you what it is for a few months (deeply annoying) but I'll tell you that it's something totally new for me! a sick opportunity to keep me busy while I slowlyy dream up the next OG era. I'm excite to tell you more about that when I can
until then - your september demo will be with you soon! I also know that (again) I've been slacking on fulfilling my promises for my silver tier patrons - for that I apologise. I was totally overoptimistic earlier in the year with what I could commit to in & around all the touring but now that I'm home more I'm thinking more actively about something I can give you that could be of value to you (and also a productive use of my energy). thank you so much for bearing with me while I figure it out
hey SDC : ) so I had one of the best musical experiences of my little life in july making ‘middle farm sessions, vol. 3’, a unique collaborative record that came out yesterday
the format for the session was simple: 11 songwriters brought down 1 song each and got 3 hours to record it with the group, live to tape with my friend Pete Miles (producer of the FIZZ record, co-producer of ENAHero). the group ranged in age from 22 - 65 and we all had wildly varied musical journeys
it was like a big musical summer camp, surreal & intense in the best way. working at speed with a group this big was new for me and yet.. so powerful? once hearing the song we’d briefly discuss it as a group and then all branch off; pick up an instrument we felt drawn to, assemble a backing vocal choir.. often we wouldn’t hear anyone else’s parts until we hit record. Pete encouraged us to play instruments we usually wouldn’t (you’ll hear some OG bass on tracks 2 & 10 and some OG drums on track 8). seeing how quickly a group of strangers formed complete trust for one another made me super emotional - the vulnerability was potent ! the community spirit was strong !
my song ‘parallel lines’ is track 6 of 11, I wrote it the week before the session in july (not to be confused with the demo of the same name I put up on here a few years ago - apologies for disappointing fans of that song lol). I always loved the metaphor and was curious to see if I could give it new life: the same event, experienced by 2 people and remembered retrospectively in a totally different way. the first 'parallel lines’ demo a few years ago played with this metaphor with relation to a traumatic event (the same I wrote ‘mine’ about) and this time it took a slightly lighter form (well.. heavy too, but in a different way): two exes looking back on their breakup. I wanted to channel the breakdown of communication, the stories we tell ourselves, regret and the idea that things may have played out differently if each side better understood the other (something I find fascinating + frustrating to sometimes witness in friends' lives! I’d also been rewatching ‘Normal People’ at the time so.. yeah. that).
I absolutely love the backing vocals in this song - we tracked the core elements (vocals, drums, bass & guitar) in the live room whilst the rest of the group got together in the control room, working out the BVs. once we had the band take down the 6 or 7 singers then came back in and performed the entire backing vocal part for me, start to finish and it was perfect. I was IN BITS. to have such a big group of people all working together with the common goal of serving your song as best they can.. it was such a privilege. I felt so seen/heard/held in that moment.
hey folks! this week I've got lots of solo studio days - gathering lil seeds/starts of songs
here's one I got today that I like :) it's a cutie song for a best friend (a kind of song I'm loving from other artists lately - these 2 Wolf Alice songs are great examples: bros & just two girls)
thoughts welcome as always ! (lol need to change that bear lyric to not being 'on your shoulder'.. maybe.. if a bear was stood behind you??? that makes more sense)
hello SDC darlings! happy last day of the month (eeeeeek - as IF tomorrow is september ? nope)
your august demo is a song penned w 2 talented friends Martin & Noah. it's about pursuing a career in music and how frankly MAD that is sometimes. I was thinking of the phrase "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" and it really reminded me of this pursuit, one that many more fail than succeed at.. but yet WE DO IT AGAIN ????
as always your feedback is welcome below :) example prompts could be - do you relate to this feeling? does the song remind you of anything? any favourite moments of the demo?
if you're new around here - welcome, and thank you! you can stream all demos within the patreon website or mobile app (where you can save em offline) and/or download the attached mp3
and to my gold tier babies - I know your july live stream was late - the same will be true of this month but I'll make sure it's before sept 10th so we can bring it back to earlier in the month again : )
I think that's it. big day for OG today, I play the mighty ELECTRIC PICNIC festival in Stradbally, Co Laois.. my biggest Irish festival slot to date & my last live show for the foreseeable! big last day of school vibes
photo attached below of the full breakfast our driver frank cooked for us on a tiny little griddle plate he attached to the generator of the bus this morning. king! most insane pico de gallo I've ever had, would you believe
sending love to you, SDC! having a lovely time out here in the US, bringing the muuuusic to the people.
my very talented friend Em (who comes on tour with us to snap photos & sometimes sell y'all merch) came down to visit us at the studio to capture some of the making of the album. as the ENAH era winds to a close, it felt like the right time to invite you in to see more of the process!
the hugest possible thank you to Em for what ended up being a very CHUNKY edit (we had so much footage and I spoke for about 300 hours when we were recapping it all. I WAS JUST SO EXCITED ahaha). if you enjoyed the doc please post it somewhere or share it with a friend - I feel in my heart that longform content is not dead but it's certainly harder to get eyes on vids like this !
btw - a loving reminder that this album was made possible by you, the secret demo club. everything from production costs, studio time, musician's fees, mixing & more was funded entirely or in part from your collective support. y'all are the reason I got to make this on my own terms and release it independently and for that I'll never be able to thank you enough.
greets from OMAHA, NEBRASKA : ) your girl is fully in the midwest now. for me midwesterners & the Irish seem to share a kinship; there's a sweetness & warmth to the people here that makes me feel very at home.
after a jam packed weekend of festivals we played show 1/7 supporting glass animals last night in Minneapolis. the crowd were so sweet & attentive - I have a good feeling about this run of shows! so tonight, we play Omaha..
and then next up with glass animals:
august…
08/07: colorado springs, CO
08/12: troutdale, OR
08/15: nampa, ID
08/16: bend, OR
08/17: stateline, NV
...and a headline show in Spanish Ballroom on august 13th in tacoma, WA ! (tickets here)
I have 4 guestlist spots for each of the shows with Glass Animals and I'd love to give 2 x pairs per show to my beloved members of the SDC. if you live near one of the above dates & would like to come, message me here on patreon & start your msg with 'glass animals'. I'll get back to you ASAP to let you know if one of the pairs of tickets are yours :)
that's it for now, folks. if you missed my last post go back and have a listen to your JULY DEMO!
PS: gold tier SDC members - date coming soon for your next live stream/zoom hang!
SECRET DEMO CLUB ❤️🔥 happy last day of the month : ) where IS the summer going
i’ve just landed in Chicago, kicking off 3 weeks in the US starting with baby’s first US festival tomorrow (lollapalooooooza). I’m sleepy from the flight but excited to reunite with my darling band (who flew separately from london) and take down a big ol deep dish pizza tonight. Let the giant meals commence
this demo had a fun journey - you might recognise the first verse from a previous demo, one called ‘melodramatic’ from a few months back (you might also recognise the final line of the chorus from an even older demo - any ideas? POP QUIZ!). I wrote this chorus & realised after playing it while drumming that it had a similar groove to ‘melodramatic’.. a song where I loved the verse but didn’t love the chorus as much. so I mashed up that old verse with the new chorus & bridge and a frankenstein song was born. thematically it effortlessly worked; both sections an attempt to convey the giddy/heady/terrifying effects of a reciprocated crush.
I’ll be honest with you SDC, I like the song better than I like this demo of it. I wish I’d tracked it a touch faster and I couldn’t get the mix quite right.. but I committed to finishing it anyway.. a demo is a demo, I must remember and there’s always something to be learnt along the way. so perhaps there’s a future for the song itself but it might benefit from a fresh approach, be that totally different instrumentation or trusting a producer to rip it apart! fun to think about. some good news is that I’m loving playing drums more than ever and I can feel myself improving !!!
you can download the attached mp3 for keepsies or stream it within the patreon website or mobile app (where it can also be saved offline). as always your thoughts/feelings are welcome 😇 if you’re new here this month, thank you for signing up! SDC funds are really helping float the expenses of the tour i’m about to embark on here in the States - even though i’m between campaigns at the moment the difference your collective support makes is as tangible as ever.
thank you for everything, this month & always ❤️🔥
OG x
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lyrics:
see you
can do
whatever you want to me
just do it all honestly
look into my reflection
magic
people don’t understand it
when I’m with you I have it
so I scream it
out loud
we’ll never be as young
or as hot as we are right now
do you think that I’m melodramatic?
cause nothing I’m saying is automatic
it comes to me in a dream, I rehearse like a scene
overcooked, overthought, over you, over what?
my body feels like a gun being fired
I look at you and i’m up and i’m wired
it’s a kick on the can, it’s the way that i am
take it up with my parents
it’s their fault in fairness
what is your secret will you ever tell us?
make it look easy I’m honestly jealous
the two of us on the couch, in my head live it out
it might be common sense, it’s a lot, it’s intense
hey! thanks for all your music suggestions on my last post - I've been working through and really loving them. I'm on hols in Ireland right now with my beautiful fam for a few days before heading back to the states for a run of shows: baby's first US festivals, 7 support shows + 2 headliners. strange time to be heading over there to say the least but as always I'm focussed on concerts as a form of joyful escapism & vital gatherings of community
this day next week we play a double show day: a set at Lollapalooza (baby's first US festival!) followed by a Chicago headline show (low ticket warning for this, btw). in amongst the other fests and Glass Animals support I'm playing one more US headline show this year in TACOMA, WA on August 13th : )
we’re half way through july, I can barely believe it. I hope these sunnier months are treating y'all well (apart from you aussie/NZ folk living down there in oppositeland). delighted to report I’ve been really having a summer this year which I didn’t really experience in ‘24 (a combo of big sad life things + mad album 2 promo mode). I’ve been playing ultimate frisbee, going away for pleasure (not just business - big) and swimming in multiple seas and rivers (love). I don’t want to jinx it but I feel like I may actually be experiencing ‘chill’ for the first time in years?
freelancer guilt sometimes creeps in.. the fear of slowing down & losing momentum, the fear of slipping immediately into obscure musical irrelevance.. on the less sunny days it lingers at the back of the mind like an unwelcome visitor. the current landscape seems to reward artists who are constantly churning new music out, constantly online and it feels like that pressure to maintain consistent, relentless output is only becoming more & more extreme over time (maybe thanks to the algorithms we’re all at the mercy of.. boring).
half of me wants to keep up and the other half wants to hold back & protect myself. right now I have the energy for it, the willingness to hustle and a manageable amount of comfort in being away a lot - all resources I’m acutely aware are not infinite. but like with the pursuit of anything endless, the threat of burnout always looms! in these uncertain moments I take some comfort in the idea of my career/artist journey as a marathon & not a sprint (as it has been so far). taking breaks (though it sometimes kills meeee) feels like the only way to do this sustainably. it fills the soul back up, gives you fuel in the tank for the next big push and - perhaps most crucially - gives you more to write about! I have to live some life to have some life to write about. so that’s what I’m trying to do
next week I’ll head home for a week or so with the fam before I head over to the states - baby’s first US festivals and baby’s first proper support tour, 7 shows across the states with glass animals :) I’ve been a support act in the past but always on tours where I’m friends with the headliner and often to audiences where part of them know my music already. so this upcoming tour will be the big boy leagues! every show as one giant audition! playing on an introductory 30-min power set, all killer no filler is a skill I don’t feel I currently have but one I know I will in a few weeks time. a new semester in the school of rock begins
writing-wise I’m in my favourite phase - I’ve got about 4 half songs on the go at all times and I follow my nose with it, dipping in and out of each when I feel compelled, more offshoot ideas popping up all the time. the form of the next project remains totally unclear but it’s exciting - it’s really all to play for. I want to listen to more music I’ve not heard before - has anyone got a song to recommend? something you love - something you always come back to! I’m buzzed to continue writing across this tour and jump into it even more intentionally when I return : )
well, that’s it for now folks. some song ideas coming your way when I have em!
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
it's cold but sunny which I really like
sidenote my friends have been making wonderful music lately and listening to one today made me feel like this. I FUCKING LOVE MUSIC
life imitates art
CRYING IS GOOD I think it's actually the moment right before crying that is the worst 
