A conversation with Man With A Corduroy Heart about his new album “Things Are A Little Bit…”
Q: Hi! What inspired the album’s title, “Things Are A Little Bit…”, and how does it reflect the overall theme of the album?
A: The title comes from the song of the same name, which is a song about support for old blokes who can’t express their feelings very well and instead the song recommends they should just try and say how things are. The full title is “Things Are A Little Bit Shit” but I put the dot dot dot in so that I had a small chance of some radio play!
Q: “Little One” introduces a humorous yet tender side of parenting. Can you share the story behind incorporating “fart” into a lullaby’s lyrics?
A: Ha! I just thought it reflects true parenting. They are wonderful little munchkins who can be very adorable yet they can also just shit a lot. Plus I love the idea that a song can be heartwarming and playful at the same time. I get a bit sick of songs with cliche lyrics.
Q: The album offers an honest portrayal of life’s quirks. Which song do you feel most personally connected to, and why?
A: I like the first track “The Joy of Giving Up”. It’s a song about the freedom that comes with giving up on your dreams. Dreams are overrated! It was directly inspired by a man in the UK called Jake Humphrey who presents a podcast about (and I’m going to be sick just saying this) optimising yourself. He told listeners that they should “get up out of the comfy chair” and do something with their lives. And I thought, piss off, do you know how hard it is to make ends meet? What if I want to sit on my laurels and watch a bit of Antiques Roadshow!?
Q: Your approach to mixing for this album embraces imperfections. How did this decision impact the overall sound and feel of the album?
A:There were 2 reasons behind embracing the rough and ready approach – I didn’t want to try and make a home recording sound like a studio recording and just not sound that great, so instead I wanted to lean into it sounding a bit rough around the edges because that’s what it’s like recording at home. Also, the baby was often sleeping so I needed to record things quickly, in one take and often quietly too. I was hoping this would make the record sound more intimate and real which I think reflects the themes of the songs.
Q: With a background as a mixing engineer, how did you find the transition to recording and producing your own music?
A: Horrific. I found it very hard to mix my own stuff. It’s so much easier when I’m not close to the work and can mix something objectively. When I came to start mixing my own music I had a crisis of confidence and thought. But then I had some coffee and pulled myself together.
Q: “Doing Nothing” celebrates the simplicity of love beyond grand gestures. What inspired this anti-cliché approach to songwriting?
A: In the UK there is a TV program called Escape to the Country. It’s about old people with too much money who move from their big fuck off house in London to somewhere like Devon. In one episode there was an old lady who was a widow and she said she wanted to move and maybe meet someone new. But she didn’t want to do things with this new person, she just wanted someone to do nothing with. I thought that was lovely. My kind of woman. I didn’t call her. That would’ve been weird. She was like 93.
Q: The album humorously critiques the expectation to cover popular songs like Oasis’s. How do you navigate the balance between popular expectations and artistic integrity?
A: I’m 100% about artistic integrity. But if someones paying me money then I’ll play Oasis all week!
Q: The inclusion of cheeky anecdotes and unconventional topics is bold. Have you faced any challenges in sharing these personal and quirky aspects of your life through music?
A: It was very cathartic to go through some of these topics. But they’re things a lot of people do or think, so why not say it. The song “The Boss” is about having fantasies about killing your manager. If you’ve not thought about killing your boss then there’s probably something wrong with you. I think I try to toe the line so that things I sing about are a bit taboo but within the boundaries of being OK. I’m not sure if the song Ode To Channel 5 does that though – That’s a song about being a teenager and discovering mildly naughty movies.
Q: Can you describe the process of creating an intimate folk sound while incorporating elements of humor and honesty in your lyrics?
A: I read poetry occasionally (I’m not a cunt), which helps to give me purpose in writing lyrics. So I often start with writing one lyric and then flush it out into 3 verses within a day. Then I put those verses to music. When I write the music I always sit down with an acoustic guitar (actually maybe I am a cunt then) and then record it and start layering interweaving parts and see where it goes.
Q: With the album being independently released, what have been the biggest challenges and rewards of taking this route?
A: There have been no challenges. I was with labels in previous bands and it was a waste of time. Not that all labels are bad of course. But I can release what I want to and when and yet this time I keep 100% of the £0 I make!
