Having already established himself on the scene as the frontman of Coves & Caves and My Side Of The Mountain in recent years, British singer and songwriter James Eary has now continued work on his impressive solo project Debris Discs with the new single ‘Save My Life’.
With a love for all things rich, atmospheric, and dreamy, ‘Save My Life’ sees him pursue more of that enticing direction. With nods to the likes of Toro Y Moi, Mac DeMarco, and Rex Orange County, his latest offering delivers a wonderful blend of sweeping hooks and sensual vocals, creating a beautifully warming return.
So with the new track available now, we sat down with him to discuss his latest material and what he has in store for us in the future.
Words by Chris Bound
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Chris) Hi James, how are you today?
Debris Discs) A little tired, a little cold, but very happy to be doing my first ever Debris Discs interview.
For those that haven’t heard of you yet, how would you best describe your sound and who have been your biggest influences so far?
I think I’ve settled on ‘lofi cinematic dreampop’. It’s also been described variously as electropop, synthpop and bedroom pop - although I’m too old to be making music in my bedroom, so perhaps it’s more ‘spare-bedroom pop’. My biggest influences are The Delgados for their perfect blend of understatement and ambition; The Beach Boys for their mastery of melody and harmony; and Kraftwerk for just making beautiful electronic noise.
And what has been the driving force behind this new project as opposed to some of your older ones?
After my last band Coves & Caves went on indefinite hiatus, I thought I was pretty much done with music. I knew I’d always write songs as I’m kind of hard-wired to do it, but I’d lost interest in pushing it for public consumption. This coincided with starting a family and my priorities shifted, so I just made music sporadically, slotted in around family life. Then as time went on I realised I’d inadvertently written an album’s worth of material and developed a new sound - basically using whatever instruments I could fit on my desk under the stairs. I played some tunes to family and friends, they liked it (well, that’s what they told me) and so I thought I’d give it another shot.
Doing this solo is more driven by necessity than design - I’ve got limited time so I just fit in writing, recording and mixing whenever I can, whether that’s in the shower, on work lunch breaks or when the children are finally in bed of an evening. Bringing other band mates into that context just isn’t viable. The time restrictions actually work to my favour now, as I’m much more focussed and disciplined with music making than I’ve ever been. I squeeze the most out of any opportunity I get.
You have just released your new single ‘Save My Life. Can you tell us how that track came about? Is there a story behind it?
Save My Life is inspired by a time I was struggling in a very unhappy work situation. I was an introvert in an aggressively extrovert environment and it really knocked my confidence. The thing that got me through was the unwavering, unquestioning love I knew I could come home to at the end of the day. That’s what the song means to me, but I try to avoid being too specific with my lyrics and keep things open for interpretation. If I’m putting a song out there, who am I to dictate what it means to folk who listen to it? I love the idea of a song taking on a life of its own.
And was there a particular style you were looking for when you wrote it?
I knew from the start I wanted to base the song around a motorik-style beat. The relentless repetition of the rhythm just seemed to fit with my experience of the early days of lockdown life.
Can we expect a new EP, or even an album from you in the near future?
Once I got into that rhythm, lockdown proved to be a surprisingly fertile creative period for me. My original plan was to package together the songs I’d already put out into an album. Then I entered a kind of purple patch and within a few months had two-thirds of a brand new album finished. The new material felt stronger and had a much more defined sound (moving my music-making from underneath the stairs to the spare bedroom meant I could experiment with a much bigger array of instruments). So I’ve decided to put out a proper album of brand new songs next spring, with ‘Save My Life’ as the first single.
The coronavirus outbreak has obviously affected everyone’s plans, but what have you got in store for the next few months?
Although Debris Discs is a solo venture, I’m still really interested in collaboration. In previous bands we’ve tended to keep things quite insular but this time around I’m actively spending as much time as I can listening to and building connections with fellow independent artists. There are so many genuinely brilliant and inspiring music makers out there. So over the next few months I’m planning to tap up like-minded folk and ask/beg them to feature on my debut album. I’d love to return the favour too if anyone will have me. I’m also hoping to work with some designers, photographers and other creatives to put together some cool visuals to bring the music to life.
And finally, what would be your biggest ambition to achieve as a musician?
Right now I just want to keep learning. I feel that now I’m older, I’m much more receptive to taking on feedback and trying to improve - whether that’s song writing, production or mixing. I’ve lost the exaggerated ego of youth and no longer think I always know best. Ultimately I want to build a big enough following that I can legitimately put out physical albums that people will happily pay money for. I don’t want that spare bedroom to become a refuge for unwanted vanity vinyl releases. Someday I’d also love to put on a mini festival in my hometown, bring together friends and family, all my old band mates and new musical acquaintances and just play all my favourite songs for a weekend. That would be bliss.