Behind the Record: Eternal Allies (2022)

So there we were.. My first LP was released, and thankfully received positive feedback and gained a good number of listens (to my standards, that is). So what now? Many popular artists come under intense pressure for having to repeat this success with their next release - well clearly in my case, being virtually unknown, this was not an issue.

The context: I have found previously that pumping rock tunes with a good beat and considerable distortion come relatively easy to me (like “We’re Gonna” or “Overdrive”), they were not overly difficult to produce (most of the time) and really got my legs going - low-hanging fruits, essentially. Some of the feedback I received for “Reach into your Soul” also suggested that while variety in terms of style of songs on an album is great to demonstrate an artist’s diversity and versatility, cohesion could help my new album be of a stronger material. Last but not least, I have been wanting to put together a record with songs that I like equally (yes, I sometimes do skip songs when listening to my albums). So the recipe was there.

Artwork: it’s me again! Posing with my beloved Tele, who, some unsurprisingly, is featured on most songs. Originally, I was planning to use the cover for “Friday Night Fever,” for the front cover of the LP, and in retrospect perhaps it would have resonated stronger with the message of “Eternal Allies,” but there you have it. On the other hand I am very proud of the canvas for “Eternal Allies,” I think it aligns well with the idea. Of the other canvases you can see on Spotify, “Flying free” is a montage of a seagull in Margate and me as I am staring through a widow of a moving train - this one was particularly difficult to get right. “Going Under” features the walls of Ramsgate Tunnels, while “Friday Night Fever” was made in my flat with the help of a disco ball from my other half.

The songs: Stronger riffs that often play a heavier grunge or rock songs have been tickling my fancy for quite some time, since I have been to a few jam sessions some 13 years earlier - then they were a bit alien to me but I quickly grew to like them and hence they define “All I Need.” When I record demos, the music normally precedes lyrics, and so the very first recordings only feature humming vocals (or “nah-nah” to be precise). It’s great to help you find (and remember) the right melody, but in my case it also put a massive burden, as I was struggling to find the right lines when trying to write the lyrics, as the syllables and their stressing were so prescriptive. I am learning how to get around this since then and I am being more careful now!

“In the Heat of the Night” was the first song I wrote for the album, the demo was made before “Reach into your Soul” was released. The lyrics were inspired by a night out in Brighton, although it’s mostly fictitious.

“Going Under” was originally written and recorded as a demo in autumn 2007, and then it gained popularity like that of “Another Day” among my friends. Although it has not been my favourite songs as it is rather dark, it has been due to one of my friend, Petya’s nudging that I decided to re-record and release it on the album.

One of my favourite songs from the album is “Eternal Allies” - I wasn’t quite sure what message I wanted it to convey when I wrote the lyrics, but as I was listening to the demo on a perpetual loop, the words came relatively easily, as if they just fell out of the sky and landed in my lap, and now it all seems to make sense. To me the lyrics are quite straightforward but still powerful - don’t you agree?

At the time I wanted to apply to become a special constable for the Met police - it has been a dream of mine for a long time, and finally it came within reach. Within reach, but in the end my application got rejected for no apparent reason. Needless to say I was quite disappointed, as if someone made me feel I was really wanted. I love the fact that the lyrics for “(You Made Me Feel I Was) Really Wanted” can be interpreted as a love story gone sour as well!

"Ice Cold Pearl" is a great demonstration of why I am so fond of my Telecaster. Despite the vibrato on both guitars, you can clearly hear the depth and warmth of that neck pickup! The song itself is about that type of a woman, that you may be familiar from "Ain't No Queen." Call me two-dimensional, but a blues song is begging for this theme! And also I have a lot to say about it.

“You Don't Know” was originally written and recorded as a demo back in 2007, and we played it with my band at the time on a number of occasions. It tells a story of a love at first sight almost turning into a one night stand, but I was only 18 and she was a bit younger so it remained platonic. I did however give her a CD of this song then, but never really heard much from her since. I was going to show her the reworked song 14 years later, but it turns out she's now married with two kids, so I guess it might not have been a great idea!

"Flying Free" was again a really quick one to write, I think the demo was done in about 1,5 hours, including the guitar feedback you can hear there, which was done using my tiny Orange amp turned up to full blast. I am aware there is a workaround to achieve this effect in a software environment, but in all honesty, it proved ten times easier to do it the old-fashioned way. The songs you can hear from there on are all played on my Squier Strat before it was handed over to EP Guitars for a good old revamp and adjustments. It is a cheap guitar, granted, but it can certainly pack a punch - just listen to that solo at 01:16!

"Never Gonna Give Up" is again a song from 2007, it was probably my favourite at the time - it is still my English teacher's favourite! When I moved to London in 2009, I successfully auditioned to collaborate with a studio on Berwick street, and this was one of two songs we recorded before I ran out of money to fund our sessions (they have asked for £1,200 for two songs, promo and a full LP if promos got positive feedback). This version is the closest to what we have put together there, including the piano playing rainfall in the prechorus. I think this song still has a really nice punch - you can't really hear it on Spotify, but you can if you check it out on Soundcloud.

As for the two live songs? I remember having recorded lives of both "You Don't Know" and "Never Gonna Give Up" back in 2008, and I have been wanting to make a full live album for some time, so I wanted to find out how it would sound. Although only using a basic PG58 for the vocals and the Squier Strat on a Marshall stack here, I think they are not a million miles from where they should be.

Promo: Yes, this time I wanted to give the release a bit of a push, to see how far it can go. I normally pitch the allowed one song per release on Spotify, which so far always got a few listens from people other than my friends, but this time I also tried out SubmitHub and Musosoup. Long story short, interestingly, there was minimal to no difference in terms of exposure as a result of promotion in the short term, but this is a complex issue which I discussed in more detail here. The key takeaway is that there is still no pressure on me as to what the next release will be like.

Eternal Allies - Release date: 12th March 2022. 12 songs, 44 min 49 sec.

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