– trigger warning, reference to suicide –
This EP was written at a turning point of my life. A year had passed since I lost my father to suicide. I was very unwell as I had not processed the grief of such a loss. I had quit a job I was doing that made me unhappy and had run out of money, so moved from Birmingham back home to near Milton Keynes to live with my mum. I recorded this EP in her garage, with just a single SM58, during my gradual recovery, before starting life again in London.
This album marked the beginning of returning to the cello as the instrument with which I composed. With Door Frames I had reached as far as I could composing on guitar, without having to actually properly learn the instrument. It was time to return to the instrument that had been with me through most of my life.
The aesthetic of Rain Dogs era Tom Waits had continued from Door Frames, through exploring a megaphone as an instrument in its own right and distortions of the voice. Another indirect Tom Waits influence was the sound track from the film, Wrist Cutters: A Love Story. This film was the only film I had ever encountered that dealt with the aftermath of suicide in a light and interesting way and, as such, really helped to process the grief of losing my father. Other aesthetic influences included: Ethiopian Begenna Musician, Alemu Aga; 00’s French Hip Hop; The Last Poets; and the drone music of Phill Niblock.
Dr Pete Yelding 