Antenna.

As SIX months of Loading approaches and I continue my slow transformation into "a guy who writes songs too", album 2 is shaping up in a way even I did NOT expect.

The songs are getting more natural but also more bombastic. More disciplined yet more dangerous. My hands are now landing on sonic curveballs. I can now shape my voice how I want to hear it. I'm writing proper song-song's in one go rather than Frankensteinning fragments together over time. But I'm more scared than my first record - not cos of quality but revelations!! Bear with me.

While this is still very much a solo project like the first record, I've worked closely with Reece Bailey and Andy Furmage across much of the new material. I'm a bit scared of producers cos they often have a fixed idea of how things should sound, including gaslighting you into believing the 'autotune' on the channel strip is an "EQ" despite the fact it's obviously set to the wrong key. But Reece has a rare intuitive imagination that can enhance what's already there, with unthinkable basslines to boot - and Andy's drum sound is my holy grail, like the snare bounces back and slaps me in the face!!!!

Lyrically I've noticed a running theme. People talking too much while saying too little, or saying so little I'm left filling in the blanks. Everything a bit too loud and weirdly empty at the same time. A world where everyone demands honesty and authenticity but only within performative versions of themselves and each other... myself included.

Increasingly I feel less like I'm writing these songs and more like I'm the antenna they're passing through. I didn't know whether it's validating or insulting that they're 10x better than anything I'd deliberately come up with.. til I read something recently that made too much sense.

So neuroscientists scanning freestyle rappers and jazz musos found that during autopilot mode, a brain region called the "dorsolateral prefrontal cortex" basically clocks off. That's the part that goes "are you sure?" "maybe don't do that." "this is embarrassing." "stop and think about this for a second".

Which explains a lot. Why I've got to book external vocal spaces now so my loved ones don't worry about me (and the most worrying thing is... I'm fine!!) Also why I have near zero memory of the album launch despite only being 1 Guinness deep and my subsequent Bishop Brennan stupor in the smoking area.

Few people have heard the songs so far, but the reactions have been less "nice song mate" and moreso "WHAT THE HELL?!?!". One of them is Glenn Tilbrook. He's one of my musical heroes so it's woah in itself for him to even like my work... but in a "Curb" twist, he singled out the one I'm MOST socially terrified of releasing as his favourite. So that'll be included. Please pray for me!!

When can you hear at least a snippet? Definitely soon. The rest another time. I'll keep you posted.

But for now, Loading remains the most accurate snapshot of where I began, so keep streaming and spinning it if you want a rough guide of who I am and where I'm heading. I'm very proud of it. But wait til you hear THIS x