After a string of singles and a few EPs, London-born singer-songwriter Ella Smoker signed to Secretly Canadian for her correct debut album as gglum, The Backyard Dream. It has her stepping past the bed room pop of her earlier work and exploring a bunch of various kinds, from the daring, percussive “SPLAT,” to the shoegazey “Late,” to the poignant, pared again people of “Pruning 2” and “Honeybee,” to the distorted electro blips of “Straightforward Enjoyable,” to “Consuming Rust,” which recollects stomp-clap people with its driving rhythms. Smoker drew inspiration from a sequence of “graphic and violent” nightmares on these songs, which actually comes throughout on the eerie and really efficient “Pruning 1,” but additionally doesn’t really feel misplaced subsequent to “Straightforward Enjoyable,” which is simply plain catchy. She additionally was impressed by The Microphones’ The Glow Pt. 2which she says was “within the forefront of my thoughts the entire time” whereas writing. The 2 albums don’t have a lot in frequent sonically, however it does arrange an intriguing risk for the place gglum may go subsequent; with all the bottom she covers on The Backyard Dreamit’s only one potential path of many.
Smoker instructed us about extra of the influences behind The Backyard Dreamand you’ll learn her commentary, and stream the album, beneath.
GGLUM’S INFLUENCES ON THE GARDEN DREAM
The Microphones – The Glow Pt. 2
This has been my favorite album for years and years and years and can at all times be my number one inspiration musically. Karma Child is aware of I really like this album so he helped me preserve that in my thoughts whereas we made this album. I do know you could not be capable to hear it being an inspiration as a result of my album sounds fairly completely different from The Glow Pt. 2 however it was within the forefront of my thoughts the entire time.
Watching Alex G play upstairs at The Previous Queens Head
I went to see this gig with Alex Headford from Jadu Coronary heart and we obtained completely hammered earlier than we’d even obtained there. I used to be proper on the again and climbed onto the again of a sales space to have the ability to see something. I used to be completely astonished at how intimate it felt and I believe that knowledgeable how I wished the album to really feel if I performed it dwell. I cried my eyes out the entire approach residence however that was in all probability due to the booze.
My goals
On the time of writing the album I used to be having actually graphic and violent goals which I began struggling to distinguish with actual life. Once I write music I’m normally imagining a spot so whereas writing the album I used to be writing within the eerie world that my goals dwell in. I didn’t even discover I used to be doing it till about half approach by the album.
The EBow
The EBow is that this handheld electromagnet that vibrates the guitar string for you and makes the guitar nearly right into a synth. Karma Child has one which I exploit with each probability I get which suggests it’s on quite a lot of the album. I don’t know learn how to clarify however if you chuck a load of reverb on it, it sounds sort of like how goals really feel to me so it was a wonderful sound to make use of.
Baths
I LOVE BATHS. If I’m unhappy, I’ll be within the bathtub. If I’m hungover, I’ll be within the bathtub. If I’m bored, I’ll be within the bathtub. I’ve 2 songs on the album referred to as Pruning in honour of pruned fingers from spending too lengthy within the bathtub.
Requiem for a Dream
I watched this movie a number of years in the past and it actually caught with me (which I believe is the response everybody has once they watch it). I liked the eerie, surreal world it sits in and the chaos of it. I believe it positively subconsciously affected the album and the way I view the album.
Going out
By this I imply nearly clubbing however it’s not clubbing. It’s music nights that go on till 6am at locations like ORMSIDE / Phonox / Venue MOT. And even simply nights out in London normally the place you’re going residence because the solar rises. There’s so many tales to drag from with nights like these.
Massive Thief – Dragon New Heat Mountain I Imagine In You
Earlier than we began making the album, Karma Child and I made an inspiration playlist for us to refer again to maintain the sound of the album constant and there was a great deal of Massive Thief on it.
Name Me By Your Identify and the soundtrack
I do know Name Me By Your Identify is a controversial film/ebook however the cinematography and setting of the entire movie is so attractive and the emotion is so intense. The soundtrack to it is usually insane and I believe watching the way in which that movie and music can praise one another was an enormous inspiration. Once I was youthful I wished to put in writing music for movie so I fairly like the thought of creating extra cinematic music.
Quavers crisps
For those who don’t know what Quavers are, they’re these tacky crisps that seem like big toenails and odor like ft. Within the studio Karma Child and I ate a ridiculous quantity of them. I believe there was at some point Karma Child alone went by a 6 pack of them. Will need to have been a fairly musty room by the top of every day.
Nylon string guitars
I really like to put in writing on nylon string guitars which is what I did with The Backyard Dream. I believe what instrument you begin writing the tune on actually informs how the songs will prove. Every instrument massively carries its personal vibe which can put you in no matter temper you’ll be in whilst you make the tune.
“The Backyard of Loss of life” – Hugo Simberg
Hugo Simberg is my favorite artist and can be the artist who painted the album artwork. I am going to Finland each summer time and yearly I’ll go to the Ateneum artwork gallery and spend ages standing in entrance of his artwork. His artwork is throughout my residence in varied types and his artwork was the quilt artwork for the album at the same time as I began making it. His work are one other factor that remind me of the environment of the world my goals dwell in.
