Interview: Homade Christmas Card
Meet Homemade Christmas Card, the solo project behind the hauntingly beautiful EP "Outside of Above". With a sound that blends raw emotion with lo-fi production, Homemade Christmas Card's music is sure to resonate with fans of introspective and atmospheric soundscapes.
Q. How did you decide on the name Homemade Christmas Card?
A. The phrase originates with one of my favourite bands, Manic Street Preachers. I had a CD copy of a live gig of theirs at the London Astoria on 20/12/1994 (Richey Edwards' penultimate gig before his disappearance). At the start of a cover of the Art Garfunkel song Bright Eyes, someone shouts or throws something and James Dean Bradfield responds with "That's better than a Homemade Christmas Card!" The phrase always stuck with me and I felt it captured the sentiment of my music quite well a Homemade Christmas Card, something that is meaningful and heartfelt, but ultimately made in a fairly makeshift way.
Q. Walk us through your creative process- how does a song usually begin for you?
A. Almost always the lyrics come first. Sometimes as I'm writing the lyrics I'll have an idea of what I want them to sound like as a song, other times I'll try a few different approaches to see what works. Occasionally I'll use an existing piece of music I may have recorded but usually I prefer to come up with the music to suit the lyrics. I'll demo songs with the guitar part(s) and vocals and use that to work out the next steps, whether the lyrics or music need adapting and whether It needs more layers. I don't like to fiddle around too much with the music but I do like to experiment with things like recording in different spaces or positioning recording equipment differently to see how it affects the sound. I use an app called BandLab for most of my recording and would recommend it to anyone wanting to make music, it's very useful for mixing and mastering tracks.
Q. Tell us about your EP Outside of Above what themes and emotions run through it?
A. I'm happy for listeners to interpret the songs and lyrics in any way that they feel, however the most apparent theme throughout the EP is dealing with the feeling of lowness and the various aspects and emotions of that, ranging from despondency, defiance, hopelessness, confusion, hope and so on. It was cathartic for me to record these songs and share these feelings, I hope if It resonates with anyone listening that it can offer even some small amount of comfort.
Q. What's the strangest thing you've ever been inspired by when writing music?
A. Most of my writing is based on my personal feelings and emotions, and deciphering that in different ways. One song that comes to mind, which is as yet unreleased, is called Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud which was inspired by someone muddling up the famous idiom "every cloud has a silver lining". I liked the sound of it in its mixed-up state and the idea of there being an opposite way of looking at the more positive phrase.
Q. You cite influences like Bon Iver, Mount Eerie, and Elliott Smith. What is it about their music that resonates with you?
A. I just love the honesty and authenticity of these artists, musically and lyrically. Along with other musical heroes of mine like John Frusciante or Bob Forrest as well as new and emerging favourites like Ohio Waves or Paperboy Alumni, I really admire all of these artists' originality and desire to create music on their own terms, it is a constant source of inspiration and encouragement!
Q. There's a real rawness to your sound. Was that intentional from the beginning, or did it evolve naturally?
A. I'm really glad that comes across, I realize it's hard to miss on some tracks! It is intentional to some extent. I love music that sounds lo-fi, raw and real, and I aim for mine to sound that way. However I don't tend to go to great lengths to achieve that sound, I feel like that would kind of make it somewhat inauthentic to try and choreograph it. A lot of the rawness does seem to happen naturally, I like to leave in little background noises or little glitches as I think it adds more to a song than doing another take would.
Q. The track titles like "Those Irish Goodbyes" and "999 Call #5" are intriguing. Can you share the stories behind one or two of them?
A. The track titles were something I gave a lot of consideration to so again I am really pleased that you've picked up on that. There is perhaps more to the track titles and the tracklist than first meets the eye, so I hope other listeners may pick up on a few details as time goes on. There is a certain amount of symmetry and asymmetry going on, some obvious and some not so much.
The tracks you've mentioned are interesting choices and I'm happy to explain a bit about them. The title "Those Irish Goodbyes" came from one of the lyrics, for those who may not know an Irish goodbye is when you leave somewhere without actually saying goodbye. I have been known to pull the occasional Irish goodbye myself but I liked the idea of how it related to those feelings of just wanting to disappear when things get difficult. "999 Call #5" is one of the few songs where the title came first, essentially what it means to me is that a lot of our cries/calls for help can go unanswered and the track itself was very much a defiant response to that feeling, almost saying "If help isn't coming, I'll sort this myself".
Q. What draws you to lo-fi and DIY music production as opposed to more polished sounds?
A. The best way I can explain this, and possibly the weirdest, is to say that I would rather watch a bad copy of It's a Wonderful Life on an old, clapped-out TV than watch say The Emoji Movie in HD on a cinema screen. What I mean by this is that the substance is more important than the form, and I personally feel with music that substance is everything. There are certainly a wealth of amazing and meaningful songs that would fall more into the polished and produced category so I'm not totally anti that, although I do think over-production can completely crush any emotion a song could've had.
A. The EP is called Outside of Above. What does that title mean to you personally?
A. This is a great question! To me, it reflects that feeling of what you want or where you want to be being just out of reach. In a way, "above" represents the prospect of being, doing or feeling better, and being "outside" of it is to say that you aren't quite there yet, but as always it's open to interpretation.
Q. How do you balance emotional honesty in your lyrics with protecting your personal life?
A. I think writing the lyrics and creating songs that have that emotional honesty is what protects my personal life and helps me to deal with and overcome some of the emotions we can all face at times in life. I would encourage anyone who may be feeling low, alone or despondent to find a creative outlet that interests them and just take it at their own pace and do what they want to do with it, whether it's writing, singing, dancing, gardening, whatever! If it helps, grab hold of it and It's yours.
Q. How do visual elements; for example your EP cover, tie into your music's aesthetic or message?
A. Another fantastic question, thank you so much for the thought that has gone into these. The Images used for each song as well as the EP cover were all chosen because I felt they reflected the songs well individually but also had a synergy and symmetry with each other. I also used alternative photos for each song's lyrics which can be seen on Instagram. I feel like the imagery does have the same lo-fi feel as the music and also captured each track's position in the tracklist well too.
Q. What has the journey been like developing a following on platforms like Instagram and Bandcamp?
A. I've enjoyed the creative and artistic side of developing these platforms and sharing the images and music on there. It has been amazing to see people following and even more amazing to be getting some incredibly kind comments about the EP. It means the world to me and I couldn't be more grateful to everyone who has supported me so far.
Q. Is there a particular lyric from the EP that you're most proud of? Why?
A. The opening line to "Those Irish Goodbyes" is one that stands out to me, "Mirrors don't belong in the dark". When I wrote that line it didn't necessarily mean what it means to me now, and again I am happy for listeners to draw their own meanings and I'd love to hear how it's Interpreted. For me now, it means that self-reflection isn't necessarily a good idea when you are feeling disconsolate.
Q. What do you hope people feel or think about after listening to your music?
A. I hope my music and lyrics can just offer anyone who is feeling a similar way the feeling of not being alone. If anyone is feeling down or alone or hopeless, feel free to reach out to me or anyone else around you who you think can help. We are all in this together. I know it's a bit of a well-worn statement, but if this can help just one person it will truly be worth it.
Q. Lastly, what's next for Homemade Christmas Card? Any live shows, collaborations, or new releases on the way?
A. The main thing to look out for is new music, I've got some new songs recorded along with a good few demos and I'm writing lyrics every day. It's an exciting time and I hope listeners /readers like what's coming next. One collaboration I'd love to mention is that I've just joined an online community called The Noisy Brain, it's a platform that encourages anyone with mental or emotional health issues to write and share their writing in a safe space, and those writings are shared with musicians who can adopt a piece and turn it into a song. It's a great collaborative
way of offering a creative outlet to those in need and I'm excited and honoured to be a part of it. Also I'm hoping to get a newsletter sorted soon for anyone who wants to keep up-to-date with the latest goings on!
way of offering a creative outlet to those in need and I'm excited and honoured to be a part of it. Also I'm hoping to get a newsletter sorted soon for anyone who wants to keep up-to-date with the latest goings on!
Disclaimer: All links and photos are property of Homade Christmas Cardand their team and used under permission! This interview is property of TunezandTrendz and may not be distributed for money or used without permission of Tori!
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