
It’s going to be an incredible week, because we have something truly special to share with you. I was able to sit down (electronically) with UK singer, songwriter, DJ, and producer Elderbrook for a look into his world. I wanted the interview to focus on his sophomore album, Little Love, while also diving into him as a human. His love for getting out and exploring areas where he tours is cool to learn about. The music collaborations that most know of from the last question opens up how some tracks can take years to make. Please give his new album a spin as it is truly one of my favorite pieces of music over the last several years.
Elderbrook – Little Love | Download |
TSS: How does it feel to release your album “Little Love” out into the world? What did you learn from your past albums that helped with the creating and finalizing of this album?
Elderbrook: Feels so good to have it out.. I’ve been working on it for a few years and it feels amazing to have it done and out there. I think what I learnt most from my past projects was sonic direction and keeping everything in the same world. I love my last albums but to me they can sound a little haphazard at times. So that’s what I took going into this latest album.
TSS: The album’s centerpiece, ‘Howl’ is addressed to your newborn daughter and happens to be the first song you wrote for the project. You have mentioned that the song is “inspired by those sleepless nights listening to your child cry as you try and console them – I wanted her to know then, and always, that I’d be there for her.” Can you tell us about the journey this song took to become the version fans are listening to now?
Elderbrook: The song is written with Tourist. He’s an amazing musician and it was a privilege being able to work with him. The song started with the chord progression. We took some time getting that right with all the inversions and trying different sounds and then soon after that came the vocals and lyrics. It’s about my daughter and her sleeping (or lack of) but when I came to write the second verse I had already started touring again and the lyrics of that section actually reflect my own pain I was feeling from being away from home. We actually got back into the studio a few times to completely remake the song from scratch to make sure it sounded perfect and now we have the final version, “howl”, that everyone knows now.
TSS: You have been all over the states with your North American leg of the tour. Coachella and Bonnaroo were the final stops before heading over the pond. What have been some memorable moments during these first 4 months of 2023? Did you doing anything special for these two marquee festival slots?
Elderbrook: I think one of the most memorable shows was in Montreal. After the set the crowd started chanting “ole ole ole” which I’d never heard before and it was fucking loud and just hit me in a different way. New York was amazing as that was the largest venue I’ve played to date. Then Toronto was special because, over 2 dates, I’d sold the most amount of tickets in a city. I love America and Canada and this tour has been incredible.
TSS: The international leg of your tour is coming up soon. What are some activities you like to do when you perform in new cities that you haven’t been before? Which cities are you especially looking forward to performing in and why?
Elderbrook: New activities could be anything really! I run on days off so that’s a good way to see some stuff. I’m always looking for a decent coffee when I wake up so, depending on the town, that can take a while to find so I end up seeing a fair bit of the locality. I’m looking forward to Warsaw. I remember the energy of that city being amazing. Everyone who plays there says the same thing. I’m going to a load of new places in Poland and Austria so looking forward to seeing those countries in more depth too.
TSS: You have worked with some of my favorite artists (Camelphat, Rudimental, Bob Moses, Amtrac, and others) to create some captivating songs. Which of these collaborations pushed you musically? How so?
Elderbrook: I remember the Camelphat “Cola” song was tricky to begin with. I got to the session and they played the track which was just one held note. One note is particularly difficult to write anything overly captivating on. I think I just gave up and tried to do a Paul Simon vibe – and that’s how we made “Cola.” The Rudimental one pushed me for a while too as I was looking for the right chorus for a really long time. Took a couple of years of coming back to it to get it right.
TSS: Thank you so much for sitting down with me Elderbrook. We are stoked to catch you live here soon. Best of luck on the road and maybe we will get a run and coffee in if we catch each other in the same city.
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