After 2 years of putting these songs together, this album is finally ready to be released. It’s been a labour of love – I’m really proud of these songs and I know these are a step up from the material I’ve put out previously. As I continue to improve in my songwriting capability and lift the quality of the output, I thought I’d reflect on the genesis of these songs and share with everyone some insights – something I’ve never done before. I generally don’t share what each song is about because I firmly believe you should make up your own mind – so I won’t talk about specifics, however I’ll touch on the themes and general stories to give you an idea. I’m trying harder to write in the Pat Pattison method but it doesn’t always work for me – so some of these songs are a lyrical journey, others are just observations in the moment.
As always, these songs were recorded in the study of my apartment using all my own equipment etc. Once everything was recorded, the songs were arranged and sent to Ash (my brother) for mixing and mastering. Generally Ash will consult throughout the process when I get stuck for ideas, or offer general advice, so when I refer to ‘we’ below – that’s who I mean. A big thank you to both Ash and Scotty for helping on this album – Ash for mixing/mastering and recording bass parts, Scotty for recording the drum parts.
I decided on the title The Shaping of Quiet Things very late in the process. Generally a title should capture the theme or main ideas of the songs – and whilst there isn’t a particular idea that connects each track, there is certainly an underlying theme of self-reflection (not unusual for me). ‘Quiet Things’ are just that – tiny moments, memories, decisions, experiences and observations that ‘shape’ who we are as individuals. The stories behind these songs are personal – some positive, some negative. All of them created the person I am today.
- When You Will Dream: I bought a ukelele on a whim some time ago, convincing myself that I would teach myself to play it. That lasted a couple of weeks – however I’ve always been good at just trying shapes to find chords/sounds that work and feel connected. This song was born out of that trial and error. It’s a little bit odd, but I like that it feels a bit dreamy. This was always intended to be an introduction or even an interlude – I only ever wrote the two verses and never attempted to grow it into a full song. I like it just as is is! Knowing Ordinary Fool would follow (it was always going to be track 2), I took inspiration mostly from the Foo Fighters from The Colour and the Shape album where Doll opens up the record as a slow ballad-y intro song before hitting heavy with Monkey Wrench. One of the earliest videos I have of me playing this song (I film new ideas so I don’t forget them) had a much more sporadic rhythm – much inspired by that scene from How I Met Your Mother where Cristin Milioti sings that incredibly rendition of La Vie En Rose. It didn’t end up sounding anything like that though!
- Ordinary Fool: I’ve been trying to write more cohesive, upbeat tracks for some time – and this was one of the first that I really felt strongly about. It’s got a lot of influence from some of my favourite bands (you may guess who), however it still feels like something I would write. It might surprise some people, but I think that’s just because I’ve tended to gravitate towards slower, deeper tracks on previous EPs. The final version of this song feels right – I had originally put in many other layers but it felt a bit messy, so stripping back and focusing on more rhythmic elements to thicken the sound worked. I wrote the main guitar part for this so long ago, and forgot to record myself playing it – so when it came time to properly record the acoustic guitars I found that I had completely forgotten what tuning it was in (EBEG#BE, for any guitarists reading), and it took me a lot longer than I feel comfortable sharing to try and learn/remember it! It’s not the same as it was originally because I just couldn’t remember the specific chord shapes – but it’s close enough. Lesson learned – always film your new ideas and write down your tunings! The theme of the song is certainly grounded in regret. I think regret is an interesting concept and I’ve been learning recently to look upon my past with compassion instead of regret – however this track was written before that!
- Til I Leave Again: This was heavily inspired by my love for Fleet Foxes and for earthy-folk sounding music. It originally sounded much different to how it is today – when we sent the demos to Scotty for drum tracking, he heard something completely new and added the drums as you hear them in the first half of the song. I loved it – he captured the Paul Simon influence that I thought was subtle, and wrote drums in that vein. We ended up merging the two drum parts to keep the heart of the original, but I love the sum of both parts. It was a very tough track to finalise – there’s a lot going on in some of those sections! This was another song that I struggled to put some lyrics to, however once I finally found the right lyrical theme, they just rolled out of me and I grabbed hold! It should be blatantly obvious what this song is about – it’s inspired by Robert Frost‘s famous poem and taking the path less travelled. Taking chances, trying new things – something I have been trying to embrace in the last few years as I’ve grown older. The coda line ‘Oh, I’m on my way back home’ are sung in somewhat disappointment – back to familiarity, which is a conflicting feeling I’ve had coming home from long overseas travel on a few occasions. As the song progresses, the subject embraces not ‘coming back home’ and taking a new path entirely, wherever it goes.
- Moving: This is probably the most unique song I’ve written from this album – it doesn’t sound much like anything I’ve done before. I love the rhythmic pulse of this one. Little bit groovy but with a lot of heart. I knew I had to build in some contrast so the halftime section for me works perfectly to capture the theme of the song (complacency). The intro is probably my favourite section of music from this album – the acoustic and electric really compliment each other, and then when the drum/bass/piano kicks in with the groove it feels fresh and exciting to me. I’m really proud of the fact that I embraced this track. I think in previous years I would have discarded it thinking it didn’t really sound like me. The halftime section is heavily influenced by Death Cab For Cutie‘s ‘I Miss Strangers‘, but I doubt they’ll mind!
- Echoes: The piano for this one was an old idea that resurfaced as I was writing these tracks. I can hear the Ben Folds influence in the main idea, but I felt really strongly that I could build it out to be something on it’s own. I’m so proud of this song, it’s undoubtedly my favourite off the album. The lyrics were a real grind to do, and I kept chopping and changing melodies until I finally found the words that fit right. The working title (I give all new ideas working titles when they don’t have lyrics, just so I can recall what song is what) was Pensive and I knew thematically the song would always centre around that feeling, and the music was built to compliment that. Whilst this is another where the theme should be obvious, for me it’s a personal reflection on being okay with who you were, and realising that you go through tough times to carve out a stronger identity in the future. This is the last track I wrote lyrics for (only completed earlier in 2025), so it captures a little bit more of my current mindset compared to the majority of other tracks. Hopefully you’ll have your own experience you can tie to the feeling of this one.
- Yet: A very last minute addition, although ironically the first song I completed when writing these tracks. I thought this one would open the album at the time, however as the other tracks came together I found it wasn’t really fitting in with the flow of the album (after When You Will Dream was written, that one had to be first!). I discarded it, thinking I’d come back to it on a later release. As we were finalising the song choices/order, it just felt like the right thing for a slower song to follow Echoes, and with no other strong choice, we opted for this one and I’m so glad. It’s a really meaningful song for me. Also, bonus points if you picked up my very-odd American accent on some words – have no idea why I do this. The feel of the song was inspired by The National and Death Cab For Cutie. As for the theme – I always think it’s interesting how someone can care so deeply about something they feel is important, and someone else can be completely nonchalant. The difference, of course, is personal experience – as the coda line suggests.
- Easier: Another attempt at writing an upbeat track that didn’t sound cheesy or fake, and I think it works. I always like this type of rhythm for deep-cuts – I can rattle off a few songs that use something similar. It’s a bit of fun, and the added hand-claps etc add to kind of ‘camp-fire sing-a-long’ feel that I was going for. I love the solo that I wrote for this, and I was adamant on keeping it on acoustic for a different feel. I’m not a solo guy by any stretch, but I love when I can write something which suits the mood and feel of the track, without being flashy or over-the-top. There’s a James Morrison track off his first album (the opening song Under The Influence) which captures the type of feel I like, and wanted to try something similar. It didn’t come through on this song in my opinion (I think this feels closer to For Emma from Bon Iver), so I’ll have to keep trying! This is one where the lyrics just rolled off the tongue and was written in a very short period of time. I ended up changing the second verse when I was recording vocals, however only slightly.
- Sweet Sound: Originally I thought this one would be the strongest song on the album, and an obvious choice for first single. As the songs progressed in maturity, this one just kept sliding back in the pack. I have to admit, I don’t love it. I think there’s a lot of good parts, but I don’t think it’s my best. If I’m being critical, there’s too much space in the vocal and not enough movement in the sections (verse 3 vocals for example, should really be more varied melodically to the first two verses). It’s a catchy, simple song that I hope resonates with people, but it won’t be one I come back to often I don’t think. The bridge is my favourite part. I had been inspired by Chris Stapleton and other artists in that vein (I’m loathe to say Country…) when I was writing this, but I think the final product sounds similar to my earlier track Better, which is another I’m not all that fussed on in hindsight. What might be of interest is there’s no story behind this one – the entire thing is just imagination, and none of the subjects in the story exist, however I acknowledge the main idea of desiring connection is universal and something everyone craves.
- And You Loved Her: I wrote this song many years ago. The chorus was written as a ‘reply’ to Gregory Alan Isakov‘s ‘She Always Takes It Black’. I had someone in mind I was writing on behalf of at the time, but I can’t for the life of me remember who it was! I sometimes try to write from other people’s perspectives so that I broaden my scope of subject matter etc, and this was one that I felt like I got right. Whilst I can certainly relate personal experiences with this song, the story was filled in with imagination on someone else’s behalf. I love the simplistic nature of this one, and I think vocally I nailed my parts. Another example of the guitar solo doing it’s job without taking up the limelight. This was a contender to be after Echoes but the album feels right ending with this, so I’m glad we left it as is. I had a lot of different ideas on where to take this one, and I even considered whether I would lean into what I feel is a slightly Christmas-y feel at the end, however ended up leaving it as a simple song. I’m interested in how people hear the idea of this song – I think based on your own personal experience, the line ‘she threw it right back‘ could hold different meaning…
There you have it! Hope you have enjoyed a little insight into the songs. If you’ve listened or read – thank you!
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