Patrick Michael Oliver caught up with Teesside artist Michael CG as he releases his brand new EP.
So, tell us about the new release…
‘The Most Highly Acclaimed Horror Phantasy Of Our Time’ (not necessarily referring to the EP itself) is another collection of songs mostly recorded in late 2019 but completed throughout 2020. I found that my second EP to come out sounded flimsy so I made a huge effort during the making of these songs to create a vast sense of scale.
As you produce everything yourself, during the recording process, I’m going to assume that it hasn’t been affected a whole lot by the lockdown?
I produce my music in my bedroom simply with a laptop and an interface so there’s nothing really to add other than that I’ve found myself drifting towards keyboard-centric songwriting. In all honesty, that change is exciting, for me. Rob Story from Backstreet Studios in Redcar has offered to add another layer of mastering to the tracks too. I haven’t heard the outcome yet, but I’m certain the drum tracks alone will break household speakers.
The EP is like a traditional record in that it has a theme. So many albums nowadays are just a collection of songs with no real flow. Tell us about the theme…
It is unintentionally thematic. The writing process has been particularly improvisational and perhaps that has lead to a running stream of consciousness between the songs. I kept returning to ideas of horror; hokey popcorn thriller meets the actual horrors that live and thrive in the modern world, in our homes, on our media and in our wallets. There is very little scarier than the insecurity we constantly face and more so still – even the songs written before the lockdown seem to have become more relevant.
Going back to what I said earlier, there are so many influences in there, and yet at the same time, it’s like nothing we’ve heard before. What were your influences when writing the EP?
As always, I take influence from whatever I find exciting at the time on a case by case basis. I’d like to make a more consistent album someday with a set tone and some self-imposed limitations, but at this point, why not do anything and everything I can? I feel the stakes are still low in my personal releases.
Post-lockdown, what are your plans? You’ve got some new stuff and a really incredible set with this material and what’s gone before it, so will you be gigging it to promote?
My one true life-goal is to have an act and perform my songs but that now seems even less likely somehow so I can see myself making more songs -as I compulsively do- and generally becoming increasingly bitter about not performing. That being said, if anybody would like a hand with anything musical, I’m dying to collaborate instrumentally – especially on keyboard.
You can listen to the EP now on Spotify.
