The Year According To Moths and Giraffes: 2021
Every year is a good year for music, and everyone’s musical journey is different. We’d like to take a look back at the artists we’ve written about in 2021 to show you what our year in music has been like.
‘I miss gigs a lot… hopefully 2021 will be full of them.’ – Bonnie Kemplay
Like everyone else, our year began on the 1st of January, where we wrote about songwriter and musician Bonnie Kemplay’s career so far. Our article and Q&A with Bonnie discusses her early singles ‘Maybe’, ‘Waiting For You’ and ‘Blushing’, plus working on Orla Gartland’s ‘Pretending re:imagined’ cover project.
‘I always feel a wave of memories when Summer comes around and the sun is always a great time to relax and reminisce. Also everyone just seems a lot happier in the sun!’ – Chris Pidsley
Our first piece on Chris Pidsley discusses his single ‘Quirky’, as well as his latest release at the time called ‘Listen To Your Mum’. The latter would appear on his EP ‘Daisies’, which we reviewed in full upon its summer release with Q&As in both articles.
‘I wanted to write a song about letting go of toxic relationships.’ – Maria Moss
Moving away from the bedroom produced music of our previous two musicians, we delved into the career of Spanish pop artist Maria Moss where we centred on her singles ‘Gold’ and ‘Nah’. Having worked with producer Mark Taylor and Cher, our Q&A discusses Moss’ own career as well as her work elsewhere in the music business.
“‘Abraham’s Daughter’ was like an exercise in storytelling, whether it was from personal experience or just fiction.” – Conn Thornton
We wrote considerably about Conn Thornton in 2021. Our first piece examines their debut EP ‘Abraham’s Daughter’, recorded prior to the pandemic forcing the closure of Queen’s University where the EP was made. Later in April, we wrote about Thornton’s debut album ‘Destroyer’, with both featuring in-depth Q&As about the writing and recording of each collection.
‘I prioritise the feeling and vibe over what might be technically more correct or cleaner sounding- I am really stubborn about that.’ - maphe
In 2020, we wrote twice about the career of Martha Stone, first as part of her solo career as maphe, and secondly in the math rock band This Is Slug? In January 2021, we talked to maphe about her new single ‘insecure’. Later in the summer maphe would record a session for BBC Introducing In The South West for Sarah Gosling and supported Lauren Dejey at London’s Cocoa Vaults in November.
‘I guess my lockdown experience was quite a reflective one…I found the best thing about being isolated was that it made it easy to hone in on those feelings and turn them into something creative and positive…’ – Harry Mockett
Next we celebrated the new single from Harry Mockett called ‘Floating Around’, where we also discussed his 2020 release ‘Thinkin About You’. As well as featuring producer George Rose discussing his work on the new single, we ask Harry how these songs came together during lockdown.
‘What’s the point releasing music, if you’re not going to release what’s closer to your heart?’ – Roxanne de Bastion
An extensive piece we began researching in November 2020, we look at the career of Roxanne de Bastion from her debut album ‘The Real Thing’, through to her second album ‘Heirlooms and Hearsay’ and her 2020 singles ‘Erase’ and ‘Heavy Lifting’. The latter have since been released on Roxanne’s brilliant ‘You & Me, We Are The Same’ record in September 2021. We also ask in our telephone interview about Roxanne’s book ‘Tales From The Rails’, how her family history inspires her music and much more.
‘There is definitely always a big element of perfectionism whenever I'm recording - I want every take to sound perfect…’ - Francesca
We covered the music of Hertfordshire artist Francesca twice in 2021, beginning with an overview of her career so far in her singles ‘If You Stay’, ‘Poison Boy’ and ‘You’re No Good’. Our summer follow-up included discussing her fourth single ‘Forgotten’, plus we asked Francesca about her post-lockdown return to the stage.
‘I think it’s about the music. It’s not so much about the production, even though I think that it’s been beautifully produced as it happens. I think it’s the best acoustic sound I’ve ever, ever had.’ – Steve Hackett
Following our review of Steve Hackett’s performance at London’s Hammersmith Apollo in November 2019, Moths and Giraffes examined his first album of 2021 entitled ‘Under A Mediterranean Sky’. Our telephone conversation looks at the geographical origins of the record, as well as future touring and recording plans. Later in September, we reviewed Steve Hackett’s show at the London Palladium which featured a complete performance of the Genesis live album ‘Seconds Out’ as well as new songs from his album ‘Surrender Of Silence’.
‘I want the audience to feel what my songs mean and I think being emotionally available is a huge part to making the audience feel like apart of it as well. I think that would be my main focus. Making my audience feel.’ – Ak.ela
One of our most popular articles so far has been on American singer/songwriter Ak.ela. Influenced by Norwegian artist Aurora, we review her songs ‘Yours’, ‘Hypnotize’ and ‘Age Of The Goldman’. Our Q&A explores the origins of these tracks and touches on the subject of Ak.ela’s ideal live presentation of her work.
‘For the longest time the final third of the song had no fixed structure and was just us looping the wall of noise chords over and over, progressively adding more pedals into the mix until Alex gave us the go home signal with one of his fills.’ – Rob Burns (Going Feral)
When Moths and Giraffes was in its infancy, we wrote about West-Yorkshire band Going Feral and their first single ‘Ghoul Rebellion’. In January the instrumental three-piece returned with their follow-up, the ten-minute epic ‘Too Late, It’s Already Too Late’. Our Q&A featured all three band members discussing the track as well as sharing their listening habits at the time.
‘It was great hearing the Beach Boys’ voices together and just hearing Brian and Mike sing together again for the first time in years was very special.’ – Al Jardine (The Beach Boys)
Occasionally we’ll write a longer career retrospective on an artist. Featuring new quotes from the man himself, we wrote about the impact of Al Jardine’s songwriting and vocal contributions to the recording and touring history of The Beach Boys. A founding member of one of America’s most influential bands, Al Jardine can be heard singing lead vocals on ‘Help Me Rhonda’ and co-writing some of the band’s music from the late 1960’s to the end of the 1980’s.
‘The title is just a wordplay, Julia is very interested in astrology and I am fascinated of everything within and outside our solar system. Mercury Retrograde is a word for both: astrology and astronomy.’ - Harald Löwy (Chandeen)
It was a privilege to write about one of our favourite albums of 2020, almost a year after it was released. Chandeen’s album ‘Mercury Retrograde’ features collaborations with singer/songwriters Holly Henderson and KITTY, as well as Chandeen’s own Julia Beyer performing some of the tracks. Our in-depth review of the audio and visual aspects of this record include a Q&A with Chandeen, their studio collaborator Florian Walther, plus input from Henderson and KITTY for a well rounded trip into this dream.
‘My favourite - and most used - plug in is Melodyne, which I use to change the tuning of my voice so I can make the synth chord sounds and augmented vocals that you can hear on most of my records.’ – George Rose
With our first piece on George Rose centring around his ‘Summer’ single release in late 2020, our second was all about his ‘Searching’ EP. Partly inspired by the isolation felt during the pandemic, we review the EP’s three tracks, as well as speak to George about how he made them.
“I sent Chris a bunch of ideas, over a year ago now and he suddenly opened the file up and started firing stuff back at me saying ‘oh this is wonderful stuff, I’m sure we’ve got an album here!’” – Geoff Downes (DBA)
Downes Braide Association (or DBA for short) are a songwriting duo made up of Geoff Downes and Chris Braide, who released their fourth album in early 2021 called ‘Halcyon Hymns’. The former is the keyboard player for Yes, Asia and The Buggles, whilst the latter is an Ivor Novello award-winning and Grammy nominated producer famous for working with some of the top pop acts of the day. In a telephone conversation with Geoff, we speak about the making of the record, the extra talent involved in the recording process and much more.
‘I recorded the vocals from home, actually, with duvets pinned to the walls around me for sound absorption, a very DIY approach. Since I can remember I’ve been able to harmonise instantaneously, so I had to watch that I didn’t overdo it as you can easily drown out the main vocal melody.’ - Luce
It’s always a pleasure to write about an artist’s debut single. The start of 2021 saw the release of Luce’s ‘Shoulder’, who we speak to about the song’s development, her commitment to songwriting in her Master’s degree and her musical inspirations growing up.
‘Initially, I write all the lyrics in french, without concerning myself with rime or alliteration. I write them like I would write freeform poetry.’ – Jodie Ruth-Forest (Joie)
Discovered through an Aurora fan group on Facebook, the French duo Joie consisting of married couple Jodie Ruth-Forest and Tom Bierton released their debut single ‘Blue Forest’ in January. The three-track collection includes the title song with an acoustic version and a B-side in ‘Frustration’. With the recording made by the power of crowdfunding, this orchestral and organic sound sets the bar high for the rest of their career.
‘Generally, I just did feel overwhelmed, sad, useless and at a loss. I didn't know who I was or what I wanted and everything just hurt and "overwhelming" was the only way I was able to describe that feeling at the time.’ – Emily Schoonover (bugsy)
After releasing their debut EP ‘Teratoma’ in 2020, Minneapolis band bugsy followed it up with singles ‘talk to you’ and ‘overwhelming’. Both receiving music videos, you get a real sense of the personalities in this four-piece that extend beyond their songwriting. bugsy have spent much of 2021 performing live again – we’re excited for their next musical outpouring.
‘I grew up listening to such a wide variety of music, but I always loved improvising on the piano as I was learning, and trying to play songs by ear.’ – Claire Cope (Ensemble C)
Jazz band Ensemble C released their debut album ‘Small World’ in the summer of 2020. The seven-piece are led by pianist and composer Claire Cope, who we spoke to about the writing and recording of the record, plus her wider career as a musician. As always, our review is in-depth – this record is meant to be heard in its entirety.
‘From the moment YES started touring again with Billy in 2015, he and I were already enthusiastically talking amongst ourselves about creating new music. We continued with our plan as Billy prepared musical outlines for about 5 or 6 of the songs.’ – Jon Davison (Arc Of Life)
Arc Of Life’s eponymous debut album was born out of Yes members Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood, developed before the pandemic and released in early 2021. This ten-track album is a full progressive rock outing, featuring lead single and video ‘You Make It Real’. Our Q&A with vocalist Jon Davison discusses the origins of the band, whilst confirming the potential for a second album.
‘When the right people get together in the same room, I think you can really expand the horizons and make some magic happen.’ – Lucky Bamba
With a steady release of singles since 2018, Argentinian-born Lucky Bamba released his single ‘Paradise’ back in February. Our Q&A discusses the input his producers had into the single, as well as the visual aspects in the video and artwork. Lucky Bamba later made a return to the stage in October supporting Newton Faulkner and promises more exciting news is coming soon.
‘Later when we all got locked down the writing process had to happen over zoom. It forced us to have another way of being creative which really improved our outlook and made us push forward with new innovative ideas.’ – Mark Zanker (Ives)
To celebrate the release of their first single in 2021, ‘Let Me Know’, we reviewed Manchester-based band Ives’ career up to this point. Our Q&A features input from all five members of the band, who were spread far and wide due to the pandemic at this time. Ives also returned to the stage towards the end of 2021 and have since released two more singles.
“‘Foundations’ talks about how the meaningful people around us give stability, hope and happiness. It reflects on struggles in an optimistic light whilst maintains true to my personal journey.” – Daniel Etherton
It’s been a busy year for singer/songwriter Daniel Etherton. Back in February, we wrote about his debut single ‘Foundations’ and his follow-up ‘Disappear’ in June. Since then, Daniel has released a double A-side featuring the tracks ‘Good In Goodbye’ and ‘Sand’. He’s kicking off 2022 with a gig in London, do catch him if you can!
‘I went through a point of feeling really good and kind of hyper, like everything was great. I was still struggling to sleep every night because I was full of ideas and I was full of energy and motivation.’ - Cholly
In 2021, we continued to write about electronic artist Cholly’s career, with her singles ‘Opposite’ and ‘Stepping’. Our first look at Cholly’s music included tracks going back to 2019. Both articles feature detailed Q&As on the sheer breadth of her creativity, from home recording to improvised livestreaming and video production. In November, Cholly released her album ‘Friday Night’ with each track recorded during the pandemic on a Friday night.
‘So much time was spent listening to early morning birdsong over the last year. I generally get up around five and love those couple of hours reflecting or creating, depending on what I am fixated on!’ - Helefonix
Helefonix is the creative wonder that keeps on giving. Our first piece on Helen’s music centred on her second EP ‘Orchestral Manoeuvres’, but it wasn’t long before Helefonix was releasing more tracks in 2021. As well as a collaboration with viral figure Jackie Weaver, Helen released her third EP ‘Confusion’ and made her live debut. We later wrote about Helen’s album ‘Nature’s Grace’, and she’s rounded her year out with a collaborative festive tune entitled ‘We’re Gonna Have Some Fun’ in aid of Help Musicians.
‘Having the pressure of committing to 12 albums in a year really makes you dig deep. Some days nothing comes out. Other days you can hit jackpot and three songs appear at once.’ – Simon Bailey (Das Kapitans)
One of the greatest musical endeavours I’ve ever witnessed is the challenge Das Kapitans set themselves in 2021. They were going to release twelve albums in twelve months – and they did just that, and more besides. Moths and Giraffes caught onto the journey at their third album ‘Blah Blah Blah’, and interviewed the band about this ludicrous concept.
‘In our second album, we wanted to talk about the memory of things, the stigma, the light of a forgotten star leaves to eternity.’ – Marva Voulgari (Marva Von Theo)
Athens-based duo Marva Von Theo released their second album in 2021 called ‘Afterglow’. This highly skilled songwriting pair took to both writing together and alone for the tracks on this record, with brilliant results. Later in the summer they released their short film with live performances from the album entitled ‘Echoes Of The Afterglow’. Marva Von Theo recently performed an intimate concert at Fournos Theatre in Athens without the assistance of amplified sound.
‘I usually write in a way that makes the listener interpret what they want to from a song but I think this album is the first time I haven’t written in any code or elusive way.’ – Yellow Belly
Dip into the sound of trip-hop with Yellow Belly’s EP ‘Spiral’. Featuring the single and music video to ‘Urgency’, multiple tracks from this collection have been played on a variety of BBC Introducing programmes around the country. In our Q&A, we ask Yellow Belly about the collaborative nature of her EP as well as the process behind creating its striking artwork.
‘This song was actually written over quite a long time, I started it back in the beginning of 2020 when I went to Halsey’s concert alone - it was the first time I went to a concert alone and I actually really enjoyed it!’ - Aiko
We first wrote about pop singer and songwriter Aiko back in the summer of 2020. Her album ‘Expiration Date’ was followed up by her first single of 2021, entitled ‘Power’. Since then, Aiko has released two more singles called ‘Daughter Of The Sun’ and ‘Gemini’, and looks forward to playing live again in 2022.
2021 was a landmark year for fans of Uriah Heep’s Ken Hensley, who released his final album entitled ‘My Book Of Answers’ in March. A collaboration with Russian poet Vladimir Emelin Pavlovich, a chance encounter at an airport brought them together where they later exchanged email addresses. The two overcame their language barrier to work on the music for this album, Pavlovich writing the lyrics and Hensley writing the music. The result is an extraordinary final artistic statement from Ken Hensley.
‘A lot of times we travelled only for recording a song. Basically a music trip. The most surreal was probably the recording of Night Summer Waiting up on a hill in a small Italian village where we isolated in midst of the pandemic to get some shit done.’ - Teresa Woischiski (The Ghost Of Helags)
Swedish duo The Ghost Of Helags released their debut album ‘We Came From The Stars’ this year, which was written and recorded across the globe, including their home base of Berlin. In our Q&A, we ask Teresa Woischiski and John Alexander Ericson about the interesting recording conditions of the album and where they’d like to travel to next.
‘My main goal as a singer-songwriter, when producing my songs, is to make people feel like they’re in a movie. If I can evoke that feeling in my listeners then I consider myself a happy artist.’ – Mayfair Lady
With the release of her second single ‘Reality Check’, we reviewed this and Mayfair Lady’s debut single ‘If I Got Rich’. Moths and Giraffes asks Mayfair Lady about her musical journey leading up to the release of these singles, as well as their writing and recording. In recent weeks, Mayfair Lady closed out 2021 with her new single and video ‘CAD’.
“‘Is This World Mine’ is a song about feeling powerless when faced with challenges of the modern world, be it coronavirus, racism, violence to women or climate change. What originally sparked me to write ‘Is This World Mine’ was a news story in October 2020 that another boat carrying refugees capsized in the English Channel. Two children, aged five and eight, as well as two adults died.” - Jewelia
The issues we face on this planet have become unavoidable. During lockdown, Romanian artist Jewelia wrote and recorded a single entitled ‘Is This World Mine’, with an accompanying self-produced music video that addresses much of what we face in the world today. Our Q&A continues to explore these themes.
“In ‘Dead to Me’, I had some pretty terrible bosses. They did any and everything to make me uncomfortable because they had no reasonable cause to fire me, and they still didn’t.” - EVV
In 2021, we wrote twice about Minneapolis musician and songwriter EVV. Their blend of R&B, soul and jazz has seen them growing in confidence from their debut single ‘I’m Not Your Woman’, to their first EP ‘Homebody’. The latter includes the single and music video ‘Dead To Me’, which was followed up in June by their second EP ‘Gemini’. Their honest songwriting is backed up by drummer Alex Norman and bassist/vocalist Shannon Maroney, who returned to playing live in 2021.
‘It is inspired by real events. I wrote this song after a break up and returning to dating. It had been a minute and my brain was not used to the game that is associated with it.’ – Megan Lenius
It came as a great surprise to see these two worlds colliding in 2021. Two separate musicians I was following worked on a song that is both infectious and full of soul. Megan Lenius is the artist, and Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda is the producer. In this in-depth article, we dive into Shinoda’s production, as well as examining what made ‘Not Your Game’ such a great song to begin with.
‘I started writing Available the night I had come home from an open mic – there was a poet who had performed, and his words really hit me, which is what inspired me to start writing the chorus.’ – Evie Asio
In April, we took a look at the career of Evie Asio, especially her singles ‘Beautiful Love’, ‘Pendulum’ and her latest entitled ‘Available’. We explore the many styles of music that inform Evie’s music and ask in our Q&A about the making of these three. Evie Asio’s album is still forthcoming, and we still can’t wait to hear it!
“And I remember very, very clearly sitting in my window, it was late at night, and I was alone in the apartment and calling Thomas, my manager, being like ‘IT’S CALLED CAPACITY!’” - Lydmor
We wrote about the lead-up to Lydmor’s 2021 album ‘Capacity’ throughout 2020, but nothing prepared us for just how good this album would turn out to be. A record that’s meant to be listened to in its entirety, and absorbed across multiple listening experiences, this album is by far the best work Lydmor has ever produced. This article also features our very first Zoom interview, where we discuss the making of the record in detail.
‘This has been a long road for a lot of us and I think we all just want to be with the people we love most. Definitely will cherish the little things in life now that we haven’t had them for such a long time.’ – Thom Rodriguez
It was a pleasure to write about the heartfelt music by Thom Rodriguez this year. We reviewed his debut single ‘Peppermint Roses’ and its follow-up ‘Shida’ in detail, with a Q&A asking Thom about the organic way these tracks were put together. He’s since released his third single ‘St Clear’, and we’re looking forward to hearing his debut EP in 2022.
‘The government has definitely let us down by not heeding the advice of actual scientific experts, making last minute decisions and false promises. They've basically had a blunder at every turn throughout the pandemic.’ – Meg (Furrowed Brow)
After releasing their debut EP ‘Dead Dead Dead Still Digging’ and their single ‘Pissing Superfluous’ in 2020, Manchester five-piece Furrowed Brow returned in 2021 with a new A and B-side. We reviewed their single and video for ‘Punctual Punk’ as well as its flipside ‘The Narrative Of Hugh Gordon Pym’, along with a Q&A featuring all of Furrowed Brow’s five members. A band sorely needed for these troubled times.
‘Sometimes I'm terribly restless. And sometimes I feel this deep longing for something that I don't even know what is. I guess a lot of people know those feelings.’ – Roxy Jules
We wrote about Roxy Jules’ contribution to TOM And His Computer’s album ‘Future Ruins’ in 2020, so it was a pleasure to write about some of Roxy’s own music in 2021. Her EP ‘Still Falling Through The White’ is a haunting four-track collection, which we look at in-depth both in review and via our Q&A.
‘Islands is a song about battling your inner demons and wanting to be safe from it all, wanting to escape from your mind and go somewhere far from where the hurt, pain and darkness is.’ - Ceiti
Since we previously discussed the work of Scottish duo Artax in 2020, we’d hoped to dive into their individual projects too. With vocalist Katie Wills, we were able to do just that with her solo project Ceiti. Here we take a look at her singles ‘Blue Roses’, her collaborative charity single ‘Flower Child’, and Ceiti’s latest track ‘Islands’. Our Q&A with Ceiti talks about the impact mental health issues have on her music, including her forthcoming debut EP.
“Thinking back, I guess that ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’ might be about not wanting to have to wait on other people to get my work back on track, and it was a daunting thing to have to start from the beginning under a new name, which I feel the lyrics reflect.” – Angelica Mode
In May we wrote about the solo project by Scottish musician Brian Hughes called Angelica Mode. Moths and Giraffes reviewed his singles ‘Your Love Is All The Rage’ and ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’, with a notable focus on Mode’s ability to create music that sounds both familiar and fresh. We ask Angelica Mode about his home recording techniques, plus the origins of his lyrical themes.
“'The Glitter and the Glue' meanwhile is unique in my songwriting canon for being a song that’s as much about myself as it is about Inga, although when I say it’s about myself, it’s written about experiences I've had in relation to Inga’s case, about finding myself in the eye of the hurricane at various points.” - Keeley
It was fascinating to look at the career and artistic motivation of Irish artist Keeley in 2021. Our first piece looked at her singles ‘Last Words’ and ‘The Glitter And The Glue’, along with their respective B-Sides. The extensive Q&A in our first piece discusses this material, working with producer Alan Maguire and Keeley’s inspiration regarding Inga Maria Hauser. Later in the year we promoted a live video taken from Keeley’s sold-out headline performance at Whelan’s in Dublin, a precursor to her band’s headline gig in London this December.
‘Once we’d made contact initially, we started sharing music and links via WhatsApp, and it just continued that way… by the time we met up in person at the end of May, we’d written and recorded 5 tracks together without even so much as a video meeting…’ – Helen Whale (Lines Of Flight)
It’s been an interesting year watching Leeds duo Lines Of Flight steadily release the singles from their forthcoming debut album. Beginning in March, Matthew Henderson and Helen Whale released one single a month, all the way up to December. Moths and Giraffes caught up with them on the advent of their third single to discuss the project up to that point including their songs ‘Birthing Bell’, ‘Moth Eaten Heart’ and ‘Heading Out To You’.
‘My idea was to have a very orchestrated opening and ending for "Time To Die", like a symbolic closing circle, and with the same concrete sounds, the rain, the storm... For the first track, I recorded almost everything by myself, layer by layer. Almost 40 separated tracks I think...’ – Christine Ott
In 2021, French composer Christine Ott released a rousing solo album entitled ‘Time To Die’. The collection is full of exciting musical landscapes, featuring instruments from Ott’s trademark ondes Martenot, grand piano, harp, synthesizers and even spoken word. We ask Christine about her writing and recording conditions surrounding this album, as well as working with fellow composer Yann Tiersen.
‘I want to say so much, but all I'll say here is that I don't think anyone is going to expect what's on this new album. Three of the best songs we've ever written are on this new album (well, I like to think so), and they're all so wildly different.’ – Billy Lunn (The Subways)
2021 also marked the return of indie three-piece The Subways, in more ways than one. We reviewed their first single in over five years called ‘Fight’, taking a deep look at the circumstances that led to the track’s creation with a Q&A featuring vocalist and guitarist Billy Lunn. The band also returned to the stage to finish their anniversary tour of their debut album ‘Young For Eternity’, where we reviewed the show at London’s Kentish Town Forum. The latter includes a Q&A with all three of the band including bassist and vocalist Charlotte Cooper and newcomer Camille Phillips behind the drumkit.
‘Webcam is loosely based on a mixture of my own experiences of being far away from people I care about and what I imagine the struggles of a blossoming relationship gone online would be.’ – Mari Dangerfield
During the pandemic we all understood the need for connection, but quickly grew tired of the poor substitute of video calling. Continuing the lead-up to her debut album, Mari Dangerfield released her single ‘Webcam’ which explored this issue. We also looked at her previous single ‘1 Like’ and spoke to Mari about all things stylophone related. She’s since released her brilliant album, entitled ‘Love And Other Machines’.
‘It’s always difficult to talk about lyrics because you hope that they can speak for themselves, and a lot of writing music for me is finding a way to talk about things that I don't know how to talk about, or don't want to talk about, in real life.’ – Alice Mary
Musician and producer Alice Mary has had a productive year, releasing a string of new singles in 2021, beginning with ‘Too Much’ back in May. We dive into the production of this track, with our Q&A discussing the musicians Alice worked with to achieve this song’s slick style. Her follow-up singles include ‘Mystery’, ‘Surgeon’, and a reworking of an earlier track entitled ‘Everything To Everyone’.
“There’s two types of studio days, the ones where we get loads of work done at super high speed like quicksilver in X-Men, and the ones where we watch like 10 episodes of bob’s burgers while occasionally going ‘omg we should do a song like this’. Both are equally as important.” – Connie Glynn (Snaggletooth)
Plenty of new artists popped up in 2021, including Snaggletooth, a three-piece band based in London. Consisting of vocalists Connie Glynn and Adele Cooper along with producer Sparkles*, the trio released their eponymous debut EP in April. Our full review includes the band’s first interview where we ask about their favourite baked goods. Snaggletooth have since released standalone singles ‘Trinity’ and ‘Fangs’ and played their first headline show at London’s Camden Assembly.
‘I think this is the first time I’ve allowed myself a musical space to express anger, but that’s after a lifetime of built-up experiences living as a queer and feminine person.’ – TJ Cole (Twin Pixie)
Philadelphia duo Twin Pixie released their latest single ‘Firestarter’ in the summer of 2021. Their hyper-pop sound is created at home surrounded by all manner of synthesizers with experimentation in mind. Our review also takes a look at their earlier singles ‘Lunacy’ and ‘Astrology’, plus a Q&A with both TJ Cole and Aiv Rubino on the twins’ sound and how they came to make music together.
‘I recorded birdsong and all the waterfront happenings and that was an easy pallet to perceive any initial sonic responses. I felt good on the piano, in the studio and in myself, headphones fed with my morning field recordings, I was fully immersed in my own world and I knew from that first piece an album concept was brewing.’ – Ann Margaret Hogan
It was a pleasure to write twice about musician and producer Ann Margaret Hogan in 2021. Her album ‘Funeral Cargo’ features improvised grand piano compositions set to field recordings Hogan made on local walks during lockdown. The album itself is rooted in the history of the Wirral Coast, which we dive deep into for our review. Our second piece goes further back for Ann’s anniversary compilation EP ‘Without The Moon’, with recordings dating back to the 1980’s and featuring artists such as Nick Cave, Marc Almond and Kid Congo Powers.
‘We were driving through El Paso, and my buddy Jim Ward (At The Drive In, Sparta) had a studio there at the time, so I called him up and asked if we could load in in the morning, smash out the whole thing in a day, and move on to the next show. That's what we did. It was pretty hectic.’ – Frank Turner
Staying on the theme of anniversaries, Hampshire singer/songwriter Frank Turner celebrated ten years of his album ‘England Keep My Bones’ with new vinyl editions and expansions of the original record. Moths and Giraffes took a look at this period of Turner’s career whilst our Q&A with Frank sheds light on the formation of the album and touring around it.
‘I know something can work if Rose can find a melody or vocal part easily. I'll usually get a feel if the songs are worth building up if the pre-production isn't like pulling teeth. We're pretty democratic in terms of songwriting.’ – Ian Bernacett (UV-TV)
During the pandemic, New York based band UV-TV recorded their third album together. The duo of vocalist/guitarist/bassist Rose Vastola and guitarist Ian Bernacett had recently appointed drummer Ian Rose to complete their band, with all three members participating in our Q&A. The album is called ‘Always Something’ and UV-TV are due to tour Europe and the U.K. in 2022.
‘We wrote songs the same way someone cries into a pillow. It had to be done, and we didn't anticipate wringing that pillow out into a perfume bottle, and asking people to take a whiff.’ – Charlyne Yi
In a surprise release from U.S. artists Charlyne Yi and Lem Jay Ignacio, the duo put out an album entitled ‘The Ghost’ this summer. Recorded sporadically over many years, these intimate home productions are unlike anything else Moths and Giraffes reviewed in 2021. Our Q&A with both musicians sheds further light on the making of these songs.
‘I'm just really looking forward to having real people in a room again. Music making is meant to be a communal exchange and so I hope I can rediscover the little bits of my soul that have lacked nourishment in the last year because of the lack of live performance.’ – Chloe Foy
After many years of anticipation, Chloe Foy put out her superb debut album in 2021, entitled ‘Where Shall We Begin’. There are many beautiful sonic moments on this record, which we dive deep for in our review, with Chloe’s Q&A adding further weight in the interpretations of the songs. Chloe Foy later toured the U.K. in the autumn, with more dates expected in 2022.
‘This was a good example of remote recording, which is something that I always wanted to get into doing, but going into lockdown and being unable to do any other kind of recording was the push that I needed to invest in the equipment and borrow quite a lot of the equipment!’ – Kayleigh Cheer (Wahl)
We wrote about Wahl both in our career spanning piece in 2020 and in a new chapter for 2021. As well as releasing a series of cover versions during the pandemic, the duo of Rachel Still and Kayleigh Cheer also put out a new single in 2021 entitled ‘Split’. This article includes a first for Moths and Giraffes – a live Instagram interview with Wahl. Expect troublesome WIFI connectivity.
‘Part of the reason the process took four years is that we recorded and mixed everything ourselves, so there was a fair amount of trial-and-error! We decided early on that we wanted the freedom to experiment with Tall Tales, as it's our first full-length album…’ – Andy Logan (Ringlefinch)
We had the good fortune to immerse ourselves in the debut album by Ringlefinch, an exceptional folk outfit led by songwriter and producer Andy Logan. ‘Tall Tales’ oozes with intriguing storytelling, finishing with a sixteen-minute epic broken into eight chapters which is worth the price of admission alone. Our in-depth Q&A features contributions from Andy as well as violinist Nicole Teszke and mandolin player Philip Briggs.
‘The producer suggested recording during the night, which I found really interesting. So we turned the lights off and lit a couple of candles to help with the mood. In two nights we recorded the whole album.’ - Olec Mün
No doubt the pandemic has afforded many musicians the time to create in peaceful solitude, with Argentinian composer Olec Mün being prolific in his musical output. We wrote about his album ‘Vögel’ in July, largely performed on piano and inspired by the people that matter most in his life, but also by the birds he saw through his window, unencumbered by lockdown life. Our Q&A with Olec is a peek into the spirited world of this musician.
‘From the extinction of the dinosaurs to the court of Caligula – Orpheus with his lute and the Pied Piper of Hamlyn – all succumb in time to the Dancing Mania. It has haunted the dreams of man, beast and plant for aeons.’ – Alex Sword (Slender Pins)
Have you ever been dancing and been completely unable to stop? Then you may be entitled to read our piece on Slender Pins and their single ‘Dancing Mania (I want to want to dance)’. Inspired by the dancing plagues that swept across medieval Europe, this four-piece capture their unseated energy in this infectious track. Our Q&A features further insight from vocalist Ash Burt and guitarist Alex Sword.
“I like to think of it as a ‘pre-breakup’ song, the lyrics are all about the emotions of knowing that a relationship is over, but desperately hanging onto those last shreds of hope.” - lottie
Having recently returned to the U.K., travelling musician lottie recorded her debut album ‘Eve & Eve’ in Singapore with producer Hangi Tavakoli while learning the ropes of production herself. Her songwriting centres around gay perspectives in love and is a breath of fresh air in pop music. Earlier this summer, we wrote about her single ‘Lights Out’ and chatted to lottie about her career leading up to the release of her album.
‘There was just a second where I paused, looked around the room and saw people that I loved, enjoying the show, and I don’t think that’s a feeling that you can recreate very often. I was on such a high.’ – Lucy Hall
With restrictions easing in the U.K., Moths and Giraffes were invited to our first gig to review in July, that of Lucy Hall’s launch for her EP called ‘Lines’. Our piece on that evening includes in-depth stage banter, plus comparisons between the live and recorded arrangements of the EP’s five songs. We also caught up with Lucy Hall after the gig to talk about the EP and its launch event.
“A majority of the songs on this EP are actually based on some real life experiences I've gone through, but they were all written at different periods of time, so I thought that through this fictional world of ‘Taffy Town,’ I could string the stories together into something more cohesive.” - Jourdann
In August, Moths and Giraffes took a trip to Taffy Town with New York artist Jourdann. Her second EP entitled ‘Taffy Town’ is a collection of real songs, set in an imaginary world of Jourdann’s creation. The EP’s six songs showcase not only her songwriting and evolving production, but Jourdann’s artwork depicting these scenes too. We make sure to ask Jourdann exactly what taffy is, for audiences outside North America.
‘I definitely wrote Echo Chamber as a response to that feeling of being so dictated to by something that didn't really exist (social media platforms/algorithms/apps). We as people make those platforms what they are, and that kind of depressed me, because it's turning into something so self-obsessed and insincere now.’ - YVA
In a piece that greatly hit an emotional nerve, we review YVA’s ‘Hype Machine’ EP – five tracks that explain exactly how technology and particularly social media are dividing us more than they unite us. Beginning with the aptly titled ‘Echo Chamber’ and finishing with the incredibly powerful ‘Missing Me’, this EP, review and Q&A is one of our landmark moments of 2021. Highly recommended to all.
‘This is the first time that a line from a book has jumped out at me in such a way. In the past I’ve been inspired by my own feelings and experiences, things I hear people say, things I notice, paintings and poems, relationships and people I know.’ – Hannah Robinson
Inspired by Haruki Murakami’s ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Hannah Robinson released her latest single ‘The Well’ back in August. The track is a band epic with sparse lyrics and striking imagery in the song’s accompanying music video. As well as discussing her work with Dire Straits bassist John Illsley, Hannah also talks about her upcoming return to the stage. Hannah Robinson later played a full-band headline show at Dorset’s Tivoli Theatre in October.
“'One Night' seemed the perfect opener, with its energy and message; it also reflects the excitement of a new relationship, and following this, the other songs represent the different stages and difficulties of relationships, and of life in general and the things that happen to us.” – Lauren L’aimant
This summer, songwriter and producer Lauren L’aimant released her debut EP ‘Motions’ on her own record label The Loved Ones. These six tracks are full of emotion, but this is music you can dance to. It features previously released singles ‘Forever Young’ and ‘Moonlight’, but also ‘One Night’, the EP’s opener. Our Q&A discusses L’aimant’s work with fellow musicians Icarus, travelling on America’s Route 66 and the creation of her record label.
‘One of the things I really love about folk music is how the magical and the real sit hand in hand, and that was something I was really keen to try and bring out in this album.’ – Kirsty Merryn
More than a year after its release, Moths and Giraffes takes a look at the second album by Kirsty Merryn entitled ‘Our Bright Night’. Our in-depth review of the album explores the concepts that inspired it, from environmental issues to the dissolution of the monasteries and reinterpretations of traditional folk songs. Our Q&A with Kirsty is equally as detailed, who also speaks about her 2021 project with Ben Walker called ‘Life And The Land’.
“Back around March time, me, Max and Jesley were part of this collaboration with Abbey Road for Transgender Day of Visibility, which is an absolutely absurdly amazing opportunity to have. We just basically brainstormed this idea and then we were like, ‘Why don’t we do a documentary?’” – Charlie Deakin Davies
Another first for us in 2021 was an in-person interview with producer and songwriter Charlie Deakin Davies in their studio at Ten87. We discussed their production roots, working with Take That’s Gary Barlow as well as three songs where the production really blew them away. Our interview concluded with Charlie revealing exciting plans for an organisation called the Trans Creative Collective.
‘For this album the starting point was always the sea. Whether it was taking a video and then taking that back and having a jam alongside it, or literally floating in the sea with my eyes closed and music coming into my head which I would then quickly record as soon as I got back to my studio.’ – Anna Phoebe
At the end of September, we reviewed Anna Phoebe’s seabound escape entitled ‘Sea Souls’. An album meant to be listened to in its entirety, these soundscapes were largely created during lockdown in Phoebe’s home studio. Our Q&A with Anna dives into the album’s inspirations and production, as well as the contributions of the record’s collaborators.
“We found ourselves coming up with songs that were going in rather different directions. We were wondering if we should only go with either the soft and quiet or the loud, fast and raw songs but then we just decided to say 'fuck it' and go with both at the same time.” - BSÍ
On the advent of their tour supporting The Vaccines and their first headline show in London, we reviewed Icelandic duo BSÍ’s album ‘Sometimes Depressed…But Always Antifascist.’ The album in two halves showcases two sides to this band, as shown by the album’s title. Our piece includes a Q&A with both vocalist and drummer Silla Thorarensen and bassist/keyboardist Julius Pollux Rothlaender. Featuring songs both in English and Icelandic, softer and punkier, this record is an exciting and fulfilling listen.
“‘Scars’ is one of the most important songs to me that I’ve written. Sometimes with songs you have to kind of like chip away at them, and mould them over time, like sometimes songs can take you weeks. Like I have songs where actually I had to come back to them like two years later when I finally had an idea.” - Astræa
In October, we caught up with American songwriter and producer Astræa on a bench opposite possibly London’s noisiest building site. Our review and conversation centres around Astræa’s latest EP ‘Looking Up’. We examine its poppier roots, the influence of U.S. politics on Astræa’s song ‘Ripples In The Water’, her work with Ward Thomas and much more.
‘The concept for "H E A L E D" is because there is already closure, there is now a licence to write about them. It's about exploring difficult subjects but from a position of strength. Because there is distance and a different perspective once you have healed.’ – Alan Dreezer
Released in September, Moths and Giraffes reviewed Alan Dreezer’s second solo album entitled ‘Healed’ in October. We took a look at the stories that inspired these songs, including singles ‘Any Way I Can’, ‘What You Didn’t Say’ and ‘The Chase’. We ask Alan about his production collaborators on this album, plus his musical dedication to the Love Button Global Movement.
‘I'm completely obsessed with this season. I like the colder weather, the shorter days, the countdown to Christmas, and the way the whole world gets a bit whipped up by spooky season. There were fake cobwebs on the Co-op self checkout the other day, which my heart leapt at.’ – Alice Grey
It’s been a busy year for Alice Grey, who released four EPs in 2021, along with three standalone singles over the summer. We wrote about Alice’s first Christmas EP in 2020, with our second piece on her autumn/Halloween themed EP entitled ‘What’s In Your Head?’ Featuring two original songs and three seasonal covers, our Q&A with Alice discusses their origins and her other musical projects, past, present and future.
‘I was getting really claustrophobic and tangled trying to record them in my bedroom with wires and mic stands everywhere and also it's impossible to get my family to be quiet so one day I just decided to charge up my laptop and take all my recording stuff to the woods.’ – Mary In The Junkyard
Some talent is stumbled upon by accident. In November we wrote about Mary In The Junkyard, the solo project of musician and songwriter Clara FT. Her EP ‘thus spake the cake’ is the subject of this piece, released earlier in the summer prior to going out on tour as the bassist and vocalist of indie band Second Thoughts. We ask Mary about the recording circumstances of the EP, her classical roots and the aforementioned tour.
‘My following was born out of lockdown so this was my first time seeing fans in real life and getting a proper sense of what that growth means. Watching numbers on a screen just doesn't quite click in the same way as having 200 fans shouting your lyrics right back at you…’ – Ellie Dixon
In an extensive piece featuring a gig experience, EP review and Q&A, we wrote about songwriter and producer Ellie Dixon. Centring on her latest work entitled ‘Crikey! It’s My Psyche’, we look at the self-produced music videos for this project and the EP launch at London’s Camden Assembly, a sold-out gig for Dixon and her first headline show in the capital. In our Q&A, we ask Ellie about the production on her EP and returning to live performance.
‘You know on a lovely warm summer’s day when all you want to do is eat supermarket antipasti and drink beer in the park? How annoying is it when you open your tub of cream cheese stuffed peppers only to find that they’re stuffed instead with goat’s cheese, the cheese of death? Day ruined.’ – Ben Swan (Crouton Cannon)
Our last piece of 2021 featured Crouton Cannon, whose single ‘Share’ we wrote about back in November 2020. The five-piece band put together by guitarist and composer Alex Marshall released their debut album ‘Soup Sessions’ in September. The whole band were on hand to answer important questions about soup and pineapple on pizza, with maybe some musically orientated questions thrown in too.
David Longdon. Image Credit: English Electric.
‘I believe that a singer must inhabit the song. Their performance adds the human element that connects with the listener. The singer must be present within the vocal performances and not just sing along with the music. I want to believe in the singer as they deliver their performance.’ – David Longdon
In 2021, we also said goodbye to songwriter and producer David Longdon. Moths and Giraffes wrote about his collaborative album with Judy Dyble entitled ‘Between A Breath And A Breath’ in October 2020. It’s a captivating collection of songs, and showcases what made David such a fantastic musician and composer. Rest In Peace David Longdon.
Every year is a good year for music, so long as it’s being made with passion and sincerity – and 2021 was no exception. We look forward to writing about more of it in 2022 and getting to speak to the incredible artists who share a piece of their hearts and souls with us. We’re very grateful to all our PR associates, without whom many of these pieces would not exist, and of course to our readers whose warm feedback helps keep the spirit of Moths and Giraffes alive. We hope you’ve all had a great 2021, and look forward to writing more for you in 2022.
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