12 - Debris Discs - Blanco & Bootpolish

11 - Debris Discs - Hope and The Hospital

10 - Debris Discs - Weekend in Wisbech

09 - Debris Discs - Beat Your Neighbour out of Doors

This is another track based on my grandfather's WW2 letters, but this one to his sister-in-law Mildred. I found the change in tone in the early letters to her really intriguing. There’s more bravado and levity from my grandfather, almost like he’s showing off a bit. Then as the years go on, the tone changes and he becomes much more sceptical and pessimistic about the direction the war was going in. He questions the leadership and the morality and whether it’s all really worth it. Throughout the letters is my grandfather's trademark mix of wartime horror tempered with matter of fact detail, which I've tried to recreate through the lyrics. 

I tried to recreate this contrast through the music. With lighter, swaying verses and slightly syncopated vocal phrasing to suggest a bit of swagger, juxtaposed with darker, denser choruses. The beat is direct from my old Casio VL-Tone. This meant I couldn’t midi-sync any arpeggiators or sequencers, so it forced me to come up with a different approach to arranging. It also includes the only library sample on the entire record. A little clip of a marching band that really fitted the mood and lyrical content of the verses.

Lyrics:

A show
Issued gin to make us glow 
Morning comes and we still sing 
Dropped flares, didn’t see a thing

Crawled into bed
Regrets and ‘never again’
Heavy shells and night bombs stop 
Keep entertained until they drop

And in the photograph
There’s one face that will never come back 
So they find things to make us laugh 
Some light entertainment

On his knees
So why would they send us east? 
I need some news that I can trust 
One more front and I’ll be crushed

And in the photograph
There’s one face that will never come back 
So I shaved off my moustache
For rejuvenation

08 - Debris Discs - Letter to Mildred

07 - Debris Discs - Dear Fred

06 - Debris Discs - Convalescent Camp

05 - Debris Discs - Losing the Matriarch

04 - Debris Discs - Last Battlecry

03 - Debris Discs - Post War Plans

02 - Debris Discs - The Worst Sight That I've Seen So Far

01 - Debris Discs - Holes in My Mind

Debris Discs’ upcoming album has a central concept that was inspired by family letters written during World War 2. The legacy of war also led to an exploration of loss in a more universal sense, a central theme in new single Losing the Matriarch.  

Says James about the track, “Losing the Matriarch is like the counterpoint to my last single, The Worst Sight That I’ve Seen So Far. In place of the imagined memories formed through reading my Grandpa's WW2 letters, this song is inspired by my own reflections and experiences.”

While the track evokes memories of ordnance factories, ginger beer and apple pie, it also explores loss from a more personal perspective. One where meditations on war give way to the embracing of peacetime, all the while the cycle of life continues.

“It's moving on from the hope and fear of youth to the fragility of a life that's run its course,” reveals James about the track. “Through the lyrics, I'm trying to understand what happens once the family loses its matriarch. Does everything just fall apart? And how much of myself do I lose along the way? I don't think I've found the answer, but it's been a cathartic process.”

Determined to evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing, James brings Beach Boys harmonies and a Belle & Sebastian style indie-pop sensibility into play within the track. As much as Debris Discs’ material aims to bring the listener on an emotional journey, it is also meant to entertain:    
“Musically, I was really interested in juxtaposing the heavy subject matter with a lightness of touch. In my head it's almost like a disco track. Not a dance floor filler per se, more one for the awkward feet shufflers hanging by the bar.”

Losing the Matriarch is released in digital formats on the 21st of April via Todmorden-based record label AnalogueTrash. It will also appear on the upcoming Debris Discs album Post War Plans, which is scheduled for release later this year

Losing the Matriarch

Losing The Matriarch - Rodney Cromwell Remix

Losing The Matriarch - Magic Arm Remix

Post War Plans

Lyrics:

At least you're by the window
I think they've cleaned the floors
I could bring an extra pillow for you next time
I should've thought of that before

Do you ache?
Do you know?
Are you screaming?
Your body swells
Machines control
I hope you're dreaming

I'll come round every weekend
And phone you every day
We'll talk more and I'll tell you that I love you
Just please don't leave this way

Do you ache?
Do you know?
Are you screaming?
Your body swells
Machines control
I hope you're dreaming

Do you ache?
Do you know?
Are you screaming?
I'll take your hand
Kiss your yellow skin
And keep believing
I'll keep believing

Week of Wonders

By the Window

Eclectic Music Lover - New Song of the Week 'inspiring and a delightful listen'
Obscure Sound - 'melodic infectiousness' 
Mystic Sons - 'light and airy electro-pop gem'
StGA - 'earworm chorus'

Analogue synth and drum machine driven tune, with a smattering of guitar, a large helping of vocal harmonies and a sprinkling of children's toys found lying around the house. This song should resonate in the current climate of corporate greed and horrible humans. As the chorus suggests, maybe it's time we all work with animals.

Animals

Animals - Single

'woozy, ooey-gooey nougat...a new kind of shimmer' - Comeherefloyd
‘an achingly beautiful track that captures the power and romance of an enduring love’ - Eclectic Music Lover

Watch the official video: https://youtu.be/r3U-Dk0-khs

The song is part two of Debris Discs' hope and survival audio triptych, following ‘Daniel and the Apocalypse’ released earlier in the year. This time around the tempo is notched up with driving bass, bouncing beats and rousing choruses, tempered by woozy synths, twisted guitars and washed-out harmonics. The result is a disorientating slice of sonic reverie.

Inspired by a visit to Debris Discs' grandparent’s memorial bench on a windswept day on the North West English coast, We Never Die is an attempt to find comfort in the despair of loss. It tells the story of lifetime lovers so entwined they reach their end of days in tandem. They search for solace in the legacy they leave behind and a love that burns in perpetuity. It’s a message to each other and their families that this is not the end. There are no goodbyes.

We Never Die - Single

We Never Die

'Everything sounds perfect and in the right place, creating a sophisticated and kaleidoscopic environment that holds our attention until the end' - Phonograph Me

'Not only a story that is being told, it’s a whole play with a scenery that will stick to your head for quite some time' - KMS Reviews

No Fear finds Debris Discs' James Eary raiding the vaults of his old band's demo tapes for inspiration. Stumbling on his original version of a Coves & Caves album track, James could hear the untapped potential, primed for a Debris Discs reimagining. 

The track builds on a 90’s hip-hop inspired beat and piano loop with layers of sonic stardust. Dynamic peaks and troughs are created through samples, organs, synth pads and analogue arpeggiators, with the groove enriched by a deep and melodic bass line. The final sprinkling of magic comes from spiralling guitar lines and lush harmonies underpinning a timeless, heartfelt vocal melody. The end result is a laid-back, dreamy electro groove with an all-enveloping soundscape. A song to lose yourself in. 

No Fear is a defiant affirmation of inner-strength. It’s a personal struggle between giving into exhausted resignation or quietly taking a stand and believing in self-worth. There’s no grandstanding or showboating here, just calm reflections and stoic resolutions. It’s a minor victory, but it means everything.

No Fear

'A dreamy song with a gorgeous bassline that captures you, ‘Save My Life’ is a true wonder' - Happy People Music

'The song is both energetic yet soothing at the same time.. Layers of analogue synths are both bubbly and infectious' - Puddlegum

'Coated in desirable melodies that will float you to paradise' - MoggBlogg

'A fine piece of chamber pop' - Fadeaway Radiate

The relentless rhythm of lockdown manifests in the motorik inspired beat underpinning Save My Life. A driving yet melodic bass line glues to the drum machine, with a subtly pleading vocal up close and personal in the mix. Bubbling synths, filtered guitars and ghostly harmonics swirl around the soundscape adding depth and off-kilter sonic flourishes. 

‘Save My Life’ asks a big question with a myriad of answers.  All that’s really required to dig a tunnel through the despair is the knowledge that somebody actually cares about you. Someone that sees through those painted smiles and nonchalant shrugs and knows when you’re not ok. It’s not about heroics and grand gestures. This life is saved by love.

Mastered by Philip Marsden
Cover art by Gavin Stretch of Mode=Create

Save My Life

Debut album 'Post War Plans' out now on AnalogueTrash Records. 

Debris Discs is the solo venture of former Coves & Caves/My Side of the Mountain member James Eary. Nestled up in the hills of the High Peak in Derbyshire, James contrasts rural, understated songwriting with an arsenal of dusty synths, drum machines, effects pedals and a trusty old telecaster. The result is a kind of windswept, cinematic yet lo-fi soundscape with a resolutely pop sensibility. 

This is DIY music, homemade by someone probably too old to be sat at the end of the bed sharing songs on socials. This is spare-bedroom pop. Crafted while the kids are asleep and making use of any musical toys left lying around. Lyrics written on post-it notes stuck to the work laptop, melodies hummed on the school run and beats tapped-out while unloading the dishwasher. Humdrum origins that evolve into dreamy, enveloping washes of electronic, harmonic pop music.

Debris Discs

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