Apta - 20 (2020)

“It's been a strange time for everyone, for obvious reasons. There's nothing in my music that hints at the global circumstances unfolding, nor should it be a requirement that all art created at the time of strife reflects that strife. On the contrary, the chance to sit down in the studio, with the time to create and the opportunity to relax as well has been (for me), hugely refreshing. Obviously with the circumstances around the creation of these tracks, there is always going to be an element of melancholy behind the otherwise upbeat instrumentation, but I think in general it reflects a gratitude for the well being of myself and my loved ones, and an optimistic leaning for our future.

This was originally two EP's called 'Home' and 'Sun', both self-released and both between March and July of 2020. I'd been listening to a lot of records I've loved for many years, some post-rock, some prog, some classic electronica and quite a bit of meditative ambience, as well as the usual soul-cleansers of computer games and films, and these tracks couldn't really have come out as anything except an amalgamation of those influences. My guitar got wired back in, and my love for that was rediscovered (the guitar really was my first foray into songwriting all those years ago, before all these beguiling synths got in the way), leading a lot of these pieces to begin from there and bloom outwards.

20 isn't only representative of this time, but a melting pot of all the influence leading up to it, and a shameless inclusion of every little riff or technique or idea I wanted to record. It is, as they say, what it is.”