John Myrtle - Myrtle Soup (2021)

“I wanted to name the album something that would reflect my whole writing and recording process. Over the past year, writing and recording from home was amplified even more - just doing everything at home was the only thing you could do. Before I would write and record, then leave my house and go have fun. It was obviously quite a distressing time for everyone, and so I wanted a name that was homely but also soothing and reassuring.”

Written during a period of pressure to be overly productive, Myrtle Soup reflects the overwhelming anxiety that comes with this and soundtracks a way to relinquish this feeling. “A lot of these songs are about overthinking, whether it’s going over the same emotions again and again, questioning who you love, longing to return somewhere - I think cooking is very therapeutic and can focus your mind on just one thing, rather than allowing your mind to go on tangents. It also has a definitive beginning - cooking the food, and a definitive end - eating it. Lockdown meant things didn’t have a beginning or end, especially being creative. Having all the time in the world meant it was hard to get anything actually finished, it felt like there was no end in sight and I could just stay on an idea forever and ever.”

“I found myself making a lot of soup this past year, often just as something to keep me going when I was recording. In a way I wanted to soundtrack the euphoria of my soup coming to life on the hob and the flavours it brought to my world.”