We caught up with Gareth Dunlop, one of Belfast’s most renowned singer-songwriters, on his nomination for Album Of The Year at The Northern Ireland Music Prize, what the prize means to him, and the incredible uprise of local talent.
Congratulations on your nomination for Album of the Year at the Northern Ireland Music Prize! How does it feel to have ‘Welcome To The House Of I Don’t Know’ recognized in this way?
I’m never sure if something I write is going to translate or connect outside of the studio… so to have the album recognised in this way means a lot to me.
I always have that underlaying feeling of ‘am I barking up the wrong tree’ when I’m putting a project together. Getting a nod of approval is always a great feeling.
This album has been described as your most reflective, honest work to date. What motivated you to explore resonant themes like nostalgia, home, and self-discovery?
I think I went into this record with more questions than answers… questions about myself, my beliefs, my upbringing and the things that matter most to me. I’ve spent a large part of my career writing songs to fit neatly into scenes of a TV show or a movie… or write songs for other people to sing. I wanted to close the door on all that stuff for a while and start picking at the things I want to say with no parameters.
Can you tell us a bit about the creative process behind ‘Welcome To The House Of I Don’t Know’? How did your experiences traveling across America and working in Nashville influence the album’s sound and themes?
I spent the guts of a decade working in Nashville as a staff writer for several publishing companies… and I think that left some good marks on me… I think it taught me good disciplines of turning up to face the blank page every day… the majority of the songs on this record wouldn’t be written if I didn’t make myself sit down to search for them.
In terms of ‘sound’ – I think what I did in America was something I wanted to run away from. A lot of the work I did out there was quite solitary… just me in a studio over-dubbing against myself. An important thing for me on this record was to get a band in a room, have some fun and “play” together.
Songs like ‘Just In Case’ and ‘For The Rest Of Ever’ really capture a sense of longing and connection. Were there any specific personal experiences that inspired these tracks?
‘Just In Case’ was a song that came out of a conversation I heard my dad and my late uncle having as he was nearing the end of his life. I sat and listened as they chatted about the ‘good old days’ and the crazy things they got up to together as kids… It dwelled in me for the longest time and it wasn’t until a months later when I had a particularly late night getting drunk with my wife that I found a way to unpack it and write about it.
I wrote ‘For The Rest of Ever’ about my wife and kids… it’s a day dream about what I’d do if I could hit pause for a while. These last few years have been non stop writing, recording, touring and travelling… and while I love it and feel extremely lucky to be doing it – the other side of the coin looks pretty good some days.
Listeners have praised the cinematic quality of your music on this album. Was this lush, expansive sound something you intentionally set out to create, or did it evolve naturally during production?
It definitely evolved as we started tracking in the studio. I usually map out demo’s way too much… adding sound scapes, drums, keys etc… I didn’t want to influence any decisions on this record before we all got in the room together… most of the demos were recorded simply on my phone. The guys who played on the record also co-produced it with me and their instincts are really what’s made the record sound the way it does.
What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from this album, especially as it covers such intimate and universal themes?
I wrote about the things that are close to my heart… family, friends, love, times, thoughts and questions that resonate with me in the hope they resonate with other people. We’re all dealing with a lot of the same shit and writing songs is my own way of trying to make sense of those things. I feel like songwriting is just a point of view on the big themes in life.
I hope my points of view are worth something to someone listening.
Your nomination places you alongside other incredible Northern Irish talents. How does it feel to be part of such a competitive and vibrant music scene right now?
If I’m being honest… competition in art has always felt like oil and water to me. I’m thrilled that the record has been recognised but what excites me more is the sheer quantity and quality spilling out of Northern Ireland… Events like the music prize really help to shed more light on the amazing music being made here. I spent too long making music on the other side of the Atlantic and being pretty disconnected from the scene here… so to be back home in it and a part of it feels incredible.
As we approach the Northern Ireland Music Prize, what would winning Album of the Year mean to you personally?
I’m proud of what we did on this record… and thrilled that it made it into the party! Regardless of winning, me the guys will be celebrating!
Listen To ‘Welcome To The House Of I Don’t Know’ below, and find out more about Gareth Dunlop and his music online via Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
