Glaswegian singer-songwriter and artist C Duncan only released his Mercury Prize-nominated debut album Architect last year, but he’s already following it up with a new LP. The Midnight Sun is set to be released on 7th October via FatCat Records and promises to provide a more experimental take on his brand of bedroom pop.
Like Architect, it has been entirely recorded and produced by Duncan in his Glasgow flat using his bedroom set-up, gradually adding one layer of instrumentation at a time in a meticulous process. Also similarly to his debut, Duncan painted the cover artwork himself. The record is also named after a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone, in which the Earth’s orbit has been perturbed, causing it to fall slowly towards the sun.
To coincide with the announcement, Duncan has shared the first single from the LP, ‘Wanted to Want It Too,’ which is more bittersweet in tone than some of his previous work, while still maintaining the sonic intricacies that he has become known for. Listen below.
Duncan talked at length about the concept behind The Midnight Sun: “I knew I wanted the album to have more of a theme/thread throughout it which Architect didn’t have. I have always had a bit of an obsession with The Twilight Zone (the original 1960s series) – the strange stories, the often brooding atmosphere, and the stylised aesthetic. No matter how different the stories in each episode are there’s a strong atmosphere and look to each episode which ties the all the episodes together. Although the songs themselves, I wanted to capture the atmosphere and create something that is almost an anthology series styled album, in which all the tracks tie together stylistically without being one big conceptual record.”
He also talked about his own progression since creating his debut LP: “Towards the end of recording Architect my production skills had developed, and I wanted to put them to the test on another record. I’m still very much in the mind-set that working alone from home is the best way to create music – for me anyway. I upgraded my home setup for The Midnight Sun to give it a much cleaner sound. Unlike Architect, which was a big mix of different genres, the new album is much more coherent and concise sonically.”
Duncan is also playing a few headline shows in the coming months, adding to his appearances at Lindisfarne Festival, Festival No. 6, Doune the Rabbit Hole and the Moseley Folk Festival, among other festival appearances in August and September. Details below.
13th October – ICA, London
15th October – Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
1st February – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
