Somebody’s Child released their self-titled debut album at the beginning of 2023. The singles from the album included ‘Jungle’, ‘I Need Ya‘, ‘Hold Me Like You Wanna‘ and the extraordinary, and heart-breakingly relevant ‘We Could Start a War’. At a noisy interview tent set beside the main stage at TRNSMT festival in Glasgow, and with CMAT belting out from the main stage, lead singer and guitarist Cian Godrey spoke to us about what the band have been up to. Somebody’s Child had opened the King Tuts stage at the unholy hour of 12.25pm on the final day.
Somebody’s Child released an album and toured extensively last year, following the pandemic slowing things down. How did it feel?
A long time coming for sure. We worked really hard before Covid and we were just starting to get bookings and festivals and stuff when it happened. And you know it’s hard, the music industry is very fickle, they’ll drop in a minute. Very thankful for our label after that, we owe our lives to them (Frenchkiss Records) for trusting in us. And now we’re onto our second album, having hopefully developed a bit of a platform for ourselves. But from a creative point of view Covid was definitely stinting. Trying to discover more about yourself in a time where you’re not able to grow as a person is an oxymoron in itself. Creatively I think we’ve recovered really well on this next batch of songs that we have. I always feel like this at the end, you know, this is going be the last thing I do.
Even after your gig in Dublin when you sold out the Olympia in April? Do you really still feel that?
Big time. I just do that anyways, I don’t know why. But if I don’t then what’s the point? I’m not in this for the money but if I get to live this life forever that’s all I want, you know. But also at the same time I think creatively if you’re not doing this with a sense of this is everything and putting everything into it then I find it hard to get to that level without putting these pressures on myself.
Just a couple of weeks ago you were in Hyde Park with Kings of Leon as one of the supports. How were the nerves before walking onto a stage that size? Is that the biggest stage Somebody’s Child has played?
It’s definitely the biggest gig we’ve ever done in terms of the people there. It was wild. It’s one of those ones where you never expect to play somewhere like that. Kings of Leon are one of the bands we’ve listened to since we were teenagers, so it was quite surreal.
So, album number two. You can’t share yet when it will be released but you shared the single ‘Oh Emily‘ in March. Is there another on the way?
‘Oh Emily‘ isn’t actually on the album. That was a standalone single. We couldn’t find a place for it on either album. This is a transitional period for us and I’d say the second album doesn’t sound anything like that. It’s very different.
Is it all recorded?
Yeah its all recorded, in America.
Who produced it?
Peter Katis who is an amazing producer, in Connecticut. He’s worked with Interpol and The National so it was an honour to work with him and I think he got the best out of us. But also I think that we tapped into something on this next album that we’ve never done before and I think that came from battling through whatever the struggles were with creativity during Covid. I really do feel like the first album was, I always do this, I look back on things with not fond memories in order to improve upon them. I need to find ways to improve on what came before. First off, I think it came out at the point where we were probably beyond the music in it, just because of Covid, it got dragged out. Because with all of these things the reality is you have to have investments and wait for that. Eventually it came out but at the time we wanted it to sound like a first record because that’s what it was. That’s how it was meant to sound. But at that point, we’d moved on and developed in our own creative journey, so this next one feels like it’s more of a third album than it does a second album. And it feels great, its a big big step up. There are songs there that don’t sound anything like it (the first album), but I think it’s still intrinsically us and I hope that the fans will come along with us.
When you did all the touring last year is that a time when you gather inspiration for songwriting? Or does it come more from time off?
Probably more from time off to be honest. The road is like the left and right side of the brain. You’re doing shows, and trying to engage with people every night. I guess it’s less cathartic and more physical. Whereas you have to tune out of that and it takes me a couple of months to get into it. For two months I listen for only maybe five hours, and then just tune in completely, didn’t do any gigs, or watch any movies or read books that would influence the album. I had to really seep into this mindframe in order to achieve the place where I wanted to get to write the album. Its what I’ve learnt through Covid, you know, it’s all mindset. We’ve done our 10,000 hours writing, we have learnt the skills that we need to write good songs. It’s the atmosphere in the room, that’s whats conducive for you to be authentic to yourself. I really think we tapped into a different psychological level and reached a certain depth we hadn’t before.
When were most of those songs written?
All of them this year and they all came in a small window. We had recording booked in May and we didn’t have any songs for it and I was shitting myself! And then it all came together. I’m very grateful for the band. There’s no way I could do it without them. With the song-writing a lot of the time it’s just me and Shae Tohill (guitarist). We start the ideas and get it to a point where it’s demoed. I’d always struggled to share my writing with anyone in a creative sense, but Shae and I have this kind of chemistry that really comes out and he brings out the best in me, and I hope I bring out the best in him. Hopefully I’ve expressed in the demos how I think they should sound but then we go into the studio and everyone has their say on their parts.
It was surprising to read recently that you haven’t got a very good memory for words. And how you couldn’t believe your friends who don’t play an instrument or write songs yet they can listen to a track once and then remember all the words!
I really do struggle. My memory is not built for that! I like to think that there are benefits in that I forget melodies and fall into new ones so maybe that’s the benefit of a shit memory! I’m able to hear something and think “Oh I like that” forget about it, and then come up with something my own way.
Today you were first onstage at the festival and still gave it everything. Your voice was so strong.
I was really struggling today because it was so early. I had to get up at 8am to get my voice ready. To be honest it’s only in the last year I’ve been really thinking about that. As you said we did a lot of touring last year. 12 gigs in 14 days with two days off. I don’t think the drinking and smoking probably help either!
What do you think is the main difference between the first and the second albums?
I think what I would say its like what New Order is to Joy Division. That’s really audacious to say, and I don’t mean any comparison to it, but if you take their development. It’s much more electronic, very Kraftwerk influenced, very synth heavy. It’s a completely different feeling.
