Soft Hearted Scientists’ latest album, ‘Waltz of the Weekend’, not only marks a return for the group after a prolonged hiatus, but also showcases one of their most ambitious LPs to date. In this interview, Nathan Hall, provides a glimpse into the creation of the album and its release on triple vinyl.
What inspired the Soft Hearted Scientists to come back together and record ‘Waltz of the Weekend’?
After 6 albums with the Sinister Locals (a lot of that was to do with challenging life events that just made me very introspective) it was just great to work on another Scientists album. Although the album centres around my compositions everyone’s contributions added depth and dynamism to the final outcome.
Mike’s bass playing is ridiculously inventive throughout. Paul plays some heroic guitar solos and guitar textures. I have to resist the urge to lift a lighter aloft on the solo on ‘What Grows Inside The Garden’ every time I hear it. His acid rock guitar on ‘Lost Mariners’ is a high point. Dylan’s keyboard contributions are great. With ‘Lost Mariners’ all the instruments fade out towards the end and you are left with a symphony of just Dylan’s analogue keyboard sounds and effects for several minutes. There’s a terrifying noise in there evoking the sounds of the mariners trapped in their wreck at the bottom of the sea.
Both Spencer and Frank contribute brilliant drumming and actually both play on ‘Sea Anemone Song’. The fact is it was such a trip that we’ve jumped straight into a new Soft Hearted Scientists album, which should be out in 2025. I think Sinister Locals will either go on ice for a while or I will use it as an outlet for stuff that’s just too quirky for Soft Hearted Scientists. The main focus is now very much Soft Hearted Scientists.
Can you share more about the creative process behind the album? How did the songwriting and recording sessions unfold, and were there any particular challenges or breakthrough moments?
I wrote the songs and demoed them at home but they started to grow in the studio. Members of the band said they liked ‘Rode My Bike’ but felt it needed a middle 8 to break it up. A friend then said some other songs might benefit from middle 8s. At first I was a bit defensive about it. Then I embraced it and started writing extra sections for many of the songs to add elements of surprise. This then triggered obsessive attention to structure by me in everything I write. A bit of nagging worked wonders. Once I feel I’ve been caught napping I never make that mistake again.
The album features a diverse range of tracks, from compact radio-friendly singles to more expansive and experimental pieces. How did you navigate the balance between these different musical styles and thematic elements?
I wanted the album to have 4 action packed radio friendly singles to ground it and make it accessible. After that I felt the other tracks could branch out and go anywhere, the stranger the better. So on the one hand concise super melodic pop songs and on the other strange multi part voyages.
You mentioned Frank Naughton who is the producer. How did his involvement contribute to the overall sound and atmosphere? Were there any unique techniques or special effects that he brought to the table?
Frank played a huge part. He drums on many of the tracks, and can make even my most outlandish ideas a reality. I felt ‘Vicious Vivian’ needed a huge John Bonham when the levee breaks beat so Frank obliged. Several songs needed middle sections transplanted in after the fact and he was able to make it all happen. For example in ‘Rode My Bike’, ‘Who Loves The Moon and ‘Lost Mariners’. These all enriched the songs and gave them more staying power.
I asked him to apply dub techniques to the end section of ‘The Things We Make’ and he did an extraordinary job.
He also invented a fantastic stereo spring reverb unit called The Wellspring which is all over the album and is highly sought after by many studios. It can make anything sound trippy and was put to great use on ‘Waltz’.
The LP version of the album includes extended remixes by Frank Naughton. How did these remixes add a new dimension to the already epic tracks, and what was the collaboration process like?
‘Waltz’ involved a colossal amount of overdubs over a period of 3 years which made the early stages of mixing very scary. It was like a huge amount of IKEA flat pack with no assembly instructions and a zillion components. But Frank calmly assembled rough mixes and brought the tracks into focus and then we collaborated on tweaking those mixes and editting the tracks to break new ground for the band. He did all the hands on technical side and then for example I’d say “please transform the back end of ‘The Things We Make’ into a ghost dub as if the ghost of Lee Scratch Perry just hijacked the song. Make my voice just a spooky presence from that point on.” I’m pretty verbose so I’d articulate what I wanted pretty clearly but he then made these experiments a reality.
With the remixes I told Frank to feel free to just destroy the songs and rebuild them. Once the main mixes were exactly as I wanted them my obsessive attention to detail and control freakery instantly evaporated and I wanted to give him carte blanche to do what the hell he liked. And he did a brilliant job.
The four radio-friendly psychedelic pop singles, including ‘What Grows Inside the Garden?’ and ‘Vicious Vivian’, are described as having huge choruses and catchy hooks. Can you share the inspiration behind these singles?
Basically I wanted absolutely action packed singles with loads of sound events and infectious hooks, that would stand up to repeated plays. I’m still in awe of ‘Please Please Me’ and ‘She Loves You’ where not a second is wasted and the sound of an explosion would be the logical conclusion to both songs.
In fact we did consider grafting an explosion on to the end of ‘Gadzooks’, but with its bonkers James Bond theme in space ending it just didn’t need it.
‘Lost Mariners’ is one of the most ambitious songs on the album, clocking in at 11 minutes. Can you take us through the creative journey of this psychedelic seafaring ghost story? What inspired it?
That started as just 4 chords and a chorus line of lyrics and then grew and grew into a monster. Again a middle section was grafted on after the fact and then me, Dylan and Paul went ballistic on overdubs, effects, keyboards and guitar solos and Frank and myself saw the potential for the track to extend past 10 minutes. The rough mix gave me some anxiety as they always do, but after 2 more sessions it came into focus and became perhaps the most ambitious track we’ve ever released so far in terms of sonics.
The paradox is that a seemingly daft song like ‘Rode My Bike’ is much harder to write! I have a many bits and bobs like ‘Lost Mariners’ on my phone recorder I just plonk down and forget about because I’m an OCD writer. Most days I sketch something and put it down on my phone. But whether they will become as fully realised as ‘Mariners’ is another matter of course.
The album seems to touch on a variety of themes, from haunted experiences to lost love. Can you discuss the lyrical inspirations behind some of the songs?
‘What Grows Inside The Garden’ is about an important friendship and is literal and metaphorical regarding the garden. ‘Sea Anemone Song’ is packed with emotion about various life events including the challenges of lockdown and grief. ‘Rode My Bike’ is a send up of my delusions of grandeur and is meant to compete with Alan Partridge in its bitterness at not getting my due. ‘Who Loves The Moon’ is a wistful song about an old girlfriend and just expanded into a love song of cosmic proportions.
‘The Fixer’ channels the darkness we maybe all feel when we read some horrific story about domestic abusers. The things we make makes the point that music may not have any direct practical uses as such but is hugely beneficial in our lives. The verses are kind of non sequiturs about a long ago relationship.
‘Vicious Vivian’ is a send up of the idea that for some people even a rubbish relationship is better than none and the protagonist just lurches from one bad one into another. But there is empathy in there too, and it could be written from a male or female perspective. ‘Creepers and Vines’ is a tongue in cheek take on the craven humility that accompanies a bad hangover, where you swear you’ll never drink again but you know that’s utter nonsense! The minute you start to feel better that vow flies out the window.
‘Venus Flytrap Song’ is a ridiculous flight of fancy about an unjust criminal charge, escaping the gallows and so frustrating the hangman that he dies of outrage after I do a runner aboard a ship to Uruguay. No idea where that came from. ‘Lost Mariners’ is a maritime ghost story that just came out of nowhere. The middle section was written and transplanted in at the mixing stage and added to the creepiness by being sung from the perspective of these lost souls.
Can you tell me more about your upcoming live performances, and how do you plan to translate the intricate studio arrangements into a live setting?
We have shows in Cardigan and Swansea coming up and will do other nice shows if they are offered. We’ve expanded to a 5 piece for live with a real drummer on board and we cannot hope to recreate all the nuances of the studio arrangements so we’ve worked on the core elements to put across the most vital aspects of the songs melodically. With the power of real drums and 4 of us singing our live sound has definitely taken a big step up.
Looking ahead, I’ve heard you’re already working on songs for a follow-up record. Can you provide any insights into the direction or themes you’re exploring?
‘Waltz’ has perhaps put us back in touch with why the band formed and set a benchmark for the future. We’ve broken new ground and there is no going back. Every album from now on will be recorded with Frank at the helm and me crafting every song and its arrangement to the highest level possible. There are probably five potential singles on the new album and the others will explore as many twists and turns as are possible. Multi part song suites, tempo changes, surprise elements and referencing all the greats as we go along to ensure we never get complacent. Personally two benchmarks I’d like to aim for eventually are the suite on ‘Abbey Road’ and ‘Supper’s Ready’. We have to aim high.
Further information
Soft Hearted Scientists, Waltz Of The Weekend, triple LP, on sale late-February available to pre-order now see Fruits Der Mer Records
