- 2024-10-17
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MUSIC
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Bottlemoth Releases Debut Album “Even Us Ghosts”
British indie-folk band Bottlemoth, consisting of Ethan Proctor Williams (vocals/guitar), Chessa Proctor Williams (vocals/Keyboards), Matt Bond (vocals/lead guitar), Henry Matthews (bass) and Tom Farkas (drums), released their debut album “Even Us Ghosts” on October 17, 2024 via From The Cobweb Records.
The album comprises 10 songs, written and produced by the band themselves, with additional recording by Joe Marsh at Orchard Studios.
Lyrically the album explores contemporary themes, digging deep into the complexities of living in your twenties; Coming into your own independence, heartbreak, returning home, navigating mental health and celebrating love, friendships and those who matter most.
The band lead singer Ethan Proctor Williams said of the album, “Like many of our friends, we'd become twenty somethings living with our families again, and there are a lot of complexities to that; Feeling fortunate to have those people, but the contrasting feeling of becoming a burden. It progressed the themes and images in the writing process, with oceans and 'the deep', a direct comparison to sinking emotionally, and tall skylines being the opposite hopes and joy. The album title 'Even us ghosts' summarises the record well for just three words. Without speaking for the whole band, across my life I have felt like a ghost in a very loud world. I wouldn't say I'm spiritual, but the comparison I find inspires a lot of topics for writing. In change and challenge, loneliness in the most crowded places, hoping to always be there for those you care for, the feeling you're not enough. That last theme manifests a lot. I don't think we get an answer to the questions of what is enough across our album, but we are talking and that's something.”- He continued, “‘Even us ghosts’ is a step in an unexpected direction for the band. Initially I wanted to make a heavier sounding album, and what we created was something quite different to that initial vision. I was listening to lots of bands like The Wonder Years, the first Four Year Strong records and my favourite record by Manchester Orchestra ‘Cope’. In all of them there is something special in the lyrics and guitar work. It’s crunchy, the voices are real and melancholic, and I wanted that in our sound. Rather than chase a sound I thought we wanted, we followed the ideas flowing, and leaning into the unknown took us somewhere we are really proud of. The songs feel honest, but with an energy that is less angsty - remaining hopeful and uplifting.”
He added, “The arrangements came together around laptops whilst producing and recording, rather than in a loud practice room which was a first for us. This new approach helped to be creative with different instrument pallets, additional layering and gave us time to properly share our ideas.” -
The band explained about some tracks for the album.
“Landslides (People Change)”
“Sometimes change is expected, and sometimes it's a surprise. It can be terrifying, though more often than not change can be necessary. The last few years have been a bit of a whirlwind, and I first wrote this song when Chess and I moved back to Somerset from London. It was a real period of reflection and change for the band. We can dwell on things, we can hunker down in a rut. Taking some time to look inward is important, and I can forget that. It's a cool revelation to think we are forever finding ourselves again and again. 'Trust me when I say, I know' is a phrase that felt really prominent at the time and became the last repeating lyric of the song.
A few of us in the band have always been Math Rock fans, and I've long had a soft spot for songs that count in seven, though hadn't written in that signature before. Within Landslides, the seven count really pushes the momentum along creating a cyclical and uncertain feel. That felt like a cool juxtaposition for all the song is about, leaving a moment for release in the chorus returning to four. It's not quite the Math Rock band dream I've forever flirted with in my mind, but it's a toe in the water which was really fun to put together.”
“Everything Works Out In The End”
“'Everything Works Out In The End' I finished writing the lyrics whilst in Glasgow for a show. The album was almost all recorded at the time, apart from the verses of this tune. The riff that began the song was long gone, which meant there was plenty of room to try things. I've been challenging myself to try to say more within fewer words in recent years. Everything Works Out In The End is a song I'm proud of for that. I can't recall who said it first to me, perhaps my parents or grandma said a lot when I was growing up. It's a sentiment that has stuck; our biggest problems now won't matter in 6 months, and that is a calming ideal. If it's not okay, it's not the end yet.”
“Where Oceans Swallow Your Skies”
“Living in London was a strange and wonderful experience personally. I felt connected to a place that felt incredibly important and fast, but also surprisingly alone sometimes in massive swells of crowds. This song opens with a sample of the London underground, reversed and processed behind the drums - just as it made me feel then. The title of the track cements the album theme, skies being our hopes and dreams against oceans and the deep being the things we pull ourselves down into; with the things in our head we can't control. Everyone you need is already here, and I think it's easy to forget that. We are the lucky ones to know that."
“Tattoo”
“I got my first tattoo when Chess and I met. Henry and Tom had lots already, and I'd maybe thought too much about the permanence before. Etching memories and art into your skin can be a wonderful thing, and I now have the buzz. Collecting them has become a real hobby now, but I don't think I'll ever be covered. I think people that can be fully covered in tattoos must have a strong sense of who they are, and that's inspiring to me. We can riddle ourselves with doubt, and sometimes it's hard to just do it.
Thinking on friendships that never change and on the people that will always be there, the lyrics came together. There is a synergy there with ink that lasts forever and those that will always be by your side. It's a song about being lucky; it's a song about things changing, and a song for when they never need to.”
“You'll Always Have Us”
“'You'll Always Have Us' began hashed out on a cheap nylon guitar direct to voice notes. Arranging the unformed tunes and snippets, it came together in an afternoon. Chess and I were still living in London, just before we moved out when the world was shutdown. Living in London where everything is so fast, I don't know if I checked in with my friends outside of the bubble as much as I wanted to. It's a fairly cursed place to live for that I think, as much as it holds a fond place in my heart. It helped me think a lot on trying to be a better friend though, which is important. Still trying of course.”
Photo by Benjamin Bond Photography
Background photo by Paul J Crxitchley - source : Apple Music
