Lately I’ve been feeling inspired and motivated to work on new music. I haven’t done anything in that space since I completed Surrender in 2018, so it’s long overdue. I decided to try something different and book myself a few days away from home where I could immerse myself in music and be less distracted. It’s been a gamble, because I’ve never put myself in the position of having to “create on demand” before. There was a chance I’d come up with a big fat nothing. Luckily, ideas and snippets of new songs have flowed steadily. I came to the retreat already armed with an overarching theme (which I’m not going to divulge yet) and that made the process easier. I never intended to finish the songs here, I’d rather do that in the familiarity and comfort of my studio at home, but I have the seeds and a lot of lyrics for 11 songs, so I’m very happy and satisfied. My plan from here, is to develop the songs into a new album over the next 6-12 months.
The retreat has been in a little cottage in the Barossa valley, about an hour drive north of where I live. It was the perfect mix of seclusion while still being accessible enough for me to bring everything I needed. I took some time out from writing to take a few walks.
