This Bandcamp Friday, we’ll be releasing a cassette version of the new LP from Love, Burns, the solo LP from Pale Lights songwriter (and ex-Comet Gain!) Phil Sutton. I talked Phil into giving me a single a day this week with a little blurb about the tracks…so here’s Phil:
The Triffids song “Do You Want Me Near You,” from In the Pines was a big influence on “In a Long Time,” along with Petula Clarks “Downtown.” The former has a fantastically melodic bass line, and then a great metallic, reverb-y guitar solo that makes me think of wide open spaces in (the) Australia (of my imagination). The lyrics capture loneliness and isolation very well, which is what I tried to do with my song. Where it differs, I think is that Ive tried to make “In a Long Time” a New York City song, rather than a relationship song; it’s a sort of upside down, melancholic version of “Downtown,” where someone new to the city is on the subway, looking at twinkling lights, and all the Saturday night people, but is quite alone. Nothing new, really, a classic trope. Alone in the big city, but still intrigued by and drawn to it. New York always looks its best at night. Alicia Jeanine plays some beautiful violins, Hampus plays a very subtle driving Subway beat, and Kyle Forester does a really great guitar solo – not the first one on this LP. Kyle plays most of the instruments on It Should Have Been Tomorrow. He’s a pop genius.