Loverboy spent this past weekend in cold, bleak, frosty Berlin but one album that has been bringing us back to love and the light is MR WA7T‘s new one, No Thread Leads Back To The Heart.
Dropping 27th April, the album was written after MR WA7T returned to his childhood home in Northern Ireland to care for his sister and face memories of the past. Once back in London, he was able to reflect and pull together all the emotions to create an album of both light and dark moments, filled with audio notes, layers of lush production and a couple of sneaky bangers in the mix.
Today he releases the video for the next single ‘Betty and Tommy’, inspired by his parents and featuring his experience contacting them via a medium. Loverboy speaks with MR WA7T about memories of watching Corrie with his Mum, his love of crime docs and his “friend” who cried at Glitter.
MR WA7T, congratulations on your new album. It’s an emotional one! When you returned to London, how was it mentally revisiting Northern Ireland to finish the album?
There wasn’t an idea of an album at that point. Though it wasn’t too much later that I realised there was something there. Something to explore. It was tough to get into. Sieving through my drunken/high recorded ramblings was quite dark. Almost like you’re listening to someone else.
That week sounds like a bleak time but the album is much more of a journey through light and dark. How easy was it creating the lighter moments when maybe your brain was not in that space?
You need those light spaces. The week was of course bleak but walking to and from the hospital I’d play music to try and pull myself out that dark place. Also as an album it would have been too fucking depressing with every song dark. I pulled other songs off it as it was getting too much for me nevermind the listener.
How did you decide on the title of the album?
The idea comes from Blood Splatter Analysis. I watch a lot of crime docs and became fascinated with how they use actual thread to trace the projection of blood to piece together how a crime was committed. Almost looking back in time to explain what had happened. This album is also about looking back and figuring out what went on.
On ‘Betty And Tommy’, you record yourself with a medium. Was that something you did with the album in mind?
I never had any intention of making it into a track. I actually visited that lady just over 10 years ago recording the meeting so I’d have a record of the conversation. Listening to it back I could hear my need for my parents acceptance. I’m not even sure I believe in mediums now but I want to.
I love ‘Home’. My feelings towards the idea of home have changed so much over the years and now I think of it as a feeling instead of something physical. Where or what is home for you?
I completely agree I don’t think its physical. In ‘Home’ I’m not singing about the location but returning to my mum. Going back to a time when she was just my mum and we’d watch Corrie together. At a time when my sexuality wasn’t an issue and caused a space between us. Home now is London, my partner and our dog Missy Pickle.
I also really love ‘Give Me Some Of That High’. How did that come about?
I had a weird sample of the vocal line and played around with it. I wanted to make something that had the same escapism and vibe of those mid 90’s George Michael stunners ‘Fastlove’ & ‘You Know That I Want To’. In my head he’s dancing to it. I played a lot of George walking to and from the hospital.
After collaborating in the past, how does it feel going this alone?
Fucking weird. It’s bizarre but liberating to lock yourself away in a studio and make a whole album without anyone else’s input. I’m not sure mentally it’s the smartest thing because you can feed off the energy when collaborating with another artist and you need that. But it was something I had to do. To make it as honest as possible. Feels good to go alone.
Lastly we are named after the biggest selling single of 2001, so we always ask what is your favourite Mariah song?
This maybe controversial but at one point in my life I was Mariah intolerant!! (I know the shame of it all) But that ended when I heard, ‘Fantasy.’ What a tune! There’s too many to choose from. Those re-vocaled David Morales mixes are legendary. I adore, ‘Say Somethin’. Watched Glitter with one of my best mates and he cried at the end. He was a mess.
No Thread Leads Back To The Heart is out 27th April
Pre-order/Pre-save here
