Scottish-born, Melbourne-based artist Quinny weaves warmth into wistful, driving indie folk via his brand new single Settlers out in the world today. Previously renowned for his tongue-in-cheek Christmas sonic creations, as well as strangers frequently mistaking him for Ed Sheeran in public, Quinny’s brand new single showcases his absorbing creative flair, as does the accompanying video for Settlers also out today.
Penned in rural Maine in America during 2022 alongside friends Marie Collins (The Vegan Leather) and Hannah Daman, Settlers was given its finishing touches courtesy of Graham McCusker, a composer for BBC’s His Dark Materials and lead artist in Glasgow/Manchester bands KAZE and Marouli. Recording in Scotland with Robin Evans (Dodgy & The View), Settlers embraced many of Quinny’s musical muses while also capturing the poignant heartache that accompanies disappointment, as Quinny elaborates, “This song is about confronting those you rely on most when they have let you down. There’s a sort of stadium-folk feel to it. I wanted to have big chords, but also some delicate verses. If you listen to the piano, you’ll hear a bit of Sigur Rós influence, and I like to think I go a bit Billy Corgan at the end too.”
We caught up with Quinny for a Q+A
Hi, thanks for taking the time to chat with Hear 2 Zen, what have you been up to today?
I’m off work as I’ve hurt my back! Nothing serious, but I can’t go very far, so I’ve just been watching The Bear!
Tell us about yourself, how long have you been performing/creating music for?
From when I really discovered bands, I wanted to be in one and was always trying to write songs, but couldn’t commit the time to learning an instrument. It was only when I had a jam in our local Scout Hall with a drummer (I could only play 1 bass line), did it all start to make any sense. 6 months later I was in a band and that was me for years until I took a break after moving to London. That city wore me out!
I came back to music in 2018 with a new attitude and a bunch of Xmas songs…
Who are your greatest inspirations? Why?
I like to think of my main musical inspiration as a bit of a venn diagram of my 4 big Bs – The Beatles, Biffy Clyro, Bombay Bicycle Club and Blink-182. Funnily enough, I also got a B for music in high school…
Mostly I think it’s because they sort of personify all the music I was into at the age of 14, which I notice more and more is the music that stays with people their whole life. There have been some heavy hitters since (Bombay Bicycle Club would have only been 12 or so when I was 14 for example), but it all comes back to that era for me, I think.
How do you create music? Are you lyrics/story driven, or does the music/melody come first? Explain your process.
I think it’s a real mix. On a good day, I often can come up with the bulk of the song without any instrument. That’s why I like to travel on public transport or walk places without any headphones (crazy I know) – helps me let these thoughts ruminate.
Then when I get home and have time I can sift through my voice notes and start to figure out what I was thinking on guitar. What’s good about this step is that it’s when I start to make mistakes, which sometimes leads to something a bit more interesting than I would have come up with naturally.
Then it’s about taking it to a band or some other writers. I have a group of old friends I badger with my ideas when I’m stuck with the song. Jamming with the band usually smooths out any rough patches too.
What has been your greatest challenge so far in performing/creating music?
Money! Especially as a solo artist. I basically gave up drinking so I could afford to create. I don’t regret it.
Tell us about your new release Settlers, how did it come about?
This song is about confronting those you rely on most when they have let you down. There’s a sort of stadium-folk feel to it. I wanted to have big chords, but also some delicate verses. If you listen to the piano, you’ll hear a bit of Sigur Rós influence, and I like to think I go a bit Billy Corgan at the end too.
Settlers was written in rural Maine, USA in September 2022 with my good friends Marie Collins (The Vegan Leather) and Hannah Daman upon reuniting for the first time in over 3 years. We were thinking about the state of the world and how helpless we feel to fix anything. Fun stuff!
Later when recording, Graham McCusker (a composer for BBC’s “His Dark Materials” and lead artist in Glasgow/Manchester bands KAZE & Marouli) gave the song the finishing touches it needed.
What advice do you have to artists who are just starting out?
A pretty basic songwriting principle, but it’s always worth going back to: “Show Don’t Tell”. This basically means that you should paint the picture and let the listener see what’s going on for themselves, rather than spell it out for them.
Also don’t be afraid to collaborate with different people. Even if you don’t use their ideas or they don’t use yours, it helps to solidify where you what the song to go. I’ve rewritten whole songs for folk and they’ve just gone back to what they originally had maybe with a slight change. It’s all part of the process of seeing what sticks!
Tell us your favourite Zen practice.
Probably not the most zen answer in the world, but I love rewatching TV shows or films with my eyes closed, allowing myself to listen and imagine all the scenes in my head. Really helps me block the rest of the world out and relax.
