we learn from our mistakes
first single from the album + notes on ambition
Hello!
We have stumbled into album time again. It’s all happening. The first single is called ‘we learn from our mistakes’ and it is out now. I love this song. Every so often I will write a song that just seems to come out of nowhere. The gift of showing up to work everyday (‘work’ = the songwriting mines).
This song is just one small part of what’s to come. I will tell you more about the album soon but it is done and I’m proud of it. It’s the longest Lontalius album yet!
we learn from our mistakes - apple | spotify
There has been a lot on my mind lately. I’m cursed to always have 1000 thoughts and ideas running through my brain, but I often lack the motivation to act on them. I work best when I’m pressured by a deadline, or forced to come up with a last minute solution to a problem. Many of my best songs have come from me doing absolutely anything I can to avoid finishing what needs to be done.
I have found an increasing feeling of calm wash over me, though. I feel blessed to have a great career, great friends, a great flat…and despite all that’s going on I’m still happy to live in this beautiful country at the bottom of the world.
But would I still describe myself as ambitious?
I used to. As a teenager I was desperate to get out of New Zealand, to experience the world and be surrounded by people who took music as seriously as I did. As the story goes I moved to Los Angeles, made some okay music, found it generally very difficult, ran out of money and moved back home again. I had to rebuild my relationship with music as a career.
‘Sleep Thru Ur Alarms’, my unexpected ‘hit’, changed my life. Instead of relying on record label advances or supplementary work I suddenly had a steady income stream coming from one song. And not just any song, but a demo I had made in my bedroom, produced and mixed by myself, made with no ulterior motive other than to get something out of my head. What was the point of the labels, press releases, albums, vinyl, social media etc etc if this was possible?
I’m one of the lucky ones, certainly, but what I’m most grateful for is the perspective it gave me. I’m less bothered by all the trappings of the music industry. I pay no real mind to it. All I want to do is write songs and express myself. To live a good life and experience something great. This album that’s coming is really the first product of this changed perspective. It was not laboured over. It’s the closest I’ve come to recapturing the energy of my older music, when all I wanted to do was just write a great song.
I still would describe myself as ambitious. It’s all just a bit simpler now. There will be music videos and shows and merchandise and probably even press releases, but all I’m really focused on are the songs.
Thanks for listening !
x
Here’s what I’ve been listening to lately:
Gillian Welch - Wouldn’t Be So Bad
Bruce Springsteen - Atlantic City
George Harrison - Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (Take 18)
I’ve also been reading Eliza Clark’s ‘Penance’, and I went to see ‘Megalopolis’ which is a beautiful movie that I’m very glad I saw. Don’t believe the haters :+)