“I don’t like country & western, I don’t like rock music… I don’t like rockabilly! I don’t like much really do I? But what I do like, I love passionately!!”: CHRIS LOWE
First a member of the duo LES MOMIES DE PALERME but becoming more widely known in ESSAIE PAS with her husband Pierre Guerineau and issuing her first solo album ‘Perte D’Identité’ in 2014, Montreal’s Marie Davidson has returned to electronics and clubland.
Following her last two albums, the “egotistical” techno of ‘Working Class Woman’ and the exploration of different musical styles on the largely conventionally flavoured ‘Renegade Breakdown’ with L’ŒIL NU both on Ninja Tune, ‘City Of Clowns’ is her first on SOULWAX’s DEEWEE imprint following a chance meeting with the Belgian brothers at Sónar 2017 that led to a remix of ‘Work It’.
Co-written and co-produced with SOULWAX and Guerineau, the album is Marie Davidson’s first in over 4 years. Inspired by Shoshana Zuboff’s book ‘The Age of Surveillance Capitalism’ and reflecting on how big tech is changing the way everyone lives, ‘City Of Clowns’ is not only more English than French but also more song-based, although her characteristic spoken word allure remains. A feisty and energetic live performer, her pre-album release showcase at London’s Hackney Oslo was a sell-out.
Davidson’s might first single for DEEWEE was ‘Y.A.A.M.’ and standing for “Your Asses Are Mine”, it expletively punches down at the music business in a cathartic response to a condescending email she was sent. Poetry in techno motion, our heroine wants “all your asses on the floor” as she decides she is happier to “stick with the weirdos”.
With a stark dynamic tension and a repeated French-Canadian deadpan of “DAMAGE”, ‘Demolition’ is absorbing dark electro centred around repetition with a synth tom break. Much fiercer and in direct reaction to her past declaration that she would stop making dance music, ‘Contrarian’ is less song based as a raw barrage of bleeps, squelch and faulty circuitry to a mighty breakbeat thump. Meanwhile the oddball minimal synth disco of ‘Sexy Clown’ has Davison embracing her inner clown, in a delightful exploration of her conflicted feelings around her treatment as an outsider.
But ‘Validations Weight’ provides the ominous conceptual introduction to the album, using real and computer generated speech but by its conclusion, it is the latter that has taken over.
With expletive laden attitude, ‘Push Me F*ckhead’ gets the snappy electro-funk while in English and French, Davidson has some ‘Fun Times’ on a spiky vibrant number about not having children and challenging the now-prevalent far right view that a woman’s only meaningful role in society is reproducing… why bother with all that when her babies can be her art and her fun? The superb electro instrumental ‘Statistical Modelling’ provides an interlude from all the lyrical concerns before ending with the stuttering rhythmic collage of ‘Unknowing’.
‘City Of Clowns’ is an album for people who don’t fit in by someone who herself doesn’t fit in and is happy about that. Rather like her persona, the music of Marie Davidson won’t be for everyone but despite some important existential questions, for those who get it, this is a joyous and sexy collection of club-friendly avant-pop.
The home of KITE, TR/ST, ADULT. and DRAB MAJESTY, US independent label Dais Records sent two of their acclaimed female synthpop acts Geneva Jacuzzi and Riki out on a UK and European tour.
Based in Los Angeles, Geneva Jacuzzi first brought her brand of avant-pop to the world with the bedroom recorded ‘Lamaze’ in 2010. Her second more polished long player ‘Technophelia’ followed in 2016 but while her third album ‘Triple Places’ didn’t appear until 2024, during the interregnum, she was working in performance art, live theatre, set design, costuming, makeup and set decoration.
Also from Los Angeles, Riki was the synth player of goth punk band CRIMSON SCARLET before taking the plunge to go solo in 2017 with the single ‘Hot City’ and releasing her self-titled debut in 2020. With a vibrant punchy style of synthpop incorporating Italo disco and new romantic influences, her most recent album ‘Gold’ came out in 2021.
But opening the evening as the local support was Spike, the synthcentric nom de théâtre of London-based singer-songwriter Hannah McLoughlin. With her macabre disco dealing with the undead and the inhuman, it was perhaps no big surprise that her set included a deadpan electronic cover of Warren Zevon’s ‘Werewolves Of London’. In an idiosyncratic live presentation including taped snippets of other’s songs inbetween her own, one of her tunes ‘Tiquetonne’ interpolated ‘Con Te Partiro’ aka ‘Time To Say Goodbye’ as made famous by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and captured her enjoyable melancholic eccentricity.
Dressed mostly in black but contrasted with a white T-shirt and red gloves, Riki arrived on the stage like she had just been to a West Berlin night club circa 1984. Suitably Germanic songs such as ‘Strohmann’ and ‘Böse Lügen’ fitted in that image perfectly with big industrialised percussive sounds, while her most recent single ‘SAS (For Those Who Speak and Spake)’ exuded that Mittel Europa chic. The aural template of songs like ‘Lo’ and ‘Napoleon’ recalled American band BOOK OF LOVE who opened for DEPECHE MODE and were produced by Flood back in the day but to close, Riki went back to her punkier roots with a feisty energetic rendition of ‘Earth Song’.
Geneva Jacuzzi made a statement from the start that this was to be no mere gig as she appeared with a black and white cone over her face as part of a striking costume that also inventively featured flexible ducting hose for arms. Flanked by two male dancers in leotards vogueing and assisting when appropriate, it was like watching ‘The Masked Singer’ on hallucinogenics!
After venturing into audience and declaring ‘Art Is Dangerous’, the time came to “TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT OFF!” but the show delightfully did not get any less weirder. Combining the mannerisms of Gina X, Lene Lovich and Jyl vocally and visually, this was an ironic celebration of the subversive potential and absurdity of all art.
As the DAF flavoured ‘Casket’ provided an appropriately horror film edge, the bouncy arty Italo of ‘Cannibal Babies’ saw Geneva Jacuzzi peak over a circular spiral screen but ‘Laps Of Luxury’ saw her make shadow movements behind it along as her dancers pulled shapes behind their own square and triangle variants.
During ‘One Colored Rooms’, she beckoned the crowd to create channel for her to parade with her dancers to the far end of the Moth Club while beach balls and balloons flew over people’s heads. If there were any health and safety concerns, no-one really cared as smiles and astonishment were on faces all around.
A song about being ghosted following a date, ‘Dry’ observed how the modern approach to love via technology can alter amount of value placed on proper human interactions. However, this brilliant actually tune provided an immediate connection to the audience with its memorable repeatable chorus.
‘Do I Sad?’ brought a YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA sparkle despite its title while dangling her ducting hose arms to the oozy ballad ‘Yo-Yo Boy’ to finish, the quirky spectacle summed up Geneva Jacuzzi and her surreal brand of entertainment. With a brilliant presentation of theatrics and performance art, this was a joyous experience that also happened to include catchy hook-laden synthpop.
Witnessed by lively diverse audience of all ages, ethnicities and sexualities, it was a fabulous evening showcasing three talented artists who proved once again that in modern synthpop, the feminine touch really is best.
If THE BLUE NILE captured the image of cold rainy pavements and blurred headlights passing by, then CAUSEWAY are “In a reality where the sun is neon and the streets are lit with lasers…”
Following their well-received debut album ‘We Were Never Lost’ released on Italians Do It Better in 2022, American noir synth duo CAUSEWAY are back although there have been a few changes. The new album ‘Anywhere’ is issued on Sprechen Music, a British label based in Manchester while they have been exploring some different sonic territory.
Having evolved as a collaborative team, vocalist Allison Rae and synthesist Marshall Watson have streamlined their writing process and kept it remote, allowing a more vulnerable creative mindset with space to reflect, for a work that is authentic and deeply personal.
Maintaining their cinematic dreamwave sound, although the classic slow mo CAUSEWAY is prevalent on ‘Anywhere’, the title track is a key statement that goes all Motorik and minimal with the guitar of Dale Hiscock from ENDLESS ATLAS contributing the West Coast meets Düsseldorf flavour; eschewing the density of most of the tracks on the album, “To me it feels very ‘out of the box’ for CAUSEWAY but it fits in our universe” said Marshall Watson in an interview with ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK
Photo by Khoa Nguyen
Opener ‘Love Me Like Your Last Time’ punches through with a determined power not previously heard on of their debut album ‘We Were Never Lost’ although elements such as the string machine textures and ominous basslines, along with Allison Rae’s resigned vocals remain. Elsewhere, ‘Human’ sees Hannah Lew of COLD BEAT guesting on vocals and its feisty rhythmic propulsion shapes some dark disco as the question is asked “what does it feel to be human?”
But not rocking the boat and not veering too much away from the CAUSEWAY template, the single ‘Dancing With Shadows’ reflects the shady mystery fitting of its title, throbbing and biting in a wonderful hook laden slice of popwave.
Not a cover of THE CURE, ‘It’s Never Enough’ is moodier but shuffles along percussively with various offbeats and obscure timing points which puts it in an intriguing sonic capsule with recollections of Moby. Meanwhile ‘Criminal’ takes on a more funereal pace and almost shoegaze in its wall of harsher frequencies.
Photo by Khoa Nguyen
Adopting a hypnotic triple bass drive and sparkling crystalline figures, the superb ‘Lightyears’ offers Allison Rae’s alluring feminine melancholy as someone “doesn’t want to change”… yes “maybe we’ll be alright in another life” but why carry on? But as she said to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK: “Having to leave someone that I loved was the hardest thing I have ever done.”
‘Put Up A Fight’ recalls the sound of ‘We Were Never Lost’ in its floaty melodramatic aura although the gothic resonances of THE CURE appear in its guitar interventions which reinforce the paranoia that “they’re coming for me…”
Although the droning gloom is offset by shinier pulses, ‘Ruin Me’ soundtracks an impending submission for better or worse that fittingly acts as what appears to be the closing number. However, the final act comes with a cover of ‘Nobody’s Diary’ that will polarise… the YAZOO classic beloved of many and written by Alison Moyet at the age of 18 will be seen as sacred to some but to their credit, CAUSEWAY go for a different percussive synth rock arrangement with everything thrown in.
Although CAUSEWAY had been originally intending to make a “Mean dirty break up album”, while ‘Anywhere’ is anguished and melancholic, it is also hopeful with a message of love. “It captures the complexity of moving through pain toward something brighter” said Allison Rae; certainly it’s an enjoyable reverb-laden one at that and a more than worthy follow-up to ‘We Were Never Lost’.
At the dawn of synth, rock musicians were not usually welcoming of the instrument and acted with hostility towards what was considered an inauthentic sound, an attitude that continued into punk and to an extent still prevails today among music purists.
But changes in attitudes were afoot with Pete Townshend’s use of the EMS VCS3 and ARP 2500 on the ‘Who’s Next’ album in 1971 while with the availability of the Minimoog, keyboard players like Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson found a new tool of expression. Then there was ROXY MUSIC featuring Brian Eno who often didn’t bother with the keyboard, twisting knobs and using the joystick on his VCS3 instead.
PINK FLOYD took the experimental rock ethos further by using the built-in digital sequencer of the EMS Synthi AKS for the throbbing instrumental ‘On The Run’ from ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ released in 1973; Roger Waters was adamant that this was about “using the tools that are available when they’re available” because “here are all kinds of electronic goodies that are available for people like us to use if we can be bothered, and we can be bothered…”
However, it wasn’t until the success of KRAFTWERK and then later, the productions of Giorgio Moroder that there came a new form in electronic pop, with synths as the alternative dominant melodic instrument to the electric guitar, that led to the post-punk emergence of THE HUMAN LEAGUE, ULTRAVOX, TUBEWAY ARMY, OMD and many more.
This list captures the occasions when more conventionally inclined acts entered the murky world of synths, sequencers and drum machines. However, those artists perceived to have a strong association and history with the synthesizer such as SPARKS, JOY DIVISION, NEW ORDER, ASSOCIATES, SIMPLE MINDS, SPANDAU BALLET, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM and WHITE LIES have not been included.
Presented in yearly and then alphabetical order, here are ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s 25 choices from across the decades…
SQUEEZE Take Me I’m Yours (1978)
Although the debut single by SQUEEZE, ‘Take Me I’m Yours’ is now something an outlier both from the punky style of the self-titled parent album and the later classic songs of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. The use of squelchy synths, and drum machine pointed towards KRAFTWERK and the Doppler sweep section of ‘Trans Europe Express’ in particular; “We hired lots of synths and a bloke who knew how to work them” explained Tilbrook.
Available on the SQUEEZE album ‘Greatest Hits’ via A&M Records
MARIANNE FAITHFULL The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan (1979)
Originally recorded in 1974 by DR HOOK in a country style, ‘The Ballad of Lucy Jordan’ was given a pulsing electronic treatment by producer Mark Miller Mundy and Steve Winwood. The arrangement suited Marianne Faithfull’s now raucous deep voice, the result of years of alcohol and substance abuse. It was a far cry from the sweet folkie melodicism of early records like ‘As Tears Go By’ but her art reflected the fractured pain of her life.
Available on the MARIANNE FAITHFULL album ‘Broken English’ via Island Records
JONA LEWIE You’ll Always Find Me in the Kitchen At Parties (1980)
Best known for his brass band anti-war hit ‘Stop The Cavalry’, John Lewis took the stage name Jona Lewie for his solo career to avoid confusion with a jazz musician; With his early roots as a blues and boogie-woogie pianist, ‘You’ll Always Find Me in the Kitchen At Parties was a departure’; written on a Polymoog, the synth-laden backdrop suited the dead pan tale of a shy and reluctant party-goer who eventually meets his soulmate.
Available on the JONA LEWIE album ‘The Best Of’ via Union Square Music
Having explored art funk on ‘Coming Up’ and impersonated Ron Mael from SPARKS in its video, Macca got inquisitive and went electronic with the quite bizarre ‘Temporary Secretary’. With prominent sequencer patterns to simulate a typewriter and detached deadpan vocals, this oddball experiment confused fans. Self-produced, the single was issued on 12 inch to accommodate a 10 minute B-side ‘Secret Friend’.
Available on the PAUL McCARTNEY album ‘McCartney II’ via EMI Records
Having made his name in blues rockers VINEGAR JOE, for his sixth solo album ‘Clues’, Robert Palmer had fallen under the spell of Gary Numan and JAPAN. The lead single ‘Johnny & Mary’ showcased some pulsing electronics and remains something of cult favourite despite not being a Top40 hit in the UK. It was later covered in a sax-led arrangement for the ‘Papa et Nicole’ Renault adverts while Palmer would return to rock.
Available on the ROBERT PALMER album ‘Clues’ via Island Records
By 1980, SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES had fragmented and were in an interim period without a permanent guitarist which pushed the then-trio into various modes of musical experimentation. Featuring a Roland Compurhythm and a camera shutter motor rewind as its backbeat, the minimal ‘Red Light’ was dominated by ominous synth played by Steve Severin to evoke a smoky club atmosphere.
Available on the SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES album via Polydor
Kevin Godley and Lol Creme left 10CC in 1976 after two No1s; the experimentally included pair surprised on their second album ‘ISMISM’ with a haunting electronic ballad ‘Under Your Thumb’. With its gentle locomotive backbone, while the song about the ghost of a suicidal woman sat with the then-vogue for synth, one person not impressed was Billy Currie of ULTRAVOX who named it as his “Most Hated Record” in Smash Hits.
Phil Lynott frequented The Blitz Club and ‘Yellow Pearl’ was a co-composition with Midge Ure which began life during THIN LIZZY soundchecks. Rusty Egan played drums while Billy Currie added more synths on the remix which became the ‘Top Of The Pops’ theme. ‘Yellow Pearl’ was so draped in the involvement of VISAGE members that it was almost forgotten that this was the frontman of a heavy rock band!
Available on the THIN LIZZY album ‘Greatest Hits’ via Universal Music
After BE BOP DELUXE, guitar virtuoso Nelson formed RED NOISE in 1978 with a more electronic focus. But when Nelson recorded the decisively Bowie-esque ‘Quit Dreaming & Get On The Beam’, his label Harvest refused to release it. Nelson bought the unreleased songs for his own label, Cocteau. A solo single ‘Do You Dream In Colour?’ gained radio play and the album was released by Mercury Records; ‘Living In My Limousine’ with its Numanesque detachment was one of the highlights.
‘Homosapien’ came about after the aborted fourth BUZZCOCKS album; producer Martin Rushent suggested to frontman Pete Shelley that they should work using the latest electronic equipment. Seen as Shelley’s coming out song, synths and 12 string guitar combined for a wonderful futuristic snarl. The lyric “Homo Superior in my interior” got the song a Radio1 ban and while it was recorded before THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s ‘Dare’, the parent album was not issued until 1982.
Available on the PETE SHELLEY album ‘Homosapien’ via Active Distribution Ltd
DAVE STEWART & BARBARA GASKIN It’s My Party (1981)
Keyboardist Dave Stewart, once of prog rockers HATFIELD & THE NORTH recruited friend and backing vocalist Barbara Gaskin to sing on the second of his electronic pop covers, the first being ‘What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted’ with Colin Blunstone. Made famous by Lesley Gore, their inventively oddball synth version of ‘It’s My Party’ was a triumph and a worldwide hit which reached No1 in the UK and Germany.
While known for their e-bowed guitars sounding like bagpipes on rock anthems such as ‘Fields Of Fire’ and ‘In A Big Country’, the 12 inch B-side to their first single ‘Harvest Home’, ‘Flag Of Nations’ was a blippy electronic instrumental. Sounding like a cross between DAF and NEW ORDER, it was constructed by Stuart Adamson and Bruce Watson around a sequencer belonging to producer John Leckie and a drum machine.
Available on the BIG COUNTRY deluxe album ‘The Crossing’ via Geffen Records
Between 1980-1982, Young was carrying out a therapy program for his young son Ben who had cerebral palsy. The music of KRAFTWERK reflected Young’s attempts to communicate with his son. Acquiring a Vocoder, Synclavier and LinnDrum Computer, while much of the ‘Trans’ album did not work, there was an ethereal ‘Neon Lights’ beauty in ‘Transformer Man’. For his troubles, Young was sued by his label Geffen Records for “deliberately uncommercial and unrepresentative work”!
Available on the NEIL YOUNG album ‘Trans’ via Geffen Records
Following the deathly album ‘Pornography’, bassist Simon Gallup had left THE CURE, while Lol Tolhurst switched from drums to keyboards and Robert Smith lightened up considerably to come up with the perky ‘Let’s Go To Bed’. The follow-up ‘The Walk’ brought in Steve Nye as producer in a full Oberheim blow out, using the American manufacturers OB8, DMX and DSX with the track sounding very similar to NEW ORDER’s ‘Blue Monday’ which used the same drum machine.
Following their 1980 hit ‘Southern Freeez’, jazz funksters FREEEZ had fragmented to a duo. Fascinated by the urban electro hybrid of Afrika Bambaataa’s ‘Planet Rock’ produced by Arthur Baker, they jetted off to meet him in New York where he suggested recording his self-penned ‘IOU’. The similarity of the rhythms to‘Planet Rock’ and NEW ORDER’s ‘Confusion’ can be explained by the same programs on Baker’s Roland TR808 being used.
Available on the FREEEZ album ‘Gonna Get You’ via Cherry Red
QUEEN used to declare “no synthesizers” on their albums, but by 1980’s ‘The Game’, an Oberheim OBX entered the ranks. Recording ‘I Want To Break Free’ had been tense, due to writer and bass player John Deacon’s insistence that the guitar solo had to be played on a Roland Jupiter 8 by session musician Fred Mandel. For its single release, the Linn Drum driven song was extended to include more synth in the intro and the bridge after the solo, emotively enhancing the less synthy album cut.
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN Bring On The Dancing Horses (1985)
Despite its psychedelic haze, ‘Bring On The Dancing Horses’ was notable for its use of DX7s and a Prophet, programmed drums, AMS sampled bass, as well as guitar samples sequenced on the Emulator. All helmed by the producer of the moment Laurie Latham, this was as synth and pop as ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN got. Included on the soundtrack to ‘Pretty In Pink’, the song introduced the band to a new young American audience.
Originally recorded by Jennifer Warnes in 1985, the doom laden Canadian poet recorded his own sinsister synth interpretation. Tightly produced with sequenced digital slap bass, Linn Drum and sombre synth sweeps, ‘First We Take Manhattan’ was Cohen’s commentary on terrorism where “there are no alibis or no compromises”. Contrasting with a soulful bridge from Anjani Thomas, it made Cohen’s vocal even more resonant.
Available on the LEONARD COHEN album ‘I’m Your Man’ via Sony Music
MANIC STREET PREACHERS The Love of Richard Nixon (2004)
‘The Love of Richard Nixon’ was the MANIC STREET PREACHERS’s sympathetic appraisal of former US president Richard Nixon whose positive achievements were overshadowed by Watergate. Adding a twist with an elegiac electronic production with minimal guitars, the new direction was not popular with fans and seen a sign of the trio being stuck in a rut and fighting their own musical instincts.
Available on the MANIC STREET PREACHERS album ‘Lifeblood’ via Sony Music
After her initial pop punk adventures, Ozzy’s youngest daughter surprised everyone with the classic synthpop of ‘One Word’ penned by 4 NON BLONDES’ Linda Perry. However, it was perhaps a little bit too classic sounding, with a more than passing resemblance to VISAGE’s ‘Fade to Grey’; it was so uncanny that legal action was launched. The matter was settled with Midge Ure, Billy Currie and Chris Payne each awarded a share of the royalties.
Synth was the rogue element of THE KILLERS’ debut album ‘Hot Fuss’, reflecting singer Brandon Flowers’ love of NEW ORDER and DURAN DURAN. It wasn’t until ‘Human’, co-produced by Stuart Price, that THE KILLERS came up with a true synthpop anthem. A soaring rework of the ALPHAVILLE’s ‘Forever Young’, the thundering motorik dancebeat confused their more rock-inclined fanbase, as did the Hunter S Thompson referencing refrain of “are we human or are we dancer?”.
Available on THE KILLERS album ‘Direct Hits’ via Island Records
EDITORS first became known for sombre guitar-driven indie hits like ‘Munich’. With Flood at the production controls and Brad Fieldel’s theme for ‘The Terminator’ as an influence for their third album ‘In This Light & On This Evening’, The Birmingham band ventured into synths with the rhythmic and ominous ‘Papillon’, sounding like a cross between BLANCMANGE and NEW ORDER.
Coming from the more traditionally flavoured band THE CZARS, frontman John Grant sprung a major surprise with his second solo album ‘Pale Green Ghosts’ which was produced Biggi Veira of GUSGUS to herald a new electronic direction. “I wish I was a robot, like KRAFTWERK!” he said but despite its feisty dance tempo and throbbing synths, the angry heartfelt lyrics of ‘Sensitive New Age Guy’ dealt with the suicide of a friend.
Lloyd Cole recorded an experimental electronic album ‘Selected Studies Vol 1’ with Hans-Joachim Roedelius of CLUSTER in 2013, while there was also a solo instrumental collection ‘1D Electronics 2012-2014’. He put that modular knowhow into a song based format on ‘Violins’ where guitars were “going, going but not quite gone”. However, they did made their presence felt in amongst all the machinery at the halfway point.
Available on the LLOYD COLE album ‘Guesswork’ via earMUSIC
While ROXY MUSIC were very influential on artists of both a new romantic and synth persuasion, Bryan Ferry had yet to go the electronic hog himself despite previous collaborations with DJ Hell and Todd Terje. ‘Star’ began a sketch by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of NINE INCH NAILS but the idea was shelved for several years. Ferry returned to it with painter / writer Amelia Barratt to produce some dark atmospheric post-techno.
American noir synth duo CAUSEWAY return in 2025 with their own brand of sophisticated downbeat melodrama on their second album ‘Anywhere’.
Comprising of Allison Rae and Marshall Watson, their first full length album ‘We Were Never Lost’ was released on Italians Do It Better in 2022 to immediate acclaim, with syncs on Netflix TV shows ‘Never Have I Ever’, and ‘Riverdale’ to reinforce that praise. The album’s excellent lead single ‘Dancing With Shadows’ heralds a new relationship with Manchester independent label Sprechen Music as well as an update to their dreamy cinematic sound.
With the dark and light narratives of ‘Anywhere’ due to be made public soon, CAUSEWAY chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about its making…
It’s been over 2 and a half years since ‘We Were Never Lost’ was released and even longer since the first CAUSEWAY song was late 2020, have you changed as people in the that time?
Marshall: I think we’ve evolved as a collaborative team. Back then we were two disparate people who happened to make a decent song and fell backwards into a label relationship without even trying. I think now we are much more cohesive as creatives and songwriters. We still have our roles, but the dialogue is different, the world is different, our energy is different and we express ourselves better.
Allison: I think we’ve really streamlined our writing process. For the first album, it was a blend of different approaches—some songs were written entirely remotely, others were created together in the same room, and some were a mix of both. Through that experience, we discovered that we work best when writing remotely, passing songs back and forth. For the second album, we embraced this method fully, and I believe it allowed us to be more vulnerable and true to what we were feeling. It gave us the space to reflect and express ourselves in a way that felt authentic and deeply personal.
As a person, I feel like I’ve changed quite a bit. Working through the frustrations and disappointment of my divorce was a significant journey. It was a challenging time, but it also offered a lot of growth and self-discovery. I think a few of our new songs really capture those emotions. Writing during that period was incredibly cathartic and eye-opening – it became a way to process everything I was feeling.
What was the approach this time round for ‘Anywhere’, it appears to be subtle development rather than say what AIR did from ‘Moon Safari’ to ’20,000Hz’ which was to cut off any sonic lineage?
Marshall: For me, I definitely didn’t want to cut off any lineage, in fact I think we were always trying to still ‘sound like us’, but we did want to explore some different sonic territory. Honestly I think we just took it one song at a time and really focussed on trying to make something special that we resonated with and hoped others would as well. The sound of this album, I think, still keeps a synth-centric feel, which we’ve always leaned toward.
Allison: I can’t speak much to the sonic qualities of the album – that’s all Marshall’s expertise. Lyrically, though, I feel like it carries a similar thread to our first album. Love and grief seem to be recurring themes for us, and they’ve naturally continued into the second album. That said, I do think our second album has a darker sonic quality, which I absolutely love. It adds a depth and intensity that feels like an evolution of our sound.
What synths were your main tools in the production of ‘Anywhere’?
Marshall: Lots of Prophet 8, ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe, and the Moog Grandmother. I have the same drums I use for nearly every track. I built the kick, snare and toms specifically for CAUSEWAY and I use them in just about every song. The Moog handles bass almost exclusively. I also have a Novation Summit which has an incredible sound… it can be really rough, distorted and powerful, and also super delicate. Many of the high end arpeggios come from the Summit. Every time the music seems to ‘soar’, that’s the Prophet though. That thing cuts through any mix.
The first single off the new album ‘Dancing With Shadows’ retains the shady mystery of the previous album, was it important not to shake things up too much for this preview of ‘Anywhere’?
Marshall: I like the word “mystery” when used with us. ‘Dancing With Shadows’ was written in a fever dream last year. I had the flu and was rocking a 102F fever and woke up one night and had nearly the entire song in my head. I got up and wrote it down and sung it into my phone. The next day I hit up Allie and we knocked it out in about 3 days. Call that what you will… mysterious, maybe just the universe guiding us a little bit. It just seemed to fit for the first single. It’s a little darker maybe, but I think it is a good lead in for ‘Anywhere’.
Allison: I absolutely love the song ‘Dancing with Shadows’. It was entirely written by Marshall. It’s heavy, dark, and powerful. It’s one of those songs that can completely transform the vibe of a room the moment it plays. This track was a no-brainer as our first single off Sprechen Recordings, especially with the brilliant remixes accompanying it. After two years without releasing anything, I think this song makes a bold statement: We’re still here making killer tracks. Get ready for more.
Creatively, has the process altered from previously, what had you decided you could do a bit better this time around?
Marshall: The process was pretty much the same. We bounce ideas off each other and eventually something sticks. Sometimes it’s as simple as a phrase. Allie had this amazing line in ‘Love Me Like Your Last Time’, where she basically sang those words in a demo. It stuck and the rest of the song was built off that. I started thinking about last time, first time, all time… etc. The rest of the song evolved really fast. We weren’t really trying to do anything better, we just communicated a little easier maybe. Sometimes it’s a musical motif that gets the flow going, and sometimes it’s a lyrical theme. We try to be open to the evolution. I read Rick Ruben’s book ‘The Creative Act’ last year and that really opened my eyes in terms of how to let things happen. In his book, he makes a distinction between a craftsman and an artist, which rang true to me. TLDR… you can’t control everything all the time.
Allison: The second album seemed to develop quicker than the first. I think it’s because we just figured out what process worked best for us.
The ‘Anywhere’ title song is different to what CAUSEWAY have done before as it is more Motorik and minimal, how did this track come about?
Marshall: I wanted to break out of the slow mo thing for a bit. . I’m a fan of NEU! and other ‘Kraut’ rock styles… COLD BEAT do that sound really well too, see also WAR ON DRUGS. I’ve been experimenting with that style of production for a while, but nothing really took hold. With ‘Anywhere’, we’d tried a few different angles on it, and then I got a really sweet Cherry Audio plugin of the CR78 drum machine… that sort of sealed the deal for the sound. We were already working on the lyrics, the rest of the song developed naturally. I asked Dale from ENDLESS ATLAS if he’d do some guitar work for us and he nailed it. To me it feels very ‘out of the box’ for CAUSEWAY but it fits in our universe.
Allison: Anywhere is definitely different from the songs we usually produce. It’s lighter with a softness that shines through its harmonies but it works. It serves as a beautiful contrast to the darker tones of the other tracks and gives the album a moment to breathe.
Photo by Khoa Nguyen
One of the album highlights ‘Lightyears’ refers to someone who “doesn’t want to change”, is this song autobiographical?
Marshall: There is a really honest story in this song but I’m not going to tell it. All of our tracks have an element of our own experiences in them, but rarely are they outright ‘autobiographical’ … this song is like that. Maybe some of it is, lots of it isn’t, but it’s a good story. To me I feel like we try to get to the universal… the thing that many people can relate to. “I’m trying really hard not to cry, when I do it just ends in a fight” isn’t about us, it’s about anyone who’s ever gone to bed sad.
Allison:“Maybe we will be alright, in another life” is such an emotional line to me. I can’t remember if that was a line that Marshall wrote or me. I remember I did edits on the lyrics and he wrote the majority of this track. It’s just so emotional because I feel everything I’m singing. Having to leave someone that I loved was the hardest thing I have ever done.
There’s a lot of paranoia on ‘Put Up A Fight’ which musically appears to fall under the spell of THE CURE? As a side, what did you think of their new album ‘Songs Of A Lost World’?
Marshall: I’ve only scanned through the new CURE album. Some of it I like and some of it might take a minute to connect with. The older CURE tracks definitely surface in ‘Put Up A Fight’. Definitely in the guitar work. Maybe ‘Kiss Me’ era?
Allison: ‘Songs of a Lost World’ is a masterpiece. It does not disappoint.
‘Ruin Me’ has great lyrics and great synth sounds, is this a fine example of your partnership dynamic firing on all cylinders?
Marshall: Is it? Of course it is… I think we’re firing on all cylinders all the time 🙂
Allison: I wrote the lyrics to ‘Ruin Me’ a few weeks after I filed for divorce. ‘Ruin Me’ is a very sexual song at face value, but its shadow side reveals anger and the willingness to take the fall, to endure the pain. It’s a plea that says, “go ahead and destroy me – I never want to feel this way again.” It’s intense, vulnerable, and captures the complexity of surrendering to something that hurts and also wanting it to hurt.
So “what does it feel to be human?”
Marshall: Ah. Maybe our only political track. This year and last, with Israel and Palestine, as well as Ukraine… it’s just so sad, no matter what your views are. There is just so much suffering going on. I was working on words that spoke to that, and was having trouble sorting it all out. I connected with Hannah Lew of COLD BEAT, and she helped finesse the writing and took on lead vocals. She and I finished out the track, trying not to be overtly “U2” political, but still have a message. Just…. stop. Everyone just try and be nice to each other.
Allison: Sometimes irritatingly vulnerable and not safe. I hope this track breaks through that heavy feeling and offers humanity a sense of hope. Hannah Lew’s delivery was absolutely incredible – she brought so much depth and emotion to the song. She re-crafted a few of the lyrics, including my absolute favorite line: “I lost my hope in the ruin, until I heard you say it’s alright”. That line captures a universal vulnerability, one that resonates deeply in the contexts of not only war, but love and loss. It’s a powerful reminder of human resilience.
Photo by Khoa Nguyen
You have been performing a cover of ‘Nobody’s Diary’ by YAZOO live and have committed it to vinyl as the album’s closer, was there much tweaking to do in the final arrangement you settled on?
Marshall: This one has been cooking for a while now. I think we took the same approach as we did for the Madonna cover of ‘Crazy For You’… reduce it, extend it, destroy it, and rebuild it, all the while remaining, or at least trying to remain, reverent to the original. I’m a huge YAZ(OO) fan, and ‘Nobody’s Diary’ is probably my favorite track. Alison Moyet has such a soulful delivery, and we took a more defiant angle – I can hear the anger in Allie’s delivery, and I love it. I intentionally delayed the lead off synths so we could work our way into the song… kinda hide the magic so to speak.
This version is pretty close to the way it was a couple years ago when we were playing it out, but we had it mixed (as well as everything else) by Jesse Beuker, who mixes all of R. MISSING’s work. I think that he took it to the place it needed to be sonically. Actually, speaking of Jesse, he really created a wonderful space with all the mixes, I can’t recommend him enough. We really put him through the ringer with revisions and ultimately we landed in a place that everyone was super happy with. He’s as patient as he is skilled.
How did the new label relationship with Sprechen music in Manchester come about, what made them attractive to CAUSEWAY?
Marshall: I got connected with Chris through another DJ friend Alice Palace (UK/Ibiza), he and I hit it off musically right away as he’s part of the ALFOS community, a direct legacy DJ crew of Andrew Weatherall. Initially he wanted to work with Allie on track for his THIEF OF TIME project, and that sort of opened doors for a release and the conversations about the album.
Manchester holds this kind of magical place in my musical history for me… that’s where some of my favorite music and many of my musical influences come from… NEW ORDER, OMD, JOY DIVISION, most of the Factory Records catalogue–it seemed like a great fit for us. Our relationship was immediately organic and honest – he says what he means and means what he says. Additionally, Chris is a super nice guy, incredibly talented, and he’s involved with some of the best music coming out of the UK right now. I feel like he kinda went out on a limb with us, and it’s an honor to be working with him.
Allison: I love working with Chris. He’s been very supportive from the beginning and just all around a nice guy. I hope to maintain relationships with him and IDIB. Looking forward to more opportunities in 2025.
Do you have a favourite song for the new album, one that holds the best memories during recording?
Marshall: Personally I like ‘Anywhere’ and ‘Lightyears’. We just played a packed show opening for NEW CONSTELLATIONS here in Boise, and there was a great moment where we were playing ‘Anywhere’. When Allie sang the words “I had my reason, you had your lines, it’s taken years but I’m just fine…”, the crowd went bonkers. It’s such a quiet part of the song, it was amazing to me how they were really connected to what she was singing in a live setting… and no one had even heard that track before. It’s the one and only time we’ve played it out. I really felt connected to the audience at that moment. Honestly I like all the songs for different reasons.
Allison: Hands down, ‘Love Me Like Your Last Time’. This track was the last track we wrote for the album. Before we wrote it, I kept harassing Marshall telling him we needed one last banger. I think I might have annoyed him a little, but he came around and sent the audio file to me and I immediately was like THIS IS IT! Then we worked together on the lyrics and here we are!
Photo by Khoa Nguyen
Do you think you’ve achieved the “Mean dirty break up album” that you said you hoped to make when we last spoke?
Marshall: I dunno. I don’t think this album is mean, in some ways I think it’s actually kinda hopeful. I think it’s better than our last one, both in songwriting and production. I like where we’ve gone with music, and I like this freedom to do what we want. I also feel like we connected with more universal themes this time around. Maybe??
Allison: Haha! I think that might have been something that I said. I think we’ve created something darker and more mysterious. It carries the weight of heartbreak but also hope. It captures the complexity of moving through pain toward something brighter.
What are CAUSEWAY’s plans for the rest of 2025 and beyond?
Marshall: Keep making music. I have a lot going on with music, some new collaborative work with Cole Odin, and a new single of my own with Alona Esposito on Sprechen slated for next year. There are some life changes coming, but Allie and I have always been a kind of ‘file sharing’ sort of project, so I doubt anything changes with CAUSEWAY. I’m super excited for the new album, and I hope people connect with it. This time around we’ve worked with some amazing people – the Sprechen team, Jesse, Hannah, Dale … ‘Anywhere’ took all of us operating at our best. I hope you liked it, and I hope other people will too.
Allison: Continue to write music that inspires people and makes them want to dance! I never want to stop making music. It’s the best kind of drug.
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