Music, Style & Culture

Back Story: Los Campesinos - Hello Sadness

Los Campesinos' 'Hello Sadness' is re-defining the term 'heartbreak album', so we thought we'd better sit them down, check they were all okay, and find out all about recording it.

On a scale of 1 to gut-wrenching, Los Campesinos! new long-player, 'Hello Sadness' is re-defining the term 'heartbreak album', so we thought we'd better sit them down, check they were all okay, and find out all about recording it.

Third album in, you buggered off to Spain to record 'Hello Sadness', right?
It was in a very rural part of Spain, in the East, not far from the mountains and the sea, just west of Gerona. It was just the swimming pool and table tennis and gorgeous sun... it was as idyllic as it sounds. The weather was actually better in the UK while we were out there though, that's the sickening thing about it. But the stupid thing about it was that we were planning to record in Cardiff on a really low budget, so we could live at home and just make our way to the studio, and we spent months trying to get studio time there and we just couldn't get it. And we ended up being invited to play two festivals in Spain, both were really well paid. Overpaid! Our manager, he knew a studio over there where the Super Furry Animals had recorded Love Kraft, so we kind of put two and two together. And ended up with something lavish!

It's a strange choice of location for such a dark, heartbroken album though?
Well, when it was decided that we were going to record there, it was very much sweetness and light. It became the “heartbreak album” only a week or two before we went over to record. I can think of few places that would've been better to spend that time, because of the surroundings and environment it was like being on holiday, so like being with my mates in Spain being miserable, rather than being at home, on my own, being miserable. Perhaps there was a bit of a contradiction between the lyrics and the environment it was recorded in, but it works.

But you had to scrap all the lyrics just before you went to record?
I'd started writing two or three songs in this happy, comfortable place, and as soon as that disappeared it was like, okay, not going to be singing that any more. But I only really manage to write when I have to write, which makes everybody else's situation much more difficult, because they don't have my side to work with, but it's always come together. Sometimes at the very bitter end. There's going to come a time where I'm going to be too complacent and think it's going to work, and then it doesn't so we have to book another two weeks in the studio because we've got no words, but so far so good.

You've recorded again with John Goodmanson on production duties. Can't think of anyone else you want to work with? Have you no imagination!?
Partly that! But partly because it's someone we're very comfortable working with. Which after a while could be a bad thing, if we want to change things up, but the emphasis is on us to do that if we want. John almost feels like a transparent producer, because he's doing all this stuff without you knowing, like we're coming up with ideas and he's just making it work. He's just so easy to work with, he's very zen, and I'm quite angsty. I don't think I've ever seen him worried or anything. When you work with the kind of people he's worked with...

Hanson?
Yeah, Hanson! So working with us isn't going to worry him one bit. And it's nice going into these situations, knowing you've not got to forge a relationship with a new person. Knowing that you're going into it with someone you already want to spend time with, and you like as a person, makes it a lot more pleasant. John would be very discipled all day, and then we finished that days recording , we would all go and get drunk... play hard. Rather than him being this grown up who'd go straight off to bed or whatever, it was great.

Lyrically, it's a really personal record.. do you find yourself living in fear of bumping into someone in the street who's angry about a song you've written about them?
I'm pretty open with it, to be honest, and people have always been quite understanding about it. There's been a couple of situations, where I should have disclosed more to somebody than perhaps I did, and I've got a rather disappointed message. But then equally, I had a really weird situation where after we'd played an in-store in Rough Trade, and the best friend of someone I'd written a more vicious song about came up to me after, and said... that song... I just empathised with it so much. And I said that was great, but please don't mention it to your mate. In the case of this record, loose ends have been tied up and amends have been made, so I'm no too worried about it. It's an occupational hazard. I think I do shoot myself in the foot, on occasions, when I've been close to getting into a relationship with someone and that person's thought, “do I really want to commit to you writing songs about me in the future?”. So we're going to have to start manufacturing relationships and breakups just to get lyrics.

And keeping it an intimate record, you've handwritten the lyrics for the record's inlay?
Yeah, for the first time! It makes sense with the record, and also the one of the main reasons for handwriting the lyrics... in the past we've been relying on outside people to put these things together. It's much easier now we've got Tom in the band, because he's a graphics genius. But in the past, we'd send over the typed lyrics, and then somehow, between me emailing them and them being copied into the format, typos happened. So at least, if I handwrite them, then once I give that over to the other person, I don't ever have to check them again. Logistically that is a big reason for it.
I just like it in Blur's 'Parklife' booklet where it's all handwritten with all the guitar chords written. And all the Why? records are handwritten, the first Libertine's record is as well, it just seemed to suit.

Finally, give us one good reason why someone should go out and buy 'Hello Sadness'.
I think it's genuinely good. I think we're all quite happy with this record, we've made more of an effort to make a more listen-able record, the last one was more self indulgent. We laboured over the track-listing much more, it'll fit on one vinyl, it's more traditional. If you've not heard, or not liked, Los Campesinos! before, then give us another try. If you don't like us after this one, then fine, but maybe this one is The One. We'll see.

Los Campesinos!' new album 'Hello Sadness' is out now via Wichita.

Taken from the Winter 2011 issue of DIY, available now. For more details click here.