October 6, 2023 |
Ethan P. Flynn is no stranger to success. Having secured a record deal and collaborated with David Byrne by the time he was just 18, he dropped out of Guildhall less than a year into his degree. Flynn then had his name emblazoned on records with production and songwriting credits for high-profile artists like FKA Twigs, Jockstrap, Vegyn and David Byrne. Fast forward five years and he’s finally releasing his debut album, a compendium that speaks to his old-school songwriting niche and pours twenty-four years’ worth of experience into eight eclectic tracks collated under the harrowing title: Abandon All Hope.
While the composition of its tracks is inspired by ‘70s greats like Neil Young, Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson, Flynn’s lyricism deals with poignant subjects listeners can relate to. Flowing from song to song, the discomfort of coming of age and the feeling of losing the power to hope in a relationship are explored. Featuring backup vocals from rising singer, Ava Gore, Flynn sings of love, loss, navigating anxiety and coming of age in the 21st century, conveying an emotional depth and intensity of feeling scarcely found in today’s increasingly digital environment.
When indulging in the album, you’ll find hints of Neil Young’s direct, yet mysterious lyrical aptitude. The first track, ‘In Silence’, is a classic power ballad with a broken, emotional quality that details either a breakup, someone who has died or both; and it’s one of his favourite songs that he’s ever written. Tracks like ‘Clutching Your Pearls’ deal with the weight of the things one needs to let go of; ‘Leaving The Boys Behind’ is a lament to not having childhood friends to fall back on, or to share a unique bond and the nostalgia of your youths with.
Recorded at Narcissus Studios over the course of just 12 days, every track on Abandon All Hope is intrinsically bound together by a single, central theme; tradition. Here, we chat with Flynn about the ingredients of a great collaboration, his go-to karaoke song and of course, Abandon All Hope.
1. Let’s get introduced. Who is Ethan P. Flynn?
“A guy seven years deep into a music career still figuring out how to write a song.”
2. What are the three key ingredients to a great collaboration?
“1) Everyone knowing their role. 2) Fun and light atmosphere (or very serious and moody atmosphere. 3) Listening to other music.”
3. What is your favourite track of your debut album and why?
“Right now, it’s ‘No Shadow’. It’s the first song we recorded for the album and that makes it the first song of my own that I ever recorded in a proper studio. I knew I had to step something up and the decisions I ended up making worked really well for what I wanted.”
4. Who are your biggest musical inspirations?
“The greats.”
5. Where should people listen to your debut album for the first time?
“Wherever they enjoy music the most, I like listening to albums on long drives.”
6. What’s your go-to karaoke song?
“[It] used to be ‘In Dreams’ by Roy Orbison and now I don’t know… I wanna try ‘Father and Son’ by Cat Stevens.”
7. What was your favourite moment making the album?
“Tracking the second half of ‘Crude Oil’. The first half was done, and I knew we just needed to finish it, [but] I knew it was gonna be really long so we had the room for experimentation – it was just really fun. Also. mixing that song was an insane experience.”
8. Abandon All Hope is a sort of proclamation of you as a true artist in your own right. Having assisted so many established artists early on, were there any challenges in figuring out what space you wanted to create with your music?
“I just wanted to record the songs I’d written in a cohesive way. I’ve been writing songs nearly as long as I can remember but I’ve never actually recorded a body of work all in one studio as one thing; it feels like a big relief.”
9. What’s the best gig that you have ever been to?
“I saw MGMT once and it was really good, I find it quite hard to remember concerts so choosing a favourite is difficult. I also saw Sufjan Stevens play ‘Carrie & Lowell’ and that was cool… really different arrangements.”
10. If your debut album was a beverage, what would it taste like?
“It would taste like Powerade, this is why I wanted the album cover to be blue.”
Photography by Danny Lowe. ‘Abandon All Hope’ is out now, available for streaming on all major platforms.
