NO OVERPRODUCTION, NO OVERTHINKING
A CONVERSATION WITH DUNCAN LLOYD
The first thing you learn about Duncan Lloyd is that he’s a man that isn’t in a rush, and that’s something of a relief given our meeting is delayed by at least 10 minutes by technological gremlins. By the time his face finally appears on my screen, we’re transported into Lloyd’s tranquil world, and feel all the better for it.
An accomplished painter (something he’s recently started spending more time doing again), Lloyd approaches life with a languid, calm attitude, and it makes conversation easy. We meet as he prepares to release Unwound, his first solo effort in six years, and his enthusiasm for it is matched only, seemingly, by his label’s. Signed to Reveal Records, he was ‘spotted’, in a sense, by Tom Rose, an old friend from Derby, his hometown. Following some persuasion about the quality of recordings available on his Bandcamp site, Reveal began reissuing Lloyd’s material and encouraged the recording of some new material. Lloyd puts the time taken down to perfectionism, saying: ‘I write a lot, but I didn’t want to put just anything out unless it made sense as a record. It should fit as a narrative but also have enough dynamic in the sound so that things have their own character, almost like a book, really, with its chapters.’
That book, if you like, took shape in two very distinct locations: first, Ireland, returning to his Mum’s town outside Galway, and also getting the opportunity to work with top producer Julie McLarnon, and then back at home in Newcastle, in his own studio, not too far away from his ‘other’ work, that of guitar and backing vocals for indie mainstays Maximo Park. Taking up the story, Lloyd remarks: “We (he and McLarnon) recorded two songs for this album, and another two songs for an EP. That started it really, and helped me visualize what an album might look like, and then I got back home, kind of thinking, right, I know what I’m doing now, you know? So, it kind of was the catalyst, in a way, for the record.”
While Lloyd is often the driving force behind Maximo Park, if you’re expecting something sonically similar here, you’re in for a surprise. This is a major departure, heavier and chock-full of his own influences. That’s not to say he’s usually stifled, because Lloyd speaks highly of both Maximo and his other successful band, Nano Kino, and holds prominent if not leading roles in both – but it’s really clear that there’s a personal edge to this album that might be otherwise blunted in a group.
PURCHASE UNWOUND VIA BANDCAMP
Like most who allow themselves to record solo, Lloyd seems to relish having full control of the pen and mixing board, and being able to try new ideas and concepts clearly appeals to him. As he says himself, “When you work alone, it becomes more personal in a way, I feel like I can really go anywhere with it…”, he trails off, as he references using acoustic guitars, instrumentals, loops, and all kinds of other experiments.
All of that’s clearly in the melting pot as soon as you hear his music, too, with very clear influences from the likes of Pixies and Sonic Youth coming through, with Lloyd admitting the “two Kims” of rock ‘n’ roll, aka Deal and Gordon, are hugely influential. He particularly lauded Deal’s recent solo effort Nobody Loves You More, an album we at Spill loved also. Most of all though, this is dark, gritty stuff, leaning into post-punk and grunge influences. It’s a record of a man with eclectic tastes putting them all on display, with one clear rule he shares with me: “No overproduction, no overthinking!”
In amongst the straightforward production and no-nonsense sound is the other aspect of self that appears in this album for Lloyd, namely writing some acutely personal lyrics to go along with it. He references the song “Laugh So Loud”, initially as one that stands out as being about the pleasure (and self-doubt) that comes with working alone, before also going on to reference both difficult moments in his own personal life and mental health. “I think that that kind of crept in. I realized that mental health has been a talking point for many people who are kind of realizing, oh, you know, I’m struggling with this, that or the other, and, and I think it’s just…being there for people but also finding hope within that. There’s something about caring for people that it opens up another side to yourself,” he says, honestly.
Unwound will fire the starting gun on a busy year for Lloyd, who also has a Nano Kino album in the works (recorded with Sam Grant of Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs), as well as shows for both himself and Maximo Park across the UK festival season. He also drops a tantalising hint about another solo project with yet another unique sound, so that bears looking out for too.
Quite the schedule, then, but as Lloyd returns to his painting for the day (something he’s planning to keep going, having initially trained as an artist before the ascension of Maximo Park), there’s a clear love for what he’s able to do artistically, but also a sense of accomplishment as well. Talking about seeing a process through to the end, Lloyd remarks on how he feels “lighter” now that the record’s out. “There are some days where it can be a bit tricky, and it’s kind of getting things in line, but when it’s ready, it’s out, and it’s a blank canvas again now,” he notes.
Indeed, and judging by the music, there’s no fear of the blank canvas, for Lloyd is painting with the brightest brushes and the most vibrant colours. There’s very little doubt that Unwound will be well-received, the only question is: as his artistic output in all senses continues to grow, where on Earth is he going to keep finding the time to write more?
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Photo Credits: Billy McHugh
