Hello everyone!
Since my EP is well underway (despite 2020’s best efforts), I thought I’d share a bit about the recording and release process for my debut single, Ghosts.
This first release was a long time in the making. Not necessarily because of the song itself, but because for years, I didn’t think I was ‘ready’ or had anything ‘good enough’ to record. One day in April 2019, after feeling defeated by the fact that I had written so many songs that were gathering dust in a notebook, I took a leap of faith and got in touch with Head Atlas.
Soon after our first meeting, we scheduled in some pre-production to ‘throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks’. It was a great experience to finally share one of my songs with people who could figure out what was missing, and what could make it even better. One step further, they were excited about it (which was encouraging and an absolute thrill for me)! The ball was finally rolling.
Finally, after some great tracking sessions, recording live drums (!!!) and a perfect mix by Joel Myles (Head Atlas), Ghosts was sent off to Matt Bartlem for mastering.
Now the real work began for me – planning a release for the first time (eek). Thankfully, I had some great resources to refer back to in terms of timelines, social scheduling and the like, so I didn’t feel so lost.
If you saw my socials any time during early August, you would have noticed that I wasn’t actually at home during the lead-up and release of Ghosts… I was on holiday in Victoria driving along the Great Ocean Road! I think this was a good (though serendipitous) move for me, since it meant I had to plan everything in advance before I left. Second bonus was that I didn’t wig myself out each day with release related stress because there were so many other things to think about (sightseeing, driving and deciding which campsite to stay for the evening).
It was a learning curve for sure, and I’m looking forward to doing it all again for Single #2 (coming soon).
Thank you to the wonderful people who were involved in making this beauty, here are the credits:
Music and Lyrics by Brooke Austen
Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Joel Myles at Hunting Ground Studios, Moorooka.
Mastered by Matt Bartlem.
Brooke Austen: vocals, electric guitar, bass, rhodes/keyboard.
Joel Myles: electric guitar, synth and additional instrumentation.
Chrispy Lait: electric guitar.
Michael Grabbe: drums
Thank you thank you thank you to anyone who has listened to Ghosts, saved it in a playlist and shared it their friends/family over the past year. Every little bit helps, and though it wasn’t the biggest release in the world, it felt like an absolute triumph on my end.
Until next time,
Brooke x
