Music Q&A with James Sullivan
Photo by Pauline Di Silvestro
James Sullivan is the frontman and guitar player of London’s garage-pop trio, More Kicks, and apocalypse-pop supergroup, Suspect Parts. Now, he can add solo artist to his musical resume as he released his debut solo album, Light Years last month, via Stardumb Records! In this Q&A, James talks about the album, who he’d like to see in concert, his favorite album of all time, and more!
Congratulations on the release of Light Years! What does the album mean to you?
Thanks! Well it was a strange album to make because I did it on my own. Usually I play in a band called More Kicks and of course that process is more collaborative. But this time it was just me in a small room that I christened ‘Chewed Up Recordings’, writing and then recording and mixing it all myself on tape. It was also done very quickly – I wrote one song every day for 10 days and then recorded them. I didn’t allow myself time to think about anything for longer than a few minutes.
So it’s a very specific snapshot of a very specific time period. In the end, it’s both very personal in that sense and also I really don’t remember much about ‘the process’ because it was all done in a frenzy and based on instinct. So it’s a funny mix of personal and quite distant.
What’s your favorite song off the album?
I have a soft spot for ‘Lea Bridge’ because that was a very early one and the moment when I first thought I might be on to something good, rather than just a useful lockdown distraction project. I like the motorik rhythm of it and the spoken word elements. I also really like the guitar solo which is not something I usually say. I thought the whole record would have more songs like Lea Bridge rhythmically and with the poetic elements but actually it’s kind of an outlier in that sense.
I also like ‘In The End’ quite a lot. That was a case where I thought of the title first – as a clear final song for the record. That was the only concept. But then it turned into this oddly epic three-part choral harmony stadium-type song which I definitely did not expect and does a fairly good job of summing up the themes of the album as a whole.
How did the pandemic affect the creative process and making of the album, if it did at all?
Yeah the album only happened because of the pandemic. More Kicks couldn’t tour, or even really play. London was in and out of lockdowns and things were constantly getting moved and moved and then cancelled. So I set up my little analog recording space and decided to direct my frustrations and energy there so at least that was something to focus on. The idea of writing one song a day for 10 days was just because it was clear movement and action at a moment where there was none of that in the rest of my life.
What is one artist or band that you haven’t seen in concert, that you hope to see someday?
Probably Pavement. They split up before I got properly into them. But the good news is they’re coming to London next year and I have tickets! I guess The Replacements too, but I’m not sure they’ll play again – I missed their reunion shows a few years ago so I may have missed my window. I would love to see Parquet Courts as well – I think they’re in London next year so I should be able to solve that.
What is your favorite album of all time?
I imagine everyone hedges their bets here and says like five records. But I will stick to the parameters of the question. I think it has to be a Beatles record but which one?… I used to say ‘Help’ was my favourite because it’s a good moment in time between early and mid-period Beatles which is a really interesting dynamic… but I don’t actually know if it’s my favourite… ‘Beatles for Sale’ is hugely underrated if you can call any Beatles record underrated… ‘Abbey Road’ is so beautiful…
Ok you know what, fuck it, ‘Marquee Moon’ by Television.
If you had a chance to collaborate with a musician, dead or alive, who would it be?
I’m starting to think I’m not a very good collaborator so I would need someone who is better than me on that front. I would love to hang around with Graham Coxon and steal some ideas from him, or just kind of sit at the feet of some knockout genius and try to infiltrate their wisdom. But maybe someone totally out of my comfort zone would be more interesting. Someone who just approaches things in a totally different way from me. Like, how the hell does Bjork write songs? Or Billie Eilish, for example? How on earth does that even work?!
We all have our days where it may not be going as well as we’d like. People deal with their worst days in different ways. What helps you get through the bad days? How do you stay positive?
Well if we’re taking the last 18 months or so as an example, then writing songs is the only surefire solution for me. It’s frustrating when they’re shit but it’s still better than nothing. I think any kind of writing is generally quite therapeutic – even just writing a few pages in a diary or something similar. It could be total nonsense but seeing those pages fill up where they were previously empty gives a sense of direction in difficult moments.
Thank you for taking the time for this Q&A. Any last words or final message for the readers?
My pleasure! Hang in there, everyone.