“I’m a big fan of collaborating with other artists who are stronger than me in their own areas. I love how it stretches me into details I never would have thought of if I was just doing it on my own,” Walshy begins, setting the tone for an artistic journey that grows on collaboration and emotional resonance. For those unacquainted with Walshy’s work, he’s transforming life’s simplicities and complexities alike into listening magic.
His debut album, “few beers,” captures this essence perfectly. Listening to it is like sitting on a terrace with good friends, basking in the warm embrace of a cosy summer evening. Each track holds a certain magic, weaving in elements of nostalgia that make you yearn for times long gone, even while you’re fully immersed in the beauty of the present moment. With an incredible ear for blending genres and an eye for detail, Walshy navigates the complexities of human emotions with surprising ease and authenticity.
A year after our last conversation, we spoke to the talent again. In our interview, we delve into his collaborative approach, his favorite song from the debut EP, as well as his perspective on socializing.
header photo by Faolan Carey
One year ago we had our first talk. You mentioned that you love nature and that it is essential for clearing your head. How has your relationship with nature influenced the making of ‘few beers’?
Still very prevalent. I used to go on long walks in the park beside me, listening to the unfinished tunes over and over again to see what I could change to them.
Your debut album combines various genres like teenage indie, dream-pop, and hip-hop, showcasing an eclectic range. As you usually do not want to overthink melodies and lyrics, was this blend a conscious choice from the start, or did it evolve naturally as the album progressed?
I’d say it just evolved into it. I never usually set out to do certain genres, I just start off with a sound idea I like and try my best to map out the sounds I’m hearing in my head along with it. That’s sometimes how the structure becomes a bit messy and where the random samples come in from. I try to make it as diverse as I can, and because it’s all coming from one person, I think it naturally blends well together.
Is the music you make now the same as the music you made when you first started?
It’s definitely changing, I think. The first project I released as part of Caleb & Walshy was all strictly soulful hip-hop. I learned a lot focusing on that genre, and I’ve still kept a lot of that in the new stuff. But because this is a solo project, I felt a lot more comfortable adding in sounds from other influences I have like psychedelic pop, dreamy soundscapes, and more melodic leads.
The title ‘few beers’ is tied to socializing, friends, family, and comfort for you. How has your perspective on socializing changed over the last years?
I think just the more I get older and the busier life gets with work/mundane tasks, the more I value friends, authentic relationships, and connection. Probably something that you take for granted during a time when you have loads of it.
“Art in general is a weird one; what can sound bad to someone sounds great to another.”
Collaboration is a significant aspect of this album. How did you choose your collaborators?
I think it just starts with me really liking their own music/talent. I’m a big fan of collaborating with other artists who are stronger than me in their own areas. I love how it stretches me into details I never would have thought of if I was just doing it on my own.
I love the conversation in the middle of ‘The Trek to Swords (Part 2)’. Why did you choose to close the project on this one?
It feels right ending the project with a verse from Caleb, as that’s where my whole music journey really started. I think the chorus in this tune ties in with the meaning of the album. The way things don’t go as you had mapped out in your head but kind of learning to be OK with that.
“A note to all my friends, family, and very few enemies” sounds like a powerful statement. Can you tell us what this song means to you personally?
If there was one song to sum up the meaning of the project as well as capturing the general sound of myself, it would probably be this. When things go wrong, we often take it out on the ones closest to us. This song is an apology for that, I would say.
“The more I get older and the busier life gets with work/monotonous tasks, the more I value friends, authentic relationships, and connection.”
I honestly couldn’t pick a favorite song from your debut album. I really enjoyed them all, and they gave me such a chill vibe. Is there any song on the album that you are kind of nervous to share because it holds a special place in your heart?
It would be “a note to all my…”. It’s probably the most vulnerable lyrically. It covers a few different topics like moving on from a breakup, keeping God first, and looking ahead into the future in a positive way.
How do you decide when a song is ‘finished’?
Hard question to answer, it really depends. I think once I feel like all gaps are filled, show it to someone and they feel like it’s done, that’s a good metric. It’s so easy to get into a cycle of continuously tweaking things in the production.
Leading up to your album launch party, did you find any particular part of the preparation process to be unexpectedly challenging?
I had this autotune pedal that was tricky enough to smoothly get in the habit of changing key to the next song. Confidence in my singing voice was a big one as well.
“It’s important to make music that you want to make, I think, and not focus too much outward.”
What did it feel like performing the album live for the first time?
It was amazing. The tracks had a whole new energy with a crowd there. It’s made me re-think how I want to go forward with live shows. I’d be hesitant now to jump into another gig without the same level of thought that went into this one.
You said the encouragement after releasing songs has been a blessing. How do you handle criticism, and has your relationship with feedback changed since you started your musical journey?
I like to listen to everyone’s opinion of how something should sound, especially if they are talented in a particular area. But ultimately, songs just boil down to whether I like them or not. The advantage of a solo project is that you’re more free to experiment. Art in general is a weird one; what can sound bad to someone sounds great to another. It’s important to make music that you want to make, I think, and not focus too much outward.
What else have you got coming up?
A whole other project. I might drop a couple of singles beforehand, and I’m going to plan out another show that will be bigger than the last one.
Thank you so much for your time!
