Healthyliving: "Art needs more mystery and privacy"

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Newcomers healthyliving recently released their debut album, "Songs of Abundance, Psalms of Grief". Despite the group's short history, the members are experienced and tested in the music scene, coming from diverse backgrounds, and are associated with other great bands such as Ashenspire, Falloch, and Maud the Moth. Having already caused quite a stir in this year's music scene, and with their appearance at the Roadburn Festival, we took the opportunity to speak with guitarist Scott McLean, and discuss the plethora of his music making, the interest in multi-dimensional records, and the importance of contrasts so as to give a sense of journey and evolution to your music.

Greetings to everyone in the healthyliving family! I am Manos, and I would like to welcome you to Rocking.gr. Before we dive in the details of your amazing first album, could you introduce us to the band? What kick-started this collaborative project, and what did you have in mind for its artistic purpose?

Thank you very much! We have Amaya López - Carromero on vocals, Stefan Pötzsch on drums, and then myself on guitars, bass, and synths. We had all previously collaborated on numerous other projects previously and it just seemed natural to have a band with just the three of us! The main purpose for healthyliving is to explore the musical connection between the three of us while trying to reduce the dialogue about what the band should be like to as little as possible.

With each band there are different feelings and parts of myself that I use when writing or performing with them

How does your involvement in other bands affect the music you write for healthyliving? They all have very different personalities, it seems like you are trying to expand your musical horizons with each new project.

There is always something to learn from playing with different musicians or writing music with different people. With each band there are different feelings and parts of myself that I use when writing or performing with them.

I view music as a way to explore the world and to understand myself and other people better so I’m constantly looking to expand my musical horizons and to find things that I don’t understand or make me feel uncomfortable.

You have already worked with Amaya on your other band, Falloch, for the album "Prospice". An unofficial forerunner of healthyliving, or a different entity on its own?

‘Prospice’ is by far the weirdest album I’ve ever made, I wouldn’t describe it as a forerunner of healthyliving, it’s definitely its own thing. It was the first time that Amaya and myself worked on music together but the closest to a forerunner of healthyliving would be the track ‘Boatsong’ by the band Lasse Reinstroem, which Stefan and I used to play in. Amaya did guest vocals on that track and is where the initial idea for healthyliving came from.

The unorthodox name you have chosen for the band is an ironic allusion to "toxic positivity", as you have stated in a past interview. Could you explain what exactly do you mean, and how should we understand this toxicity?

Honestly, band names are hard to come by. "healthyliving" as a name is a bit silly and ironic as obviously our music isn’t very happy, there isn’t much more to it than that.

Now, let’s take a closer look to your debut album, "Songs of Abundance, Psalms of Grief". It was released a few days ago, garnering very positive comments from audiences and critics alike. How do you respond to the feedback you have received so far?

It has been really great! It has been a long time since I released something with a new project so it’s been really nice seeing people responding to it and I’m really looking forward to getting to perform it live!

The contractions within the title fit well with the varying moods within our album

Looking at the cover, and considering the cryptic album title, I felt like I was watching a gleeful photo, but with a sinister undertone. What is it that the artwork is trying to convey? What is the concept behind the cover and the title?

The album title is a modified quote from Carolyn Forche’s book Blue Hour. The album title alludes to the fact the album is a collection of songs, it’s not some grand concept album with a narrative running through it. The contractions within the title also fit well with the varying moods within our album. The photo for the album cover was kindly donated by one of Amaya’s friends. As soon as we saw it we knew it was the perfect cover. We love the nostalgic feeling it has and the sense of hope and excitement within it.

Opening track "Until" was also included on your first EP "Until/Below", and it has been reworked. Why was "Below" left out? I also wonder how many songs and ideas were left on the cutting room floor and what you are planning on doing with them.

I actually much prefer the track "Below" to "Until" but there were multiple reasons as to why we didn’t include it on the album. Firstly I really like the EP version and re-recording it wouldn’t have added anything, whereas with "Until" I feel that the EP version does not fully realize the potential of the song. I also think one challenge we had with the album was trying not to include too many quieter songs, so this was another reason why we didn’t include "Below".

As for songs that were left out, originally there were maybe about 20-25 songs that were fully written out instrumentally but all the songs that were finished with vocals and lyrics were included in the album or the EP. In general I don’t have much interest in using old ideas at a later date, so I doubt that any of the unused instrumental songs will be used in the future.

I want to put on an album and be surprised and have it take me on a journey that explores different feelings and emotions. I'm not interested in listening to an album that just is a 'genre'

Even though the tracks are atmospherically and stylistically cohesive, there are various soundscapes and genres you explore. Songs like "To the Gallows", "Bloom", or "Obey" pull in different directions. Was it challenging to balance all these aspects of your sound, or was it something that occurred naturally?

This is always one thing that fascinated me when I was younger, and as I made more music I started to realize that it’s often just lots of small decisions that are consistent throughout an album that make it sound stylistically cohesive, even if you explore multiple genres. I had a very clear idea of how I wanted to make the album sound and when you have musicians that have such strong identities in their playing/performing, a cohesiveness is going to form across an album naturally. This is a topic I could talk for hours about as I love the idea of an album and how to create a world within that. Currently I find lots of albums are extremely stylistically homogeneous and it’s quite boring. I want to put on an album and be surprised and have it take me on a journey that explores different feelings and emotions. I'm not interested in listening to an album that just is a ‘genre.’

What were the priorities you had when making the album, and which limitations did you face on the way? How demanding is it to work on a new album during these uncertain times?

The main priority was that it would be fun to make and that we would be artistically satisfied with what we were doing. The only limitation we really faced was rehearsal time. Stefan lives in Germany and Amaya and myself live in Edinburgh so we only had one week of rehearsals in the months before recording.

Honestly though this album was probably the easiest and most straightforward project I’ve ever worked on as well as being the most satisfying. There was a clear plan, everybody involved had a lot of experience and was very aware of what would be required of them.

The support available for artists in Scotland is really amazing

You cite that the album was funded by Creative Scotland. In Greece there has been an ongoing debate about art-working and state-funding, especially during the lockdown periods, when people working in arts had zero to no income. What is the situation like in Scotland, and what are the criteria for an artist to gain financial support from the state?

The support available for artists in Scotland is really amazing. Creative Scotland has many different funding programs available for all different types of projects and for different amounts of support. There are many things they look for when you apply for funding. Some of these things are fair pay for everybody involved in the projects, inclusion and diversity with the people working in the project or the audience of the project, does the project have an international component etc… You have to be able to demonstrate that you’re capable of running a project like the one that you’re applying for and have a clear plan, timeline and budget for it all.

The singles you chose to promote the album were "Galleries" and "Dream Hive". How did you conclude to these two songs? Can you also say a word or two for the creation of the two accompanying videos, one of which you created?

We feel that "Galleries" is a good overall representation of our sound, and it was also one of the first songs that was written for the band so it made sense to release that one first. The video for "Galleries" was made really last minute just one day before we released the track. Amaya had recorded some video footage in the building where Stefan has his rehearsal space in Dresden. This was filmed when we first ever jammed together as healthyliving in 2019. I edited this footage and made something that I felt fitted the atmosphere of the track and we’re super happy with how it turned out especially having the connection to our original ever jam sessions.

We chose "Dream Hive" as the other track because we wanted to release a slightly more up-tempo song before the album was out. It was also the last song we wrote for the album so it felt fitting to release one of the first songs written and the last song written as singles. Our friend Ana López Gómez made a really amazing trippy video for it, she’s worked on a few videos for us and also has collaborated with Amaya for visuals for Maud the Moth too!

I only really involve myself more deeply with lyrics if I’m going to be singing, and then I prefer to write my own lyrics

Is there a unifying theme that ties the lyrical content together? What worked as inspiration for the lyrics?

Amaya writes all the lyrics for healthyliving, so it’s not my place to say what worked as the inspiration as I know some of it is very personal. I rarely have much to do with lyrics in the projects I’m involved with, of course I will read them and make sure I’m comfortable with them but it’s not something I usually have much involvement with. I find words quite awkward. My role in projects and bands is usually more building the overall sonic picture of the recording, working on arrangements, working out how to get the best performances from everybody. I only really involve myself more deeply with lyrics if I’m going to be singing and then I prefer to write my own lyrics.

The album seems to rely on the tension that arises from opposite forces: "Abundance" and "Grief", black and white, bursts of sound and delicate vocal lines. Is it a conscious effort to build on such antitheses, and if yes, what attracts you to them?

Contrast is always important. I’m naturally drawn to that. It makes everything more significant and meaningful. I think through contrast it’s possible to create a sense of journey and wonder that I find particularly appealing when listening to an album. It’s important to try to do this in a way where it still sounds cohesive but it’s something that I will often aim to do with the music I make.

Art needs more mystery and privacy

Last year, you released "Hostile Architecture" with Ashenspire, a magnificent album that was not only musically innovative, but also overtly political on its subject matter. On the other hand, "Songs of Abundance, Psalms of Grief" sounds more abstract and personal. Is it any less socially denouncing in its message, though?

I would agree, I definitely feel that ‘Songs of Abundance….’ is more personal and abstract. I don’t think there is a particular message with the album, it’s a personal album that can be interpreted in many ways by the listener and I think it’s important that it isn’t all explained. Art needs more mystery and privacy.

I’m obsessed with sound and how it can be used as a vehicle for expression and how it can provoke feelings in others

Which artists would you say have influenced your sound as healthyliving? And which other artists would you suggest for someone who listened to your album and loved it?

It’s difficult to name artists that have specifically influenced our sound. Music and art seeps into you in different ways through your life and it’s hard to know what is influencing you or where certain things come from. I could also talk for a long time about all the aspects of sound on this album. I’m obsessed with sound and how it can be used as a vehicle for expression and how it can provoke feelings in others.

Some artists/bands I think everybody should check out would be Queenadreena, particularly their first two albums ‘Taxidermy’ and ‘Drink Me'. Where is my spaceship’s album ‘never unhappy’, Elend, in particular ‘Winds Devouring Men". Eartheater is also constantly providing discomfort sonically and visually that is really intriguing.

I don’t think I’ve seen many artists do something so technically challenging but still so deeply rooted in feeling and expression

You are going to perform at Roadburn Festival this year, with both Ashenspire and healthyliving. How do you feel about this occasion? Which bands that are going to perform alongside you are you most excited for?

I’m also doing stuff for the Maud the Moth set too, more in the role of live sound but I'm heavily involved in that project as well. What Amaya does with it live still just blows me away even though I understand how it’s all being done. I don’t think I’ve seen many artists do something so technically challenging but still so deeply rooted in feeling and expression. Being involved with multiple projects at Roadburn this year is pretty crazy, it really means so much for all of us!

As for bands that I have no personal connection with, I'm really excited to see Otay:onii, I think what she does is amazing as a solo artist and with Elizabeth Colour Wheel! There are so many artists I could list, I’m not sure I’ll manage to see them all but others would be Giles Corey, Big Brave, Cave In, Oiseaux-Tempête, Sangre de Muérdago etc… Roadburn is such a special festival I’m hoping I’ll also have some time to discover something new as well!

I don’t view any project that I’m involved with as a side-project

What does the future hold for healthyliving? Are you planning on having a steady cycle of releases, or is it more of a side-project that takes its time?

I don’t view any project that I’m involved with as a side-project. The regularity of releases depends on how everybody is feeling and how much time everybody has. We would like to play live and tour quite a bit as the music was written in a way to be very conducive to live performance!

Thank you for your time, and once again congratulations for your excellent new album! Hopefully, we are going to see you performing in Greece someday. You may close this interview in any way you wish!

Thank you so much, it’s been a pleasure. We would love to visit Greece!