Recently, we had the pleasure of speaking with CP Fletcher AKA A Permenane Shadow. Among other things, we touch on what he’s been up to during the lockdown, his newest music, his origins, and what he’s looking forward to the most once COVID-19 breaks.
Andrew:
CP, I appreciate you taking the time today. How have you been holding up over the last year or so? What have you been up to?
CP:
We’ve been quite busy, actually. We finished recording our second album which will be out in March 2022, shot a total of four videos for the singles and started working on a covers EP. I also finished demoing the third record and wrote a fourth one. Time well spent, I’d say.
Andrew:
Before we dive into your professional career, let’s go back a bit. What first got you hooked on music?
CP:
David Bowie’s Let’s Dance album. It totally blew me away. Ever since then I’ve been a Bowie fan and through Bowie I got into Iggy, The Velvets and many other Bowie-esque artists like The Bunnymen, Suede or The Psychedelic Furs. Music became my life and from early on I knew I wanted to be involved in the music business somehow.
Andrew:
Who were some of your early influences?
CP:
Before Bowie there was Shakin’ Stevens, embarrassingly. Growing up in Austria I also liked early German New Wave like Falco or Nena. I still think Falco is pretty cool. It’s such a shame he died so young.
Andrew:
Let’s talk about recent events first. Tell us about your new album, HUMDRUM.
CP:
What with lockdown and all the craziness, all in all it took two years from the demo stage to putting the finishing touches. It’s been in the can for a while now and will be out in March 2022. I think it’s a more varied record than the debut album, both lyrically and musically.
Andrew:
What lyrical themes are you exploring with your new music?
CP:
I shy away from boy-meets-girl stuff and feel far more attracted to other subject matters such as tsunamis, self-help gurus or getting old. There’s also a song about the corporate world which bookends the album in two different versions.
Andrew:
How about the production side of things? Do you self-produce, or do you bring in outside voices?
CP:
I work with two producers. One is more involved in the pre-production and arrangements while the other is more of a studio geek. They compliment each other nicely and are also great players. I could possibly not pull it all off without the help of a producer. I like collaborations. It’s interesting to bring an idea to the table and have other people toy around with it and take it somewhere else.
Andrew:
Are you into vinyl? Cassettes? CDs? Or are you all digital now? What are a few of your favorite albums, and why?
CP:
Honestly, MP3 these days is my format of choice. I’m out and about a lot with my trusty MP3 player and earphones and rarely sit on the couch listening to a vinyl record the way I used to when I was a kid. That said, I do appreciate the difference in quality between MP3 and vinyl. My all-time favourite album is Bowie’s Station To Station, it’s just perfect. Only six songs long, there is not a single note too many on it. And the quality of the singing is insane. I also love Dusk by The The, mainly because of the amazing lyrics and for the same reason, Lou Reed’s Magic And Loss.
Andrew:
What other passions do you have? How do those passions inform your music, if at all?
CP:
I love cats. I have two and they are part of the family. Come to think of it, they ARE my family. I live in Barcelona because I am crazy about the Mediterranean Sea, so you’ll find me on the beach a lot. And I like documentaries, mainly about conspiracy theories and rather sinister stuff which usually bleeds into my songwriting.
Andrew:
In your opinion, what is the state of the music business these days? Should artists be hopeful? Scared? Both?
CP:
I think the music business sucks. You’ll find that a high percentage of artists, even some well-known ones, don’t make enough money from music anymore and are forced to diversify into other territories. It’s sad when making music turns into an expensive hobby because there’s no money in it, unless you are Dua Lipa or Ed Sheeran.
Andrew:
Last one. We seem to be nearing a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of COVID-19 restrictions. That said, what’s next on your docket? What are you looking forward to most in the pos-COVID world?
CP:
Well, here in Spain we’ve been back to relative normality for a while now. Gigs are back, which is great. Hopefully our second album will open some opportunities to play live more frequently. And I really look forward to the day we can get rid of the bloody facemasks for good.
Interested in learning more about the music of A Permanent Shadow? Check out the link below:
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