The Q and A: Get to know Somebody’s Child
Crafting a debut album is possibly the most challenging task any musical artist will face in their career, a creative process which has the ability to determine their future. Many promising musicians have faltered at this hurdle, but not Dublin’s Cian Godfrey, better known as Somebody’s Child.
Godfrey’s eponymous debut is now out in the world after being recorded last year in London with producer Mikko Gordon, who has previously worked with acclaimed artists such as Arcade Fire and The Smile. Given the importance of his work, Godfrey hasn’t rushed into this release, and the album has benefitted from having the advantage of time, allowing Somebody’s Child to develop.
It’s been almost five years since Godfrey began his journey as Somebody’s Child, which was initially an anonymous moniker for a solo project. However, the project couldn’t stay as a bedroom DIY endeavour forever, and as things developed, Godfrey needed to reveal himself and recruit bandmates. Since then, things have gradually started to build, and his UK tour is completely sold-out, but his journey hasn’t been a straight road.
In 2018, Godfrey released his debut single ‘Somebody’s Child’, but the Covid-19 pandemic halted his plans just as momentum began to build. Sadly, he was forced to wait until late 2021 to perform a headline tour for the first time. Without that unwanted pause, Somebody’s Child would likely be an incredibly different record, as Godfrey explains to Far Out.
Over a Zoom call, the Irish musician explained the process he’s been on to release his debut, his native country, and more.
Q&A with Somebody’s Child
Far Out: How does it feel to be releasing a debut album?
Somebody’s Child: “You’re always building up to an album until you’ve released one. Creatively, we probably would have liked to do on a bit earlier, but Covid-19, where we were with our songwriting, and we hadn’t really pinned down exactly what we wanted to sound like or 100% sure on what songs to put on there.
“I always see bands as like a Venn diagram where you have a common space in the middle, but Somebody’s Child started just as a solo project, then the band kind of came in later. So, it’s been a little bit different in that sense, especially as I started writing by myself and then with Shae (Towhill), who is in the band.”
Tell us about the making of the record…
“We signed with Frenchkiss Records in February 2022, and then we were in the studio in April or March. From then, it was back and forwards with mixing and mastering before the first track came out in September. Some of the songs on the album are a lot older than others, so it’s strange because all these different periods of my life are coming together under the same roof.
“I put out the first single in 2018, but we’d only been a band for 16 months together before Covid-19 turned it into a three-and-a-half-year project, and then we weren’t exactly the new kids on the block anymore. Having to deal with all those emotions, as well as hesitancy and not knowing where it’s going during the pandemic and live shows being taken away from us, which drives us to make music. It’s weird coming to terms with the fact that this is an amalgamation of four years of work.”
Given the time it has taken to reach this point, how hard was it to select the tracklisting?
“We struggled with that because the songs that I was writing came from different periods. Some of them were the first songs I wrote that we released on our first EP in 2020 when we were just picking the best songs we had. With this album, we wanted to make a statement and for all of the tracks to come from the same place.
“In the back of our heads, subconsciously, we had this identity derived from the 20-Something EP, which came out in 2020. It put us on the map digitally when nothing else was happening, and we wanted to keep pushing in that direction. But obviously, if you push too much, then it becomes forced. So many songs never made it, and there’s probably another couple of albums that went amiss.”
Would you say music acts as a source of catharsis?
“Ultimately, music for me comes from a place that I’m not able to put my finger on. I’d love for it to transport people to a place that distracts them from everyday life or maybe brings them to a place of solace. Writing music is a source of therapy for me, so I’d love for people to experience that if they don’t write music and need something to turn to during hard times. Or, they need something up-tempo and lighthearted. Hopefully, there’s something there for everyone out there.
“I also got to write some slow songs and put them on the record because people always told us that we need to be putting out bangers, but that’s not all I write. It’s not how I always feel, so it’s great to express that other side of me.”
Does being an Irish musician add pressure?
“Ireland has always punched above its weight in music. I think it’s romanticised in places, especially in the UK and America, where there’s a large ex-pat community. The issue is Ireland can be seen as this very poetic place, but also not progressive, very traditional, and under the thumb of the Catholic Church, but in fact, it’s completely the opposite. That’s not how I think we should be perceived or trying to push to gain momentum as an artist. We’re a highly progressive, forward-thinking young culture with a really vibrant economy but with our own issues as well.
“I think that through our music, we want to show that while we are inherently Irish, this isn’t a project that has international barriers. I don’t think music should be subjected to necessarily where people are from, even though it’s a big part of how the album sounds, but ultimately, when somebody listens, it shouldn’t be with the caveat that this band is Irish.
“I would say Dublin is a little bit behind in terms of diversity as a European capital. Largely, this is because it’s an island off the corner and on the coast. But I’m living in London now, and there’s so much more going on here. As a child, I attended an international school in Paris with people from different strokes, which was quite eye-opening. It probably did subconsciously affect me, but not musically.”
Somebody’s Child is out now through Frenchkiss Records.
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