We spoke to The Undead Cat after the release of their latest single, Nostalgic Melancholy. Have a read:

What was the inspiration behind the song, both musically and lyrically?

Nostalgic Melancholy is an upbeat folky track about looking back in the past and getting stuck in that spiral. When I was writing this song, I envisioned myself walking through a forest of dead trees, as they are the only signs of what came before. The idea started when I was flipping through my old photos on my laptop, looking at my family on the other side of the world, my friends whom I loved, and those I no longer do. And then there was a picture of me that reminds me of how far I have come as a person, and all these mixed emotions had me in a chokehold, till I started to cry. I wanted to write a song about this and act as a reflection of my past. 

Was there anyone that helped create/produce the track?

Unfortunately, no, like all my previous work, I wrote and produced them all by myself. It was a tough journey trying to learn how to mix and master music, especially because back then, I didn’t really have other friends or connections who were also making music. Although I find it fitting for this song and the upcoming album, with themes of finding belonging, it’s a record about isolation. So writing/ producing/ creating the cover art really ties the themes of the record together, and gives me all the creative freedom as well!

I very much do want to work with friends who are producers in the future! It would be such a fun exchange of knowledge, and hopefully will really maximise my artistic vision in future projects. 

How was the artwork created and decided on?

The cover was created by a combination of ink and digital texture collaging. I’m a really visual person, as someone who has a degree in illustration, even in my music world, I try my hardest to visualise my thoughts and present them to the audience through illustration. It was inspired by one of the lyrics in the song “The weeping tree reminds me of the soil, that I dug my body deep within to feel warm.” I had this idea that the song was set in a dead forest, with the dry trunks being the only sign of what was there, and having the main character wrapped by the roots of a tree really presented that idea of comfort, but also being stuck. 

Do you have any gigs planned to support the release?

I have a few gigs happening in the next few weeks, though they are not specifically for the release, but the song will definitely appear at some point!

I have a gig on the 21st of November with Out of the Dark Events at The Attic. It’ll be a pirate-themed gig, so it’s gonna be so fun!

Another one on the 28th with Free Music Lessons. This will lean more towards the experimental and teasing a little of future projects beyond the album release. With it being a full a acepella set as an exploration of my voice and vocal looping and electronic manipulation. This will be at the Fox and Newt pub. 

And finally, on the 4th of December, I will be an opener for a Palestine fundraiser gig with More Than a Woman Collective, which will be held at Hyde Park Book Club with an incredible line-up!! 

What’s next? 

Nostalgic melancholy marks the 3rd single of my upcoming album ‘Home In a Foreign Land’, which means it’ll be coming out really soon! So keep an eye out for announcements, which I will make soon. 

I’ve already started thinking about new music beyond the album, where I wish to be more experimental and work with more people throughout the process! So be sure to follow me to see where this journey takes me. 

What other Leeds-based artists are you listening to at the moment?

My dear friend Chloe Marbary makes incredible music with her songwriter project Crystallising. A combination of electronic ambience and acoustic folk song, similar to what I do. I had the privilege to work with her during one of her artist residencies, where we combined our previously written songs and created new songs for a show we made called “Utopia”. It was such a great time, especially for it being the first time I’ve ever collaborated with another artist musically. She has a few recent releases from my favourite “Swan Song” and her most recent “The Sun Went Missing” that came out a few weeks ago, which I have been listening to on repeat!