‘New Album’ is where a band or artist answers some questions about their latest release. Up next is Matt Hay who has just released second full length album ‘Something Blue’, following on from his 2007 debut album ‘Inside Stories’, and his 2012 EP ‘Where do we go from here?’.

When/where was the new album recorded?
The album was recorded between July and November 2016 at the Surgery, with a bit recorded at home.

Who produced/engineered the album? How did the tracks come together in the studio, or at home?
I produced the album with a bit help from Andrew Downes, who engineered and mixed it. With the exception of one track, ‘Love that I had’ which turned up late in the piece, the tracks were all tunes that I had been playing live with my band, The Makers, for the last few years. One of the tracks, ‘Too much to ask’ goes back about 20 years.

How did the songwriting happen? Are there any overall themes within the songs/album?
I wrote all the songs, and they all came to life at different times and in different ways. I’m not a very disciplined songwriter. I don’t sit down with the intention of writing a song and work on it until one comes. For me they either come or they don’t. Sometimes they come fully formed, and other times they need work. The album doesn’t really have a theme – just a bunch of songs about life’s little ups and downs.

Were you going for a different sound/approach on this album?
I wasn’t consciously going for a different sound, but the album has a bit more of a blues feel to it than my previous releases. In terms of approach, one thing I wanted to achieve with this album was to add some more colours/textures to the songs, make them sound a bit different from what they do live.

Was there any specific gear you used to capture that?
Yes, I played a bit of lap steel, dobro and electric guitar on some of the tracks.

Is there a particular single/track that you feel captures the essence of the album?
Not really, but the lead track, Last Jubilee, is probably the one that would be the single, if we were to release one.

Is there a physical copy available? If not which digital platforms is it available on?
CDs are available at Slow Boat Records, via Bandcamp and at gigs. Downloads can be purchased from Bandcamp and iTunes, and it can be streamed via Spotify.

Are you working on a video/videos for any of the songs?
No plans for a video at this stage.