‘New Album’ is where a band or artist answers some questions about their latest release. Up next is Luke Buda, who has just released new album ‘Buda’, his first solo album in twelve years.

When/where was the new album recorded?
It was mostly recorded in my garage, which I have recently named Christmas Studios. It was actually recorded between 2017 and 2019! I just slowly chipped away at it while I did all the other life stuff.

Who produced/engineered the album? How did the tracks come together in the studio, or at home?
Well it was mostly engineered by me. Although we recorded the drums at The Surgery with Lee Prebble. He also mixed the album. In terms of how the stuff came together I can say that it is VERY rare for me to sit down with a guitar or piano and write a song from start to end without using the studio to play around with sounds and arrangements. This is probably because writing lyrics is a bit of a trial for me so I need other ways to keep the enthusiasm going. So I start to arrange and produce until I like the track so much that I HAVE to write lyrics for it.

How did the songwriting happen? Are there any overall themes within the songs/album?
Well I wrote lyrics to seven of the songs and Damien Wilkins wrote lyrics to three of them. It seems I am obsessed with feeling tired fat and old, and therefore that is what the songs seem to be about. Hopefully in a mostly entertaining way as opposed to a depressing way…

Were you going for a different sound/approach on this album?
My approach is usually to try to have no pre conceived notion of what something is going to sound like and to let it slowly take form. Inevitably my own taste and style comes through though. Also in terms of lyrics, I wanted something different from my last two solo albums. As the first one Special Surprise seems too sincere, and the second one Vesuvius seems too cynical for me now. Sad face.

Was there any specific gear you used to capture that?
I have accumulated a reasonable amount of gear in my 20 or so years making music. But I think the main thing on the album is guitar. I like guitar.

Is there a particular single/track that you feel captures the essence of the album?
Hmmm. I am especially fond of “I’m A Bit Our Of Shape” and “My Naked Body”. I had a great time playing my sons electric drum pads to record the drum machines on those. I like the lyrics, there’s (hopefully) a good balance between the sad / happy.

Is there a physical copy available? If not which digital platforms is it available on?
Yes you can buy it on vinyl or the magnificent obsolete format of Compact Disc via Bandcamp.

Are you working on a video/videos for any of the songs? Are you doing any gigs or promotion for its release?
There are currently three videos out. Check them out on underground video streaming site YouTube! I had a whole tour booked with an excellent band but for some weird reason that has now been postponed…