‘New Album’ is where a band or artist answers some questions about their latest release. Up next is Callum Mower, an artist, producer, mixing engineer, and multi-instrumentalist who records under the moniker Serebii, and has just released his debut album Inside.
When/where was the new album recorded?
My debut album “Inside” was written and recorded in 2022 between my bedroom studio in Seatoun, Wellington and my time traveling Europe.
Who produced/engineered the album? How did the tracks come together in the studio, or at home?
I produced and engineered the album. Each track came together in quite a different way to the next. I would say I tend to lean into rhythmic ideas to get started, and I’d then write melodies and chords. The production and mixing is a big part of my process, it’s essentially become a part of the song-writing. Mostly because I get caught up on chords, haha.
How did the songwriting happen? Are there any overall themes within the songs/album?
I believe a lot of the writing happened when I had something worth sharing, but some of the instrumental tracks were approached less pragmatically. An overall theme would be listening to the subtleties of our surroundings. Inside is deeply inspired by the nature in Aotearoa.
Were you going for a different sound/approach on this album?
Initially it was going to be two separate EP’s but I decided to squish them together. The first half of the album is quite beat and production orientated, the second half has a more singer-songwriter (emotive) approach. It all ended up working well, as a segue from an older to a more current style of my music.
Was there any specific gear you used to capture that?
At the time of making this record I had very limited options with gear, sometimes just my laptop. I would often borrow acoustic guitars, synths and microphones. I definitely enjoyed leaning into those limitations. My flatmate at the time Hayley Caldwell let me use her Technics KN-2000 keyboard which I used on most of the album, including “Really You” my first single from “Inside”. Hayley also had a grand piano in the lounge which was miles out of tune. I would record it on my iPhone and run it through auto-tune, which ended up adding a nice texture to some of the tracks. In Europe I had a Tascam microphone which I recorded a bunch of atmospheric and foley sounds, including my partner Kaja singing in a beautiful church near Freiburg, Germany. This ended up being the opening melody of the album.
Is there a particular single/track that you feel captures the essence of the album?
A song midway into the album called “Lost Your Breath” could be the heart of the project. This song was originally a gift to my youngest brother, in the hope that it would help him confront a family member that died in his presence, as I wrote the song from his experience. I wanted it to feel gentle and warm, while having a blunt narrative. It’s by far the most direct song on the album and, while I wouldn’t say it captures the essence of the whole project, it certainly captures something more personal.
Is there a physical copy available? If not which digital platforms is it available on?
There are currently no physical forms of the album. Two singles are available via most digital platforms and the album was available digitally from the 15th of September.
Are you working on a video/videos for any of the songs? Are you doing any gigs or promotion for its release?
I have been making music videos on iMovie for some of the songs. There are also some live sessions with some incredible musicians! I have no shows planned at this stage. Myself and Mukuka will continue doing promotion on our end while our LA based record label “Innovative Leisure” does their thing overseas!