Some of the classic pop music was written in the studio, without having been road-tested in live performance. The Beatles and The Beach Boys come easily to mind, of course. Appropriately, Dave Ody (aka Mothboxer) names both bands as principal influences and it’s no surprise that his music reflects the same ethos that his more famous forebears pioneered and mastered during the 60s.
Sand and the Rain is Ody’s fourth album and is a gorgeous evocation of 60s pop and all the ‘genres’ that were built up from that epoch in music history. Thus, fans of XTC, Martin Newell, Robyn Hitchcock & the like will find much to savor in this instant pure pop classic. We caught up with Ody to find out what’s it like in the Mothboxer universe.
How did you settle on your musical direction/style – classic pop/rock?
Thanks entirely to my parents record collection which consisted primarily of Beatles and Beach Boys. I then got into bands and artists influenced by my brother like JJ Cale, Pink Floyd etc. Artists from the 60’s and 70’s seemed to resonate with me. Still appreciate good new bands too like Tame Impala, Temples and Royal Blood.
What is the songwriting process like for you?
Can be fairly instant. Songs can appear when you least expect them. Even trying out a new synth sound can inspire a new track. If I sit down with the intent to write a song however, 9 times out of 10 nothing good will appear!!
How long did it take to record the album? Was it difficult?
As is the way of the world, most independent artists have to do the day job to pay the bills so album sessions were mainly weekday evenings and spare time so it’s hard to get a consistent block of time. It took about 8 months of on and off work, a couple of the tracks we’re recorded a few years back for previous albums and they seemed to sit better on this record.
What do you achieve every time you finish an album?
A sense of relief that I can still do it. I’m proud of everything I’ve released so far. There’s always little things I hear that I may have wanted to do differently but on the whole I feel a great sense of pride.
What is your definition of succeeding as an artist?
It’s a tricky one. To be honest success is hard to measure these days with social media and internet downloads being an artists primary contact with fans. Success to me is creating music that improves people’s mood. If someone chooses to listen to Mothboxer to brighten their day then I’ve been successful.
Sand and the Rain is available now.