Content:
With her debut album ‘The Garden Dream,’ gglum weaves a rich tapestry of dreams and reality, exploring a deeply personal musical journey that spans the gamut of her eclectic influences and introspective lyricism. Just don’t skip on the first listen. Check out the latest cover story for our New Music Friday playlist edit, PLAY.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
Emerging from the vibrant, eclectic backdrop of London, gglum – or Ella Smoker, for it is she, etc etc – embarks on a deeply personal and exploratory musical journey with her just-dropped debut album, ‘The Garden Dream’.
A pivotal moment for any artist, it’s a record that dives headfirst into a realm that blurs the lines between the surreal dreamscapes of her mind and the tangible reality of her experiences – not just as an introduction to gglum’s artistic prowess but also a gateway into the complex tapestry of her inner world.
Following on from her formative projects ‘Weak Teeth’ and ‘once the edge has worn off’, ‘The Garden Dream’ is where Smoker fully blooms, nurtured by vivid, sometimes unsettling dreams that she couldn’t help but transcribe into her music. “At the time of writing it, I was having loads of really freaky dreams that I accidentally started writing about and mushing up with real-life events,” she admits. “I guess it’s about how your dreams are fantastical stories to explain the way you feel or process things that you never really managed to process in real life. A kind of fever dream mish-mash of the world in your head and reality.”
Beyond its thematic richness, ‘The Garden Dream’ is a musical odyssey that spans the breadth of gglum’s influences and inspirations. From the raw emotion of indie-rock to the introspective lyricism of folk and the avant-garde edges of alt-pop, Smoker weaves a sound that is both distinctively hers and resonant with the wider human experience, where the fantastical and the mundane blend in a tapestry of sound and story.
Pushing past the introspective boundaries of bedroom pop to embrace a fuller, more collaborative process of music-making, as we delve into ‘The Garden Dream’, we’re invited not just to listen but to experience the world through both gglum’s eyes and the visions her mind cooks up alongside them.
“I learned to not worry about what other people want”
Ella Smoker
But not every day can be spent traversing the dreamscape. Today, Smoker is embracing a quieter vibe, reflective of the calm after the storm of creativity. “I’m really good, thanks,” she greets us before revealing that, actually, “really good” may also come with a bit of a fizzy-pop-sponsored caveat. “I went to a friend’s gig last night and bumped into a bunch of friends I haven’t seen in a while, so I’m pretty hungover today. I think I’m going to take it easy, maybe practice for some gigs coming up and eat a toastie,” she adds, her priorities clearly straight.
Ella’s songwriting often ventures into macabre territory, set against deceptively serene melodies. “Someone mentioned to me that I tend to write a lot of violent or disturbing lyrics over the top of quite pleasant-sounding tunes, which made me giggle,” she says, underscoring the contrast that defines much of her music. This approach allows her to construct vivid, immersive worlds within her songs, drawing inspiration from memories and the minutiae of moments past. “When I write songs, I tend to imagine a place and write from there,” she continues. “Whether it’s a place my brain has created that I go to in my dreams, or a friend from when I was fifteen’s living room, or the corner of a smoking area of a club. I think that’s very inspiring. Put yourself in a memory and pick out the things that stuck out to you.”
Initially written with Karma Kid just under two years ago, the album was “basically done by December”, but an album is never really finished until it’s out. “Over 2023, we added and removed some songs and just polished it all up,” Ella reveals. “It was a super quick writing process. I think we wrote ‘Eating Rust’ and ‘Honeybee’ on the second day that we started writing the album. I felt really ready and geared up to write an album, so we wrote it mega quickly.”
“I wanted to call the album ‘Years of Slaughter’, but no one seemed to be into that idea…”
Ella Smoker
The process was “way easier” than making her earlier releases. “With my EPs, it felt more of a collection of songs, but with the album, it felt like one big project that connected and sat in the same world,” she says. “It felt so natural and has been the most fun I’ve ever had writing music. I decided I wasn’t going to show it to anyone until it was mostly completed which meant I could only worry about my opinion on it.”
Over time, Smoker’s aspirations for her music have remained constant, though her confidence in realising those visions has significantly strengthened. “I think what I want from my music hasn’t changed, but my ability to pull off what I want and stand my ground on what I want has gotten better,” she reflects, emphasising the evolution of her artistic integrity and self-assurance.
“I think in the past, I’ve let people’s opinions take importance over what I want,” Ella admits. “Most of what I’ve released before this album has been me figuring out how to navigate that and then feeling like I haven’t quite ended up with something I’m happy with. With this album, I learned to not worry about what other people want to an extent and be more stubborn about what I want my music to sound like.”
The collaboration with Kamal. on ‘Do You See Me Different?’ exemplifies Smoker’s commitment to creating music with those closest to her. “I’ve known Kamal. since we were 14, so it was a long time coming,” she reveals. “I love writing music with my friends, so it was quite wholesome. A lot of the producers I work with are also artists, which I think is very important to me. It makes it a very different creative experience because, very often, they’ll have a strong idea of sounds they enjoy, which can create something really special.”
Choosing the title ‘The Garden Dream’ was a deliberate nod to one of the central dreams that inspired the album. “In the less graphic way of telling the story of the dream, I was planted in a garden with loads of other people and tortured for months,” Ella explains. “The final track was one that summed up the feeling and location of that dream. Since it was such a big inspiration, it kind of felt right to give credit to it.”
Smoker had considered a more provocative title, though. “Originally, I wanted to call the album ‘Years of Slaughter’, but no one seemed to be into that idea. ‘The Garden Dream’ is a lot more pleasant sounding,” she laughs.
For Ella, the essence of a successful debut album lies in making a definitive statement. “I think it’s about making a solid statement. Digging your feet in and saying, ‘This is what I sound like’,” she asserts, emphasising the significance of authenticity and self-expression in establishing an artist’s identity. “It can be quite intimidating because you can only make a debut album once, and I felt a lot of pressure from myself to get it right.”
Looking ahead, Smoker’s aspirations for ‘The Garden Dream’ are centred on connection and continuity. “I just want it to reach people who can connect with it and want to stick around for more. That’s what it’s all about for me,” she states, expressing a desire for her music to resonate with listeners on a personal level.
As ‘The Garden Dream’ weaves its way into life, Ella’s message is pretty clear. “Listen to my album! It’s my little baby, and I would love for people to try it out. And listen to it chronologically,” she urges. “Shuffling an album on first listen is insane behaviour.” ■
gglum’s album ‘The Garden Dream’ is out now. Follow Dork’s PLAY Spotify playlist here.
==============================
Image
==============================
URL
==============================
Source
Dork
==============================
Full content
[#item_full_content]