July Bones

"'July Bones' was inspired by a book called 'Drop City' by T.C Boyle. It follows a hippy commune as they move their site, rather ambitiously, from Northern California to deepest, darkest Alaska. One element of this story (and in fact lots of T.C Boyle books) is the culture clash, with particular focus on a trapper named Sess Harder (GOOD NAME).

His inability to find a female companion to stay with him in almost total isolation through the harsh winter, and his loss of one particular lover as the summer ends (she hitches a ride on his rivals plane as the cabin fever and chill sets in) directly inspired the lyric 'I burnt all your things', which is just what he does when she deserts him. It really struck me - what a way to evict someone from your mind and heart, so utterly final and ridiculously cruel.

We started writing the track with a constant but delicate drone loop and turning off most of the lights in the studio - for me, it's the audio equivalent of lying under a starry sky or sitting in front of the big tank at an aquarium, it just takes your head somewhere else entirely and helps your hands and voice to move. We built the song with guitar, piano and suitcase drums, adding some Bon Iver inspired harmonies as we went along. Solid but simple bass playing (total groove) from Aidan O'Brien." -Richard Walters