Q: Hi, Molly! I love “when i ache”: the subtle but captivating melody, lyrics, and your calming, beautiful voice. Can you walk me through the creative process of making this track?
MOLLY BUCHAN: I don’t usually sit down with the intention of writing songs unless it’s for college! A melodic idea or lyric will come randomly and that’s what inspires me to develop and explore ideas. The melody for “when i ache” came pretty instantly after playing around on the guitar – the lyrics took quite some time to get down though and kept changing. I can get very indecisive about lyrics and always think I need to make them more interesting or complicated in order to produce a good song but for this one, I tried not to be wordy to carry out the feeling of simplicity throughout the song.
Q: What was the inspiration behind “when i ache”?
MOLLY: I wrote “when i ache” at a time I was feeling quite low and desperately wanted to be able to let go of the weight I felt I was carrying. There’s multiple thoughts and emotions going on throughout the song including the weight of heartbreak and low self-esteem. The song is ultimately about growing up and learning to not hold onto things or people that are only affecting you negatively – It’s obviously a very hard thing to do but the song is about wishing you could be in that place.
Q: I’m always curious about an artist’s musical journey. Do you remember who or what first got you into music/ was your family musical growing up?
MOLLY: The Welsh side of my family have always been singers and musicians. I started to love traditional Irish music at a young age and started playing the fiddle. My grandad in Wales used to play the piano accordion by the fire every night so my first musical memories are very happy and full of nostalgia. When I was twelve years old, my dad wrote songs for a publishing company in Nashville. It amazed me to hear how great they sounded recorded in a professional studio and I wanted to start writing my own so I could be like him!
Q: The instrumental is so lovely on “when i ache”; the jangly guitars & soft drumming create a serene aura overall. I’m curious, what was the production process like on this single?
MOLLY: The recording process for this tune started out with myself in my bedroom studio layering vocals and acoustic guitar to my heart’s content! It wasn’t a complicated process at all, everything seemed to just fall into place when I brought the band over to record the melodic bass lines and guitars. The three other members bring so much to the table creatively and completely transformed the song! After that my manager over in LA (Pop Cautious Records) added the mandolin licks and I loved the sound! I didn’t picture the instrumental to be so uplifting when I wrote the song but I think it contrasts the lyrical content perfectly. The track was mixed by my drummer, Ben Coffey, and then mastered by Will Borza at Howie Weinberg Mastering.
Q: If you could only listen to five albums for the rest of your life, which would they be?
MOLLY: This is a very hard question but at this moment I would have to say ‘Evermore’ – Taylor Swift, ‘Pretty. Odd.’ – Panic! At The Disco, ‘Blue’ – Joni Mitchell, ‘So Tonight That I May See’ – Mazzy Star, ‘This Morning’ – This Morning (The artist, ‘This Morning’ is also the drummer in my band and it’s a great indie album)
Q: Was there a pivotal moment when you decided to pursue music fully? If so, what was that revelation like?
MOLLY: There’s no specific moment that really comes to mind. I think spending my childhood in rural parts of Scotland and Ireland that really pushed music in young people and had so many festivals and opportunities (where there really wasn’t much else to do!) had a big impact on me as well as other family members! I always loved performing and suppose that once I started singing and playing that that was how I saw myself spending my life.
Q: Pleasure speaking with you! Any parting words to your fans/new listeners?
MOLLY: Just to keep streaming!! The industry presents a competitive challenge for young independant artists so every single listener means the world to me! I have also just released my debut music video for ‘when i ache’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkJRgiGEFCQ) which is available now on YouTube so please check that out! I often show new music and live footage from gigs on Instagram as well which you can follow @mollybuchan. (https://www.instagram.com/mollybuchan/)
Q: Tell everybody what is coming up next for you! Any exciting plans for 2023?
MOLLY: I’m going to be gigging a lot around Ireland this year and am hoping to expand into the UK with my band during the summer. Keep an eye out for new singles in 2023 as well as my debut EP! The dream is still to travel to the states and play there and I will continue to work towards making that a reality.
Interviewed by Melissa Cusano
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