Hit Maker SAINT RAYMOND Introduces his Upcoming Album | We Chat about Latest Singles 'WIDE EYES BLIND' & 'SOLID GOLD'

Saint Raymond hit the Top 10 with his debut ‘Young Blood’, but the singer-songwriter hasn’t stood still. He’s been constantly refining his sound, experimenting with new ideas and picking up millions of streams for the EPs ‘A Light That Blinds’ and ‘3’.

That spell of evolution and self-discovery comes to a head with the news that Saint Raymond will release his long-awaited second album ‘We Forgot We Were Dreaming’ on April 16th. The album is launched alongside the brand new track ‘Solid Gold’. In addition, Saint Raymond has also announced the intimate UK underplay headline tour for April. It comes ahead of a full UK tour later in 2021.

‘Solid Gold’ is the album’s centre-piece. It’s a song that coalesces the varied elements of Saint Raymond’s sonics into a tightly-honed whole. Its hook radiates on a festival-pleasing scale, with the grit of the guitars counterpointed by the synths and percussion that provide a sparkling alternative edge. There’s also a new-found maturity to Saint Raymond’s voice too, a strength which provides its reflective lyricism with emotional potency.

‘Solid Gold’, together with the recent singles ‘Right Way Round’ and ‘Wide Eyed Blind’, present a tantalising taster of what to expect from the ‘We Forgot We Were Dreaming’ album. Written over two years, it was recorded in Bath with producer Joe Page, and it’s a set that shows Saint Raymond growing up without growing old: tackling heftier themes with a wider palette, without losing the energy that enamoured so many people to him the first time around.

The three tracks have gained a new wave of attention for the Nottingham-based singer-songwriter. He has returned to Radio 1 with airplay from Huw Stephens and featured on playlists such as Spotify’s New Music Friday and Indie Roadtrip, plus Deezer’s Brand New UK.

‘We Forgot We Were Dreaming’ is now available to pre-order and pre-save, and will be released on the following formats: CD, orange LP, black LP, cassette, download and streaming. Fans who pre-order the album will gain access to an exclusive pre-sale to his limited capacity underplay 2021 headline tour. The pre-sale will open at 10 am GMT on Wednesday, November 18th before tickets on general sale from 10 am GMT on Friday, November 20th.

Congratulations on the success of the single so far! It’s only been out a little over a week and has already amassed close to 100,000 streams. Can you tell us a little bit about the song and how it 1st  came about?

Thank you! I went off to work Mike (Clean Cut Kid) in Liverpool for the first time, we literally hit it off straight away, he’s a great guy and fun to work with. We wrote the song in literally a few hours!

What’s the song Solid Gold about?

‘Solid Gold’ is about trying to rekindle the spark and make things work because you know that there is something special in the relationship and it’s worth fighting for. It’s about knowing that all of the good things override the negatives.

What’s the Upcoming Album About?

The album is generally about relationships - whether that be friendships or love interests. It encompasses things I have picked up from around me seeing people falling in and out of love,” explains Saint Raymond. “It’s also about the relationship we all have with ourselves and in our own minds. There are a few songs on ’We Forgot We Were Dreaming’ that are about mental health and my relationship with that.”

You said recently said that “Wide Eye Blind” is “about relationship breakdown. When you’re trying to be aware of absolutely everything and you kind of miss what’s happening right in front of you. This is something that many are being reminded of in the current situation and way of the world. Does the song have anything to do with this? 

It’s weird actually, there’s a couple of songs on the record that feel quite relatable to what’s going on with the world now, but all these songs were written at least over 12 months ago, I finished recording the record a while back now, so a lot of that is just coincidence.

The single is accompanied by a beautiful one-shot video. It features an emotive performance from the performer, writer and activist Tilda Wickham. What was the thinking behind the video plot?

I’ve got a wicked creative team ( Bjorn Franklin and Johnny Marchetta) that I’m working with for everything on this record in terms of artwork and video. They came to me with the idea and I have full trust in them so I let them go ahead and we shot it in a few hours and I think it turned out amazing.

 What was it like working with Tilda?

They absolutely smashed it. there’s always the risk with it only being one take that may mean you have to do so many but every take they did was so good that we ended up having quite a few options.

The artwork for “Wide Eye Blind” is so striking. Is the lady in the photograph someone you know? What is the story behind it?

I don’t actually know anyone from the artwork so far! Basically, we had a creative meeting in March about what we want the artwork to look like and we had plans to shoot it all but then a week later Corona stopped everything so it kind of put a hold on all of our plans.  The creative team I mentioned earlier had to dig around

and find some old photos and footage that matched what I wanted going forward and luckily they’ve been able to deliver so well on the three singles so far.

 Your new album has been 2 years in the works. Has the way you write and approach your music changed at all?

I think naturally I’ve just learnt stuff, you know when I wrote the first record I was 16 up to about 20 so I was young, maybe naive and still learning. Whereas now I feel after seven or eight years in this industry I’ve learnt a lot, so in terms of working nothing has massively changed. I still work with the same people I worked with on the first record in terms of writing but I’ve just learnt a lot over the years!

 Is there a theme running through the new record? 

Not, in particular, I’d say it’s just an accumulation of experiences that have happened around me. Whether that be with my friends or stuff I’ve watched. I’m quite an eager learner and always looking to pick new things up and facts etc so the whole record kind of stems from that really.

You have supported the likes of Haim, Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi, as well as playing the likes of Reading Leeds and Glastonbury. What is your favourite show you’ve ever played and why? 

I’ve been so fortunate to support some of these amazing artists and play some of these mental stages, moments that I won’t forget ever. But the one standout for me is my first show at Rock City, I’ve grown up going to gigs at that venue since I was 14 so to headlight it and sell it out was a really special moment for me and my family.

Who are your biggest influences and why? (Old and new)

Without sounding really cliche I grew up listening to all sorts of music I think it was because I grew up with older siblings who were into loads of different music from dance to Oasis from my early teens I really got into guitar music I think indie was really popular then so a lot of my influences came from that but also I adore Bon Iver so he was a mainstay from my teens right up until now.

   COVID19 has obviously been a huge setback for everyone, and all industries, especially the arts and live events sector. How have you dealt with it all?

 Yeah, it’s a really weird one I guess, at first I quite liked the break and the time out to reflect because I finish my record however I suddenly had the urge to start writing whether that be for me or other people again and not being able to be in a room with people all the time is really frustrating. Then obviously the big one is live I feel like Saint Raymond has always revolved around live shows and touring and the festival also to have that completely stripped away has been a real blow. 

What advice do you have for young artists and writers starting off their career in such a turbulent time?

I do feel really sorry for young artists now because I think I learnt a lot of my craft live so not being able to have that is a big thing stripped away!

However, there is another way to look at it which is now is the perfect time to just keep writing and really learn on that side of things. Even for me personally, I’m taking the time to work on my production because it’s something I’ve never really done so I think it’s a good time for everyone, not even music just in life to learn more.

You have worked with legendary producer Jacknife Lee on your debut album? What was

that like? 

Again I was very fortunate to get to work with him you only have to look at his back catalogue to see what a genius he is. It was amazing to get to work with him and learn from him and obviously getting to do it in sunny Los Angeles is always a big bonus.

Has your new album been a collaborative effort with others? If so, how have you overcome the hurdles that COVID pandemic has come with? 

Fortunately for me, the record was mostly done in terms of stuff that I need to do i.e. recording, it was just a case of mix in a couple of things and mastering so for me, fortunately, I didn’t affect anything. I had a couple of bits to do but just bits I could do from home like extra vocals so again really lucky. I feel like zoom became everyone’s best friend (and worst enemy)!

 2020 has been a challenging year for all, but looking forward, what can we expect from Saint Raymond in 2021? 

My debut album is coming up to 6 years next summer, so to finally have Album 2 on its

way is a really exciting landmark for me. Hopefully, live shows we have stuff in mind but it’s obviously just a case of whether we are allowed to put on shows or not!

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Interview | Andy Black