The final performance of my tour for Pastoral took place at a cinema in Walthamstow called Mirth, Marvel and Maud. As soon as I walked into the building, I felt a sudden shift in pressure that left me feeling anxious and uneasy. I asked one of the staff members if the place was haunted, to which they responded with a bit of surprise.
It was then that I realized that the culmination of my feelings and anxieties during this tour were leading me to create my next album, something that would explore the supernatural. As I chatted with my friend Alexander Tucker, also known as Microcorps, about his ghost story, it dawned on me that there was a connection between these experiences and my own fears and psychological state.
I began researching the history of audio technology and its connection to spiritualism. It was fascinating to discover how early developments in audio technology had been used by spiritualists to communicate with other worlds. From Delia Derbyshire’s work at the Radiophonic Workshop to Daphne Oram’s pioneering use of sound synthesis, there was a long lineage of musicians who had explored the supernatural through their art.
As I delved deeper into this research, it became clear that women’s rights movements were also heavily influenced by early spiritualism. Women found solace in spiritualism because it gave them a platform for power and self-expression in an era when their voices were often silenced or marginalized. This theme resonated deeply with me as an artist who has struggled with anxiety and depression throughout my career.
Ultimately, what emerged from this exploration was Black Dog’s latest album – an emotional response to my own fears and lifelong psychological state. The initial connection between technology, women’s rights, and ghosts may have seemed far-fetched at first glance but it blew my mind how interconnected everything is when you start digging deeper into history.