BLINDNESS & LIGHT
Q: What inspired you to write “Butterfly,” and how did the metaphor of the butterfly come to represent the themes you explore in the song?
It’s a cry for self determination. There’s no need to surrender to the cards we were dealt at birth, we can create our own positive wave of change. This is primarily about my mother’s mental health issues and her eventual premature death.
Q: You say, “Delegate responsibility.” How would you balance personal agency with influences that come from outside in our lives?
I feel religious beliefs can lead to people delegating personal responsibility to their deity rather than trying to take charge of their own issues and those of society.
Q: In the chorus, you come back in with the line “Don’t pull the wings off the butterfly.” What would you want the audience to take from that, and how would that relate to their compassion and someone’s vulnerability?
The negative force of a rough beginning should not be seen as a predefined route. Create your own positive butterfly effect and choose your own direction. Picture where you want to be and that tension will draw you to it. There’s not much that’s certain but the likelihood can be increased by self will. We, to an extent, create our own reality.
Q: Second verse, you bring in “Reality is not predefined.” What sparked your interest in entertaining that concept of choice and free will in your lyrics?
A couple of things really. I was on the scrapheap at school as a kid but that inspired me to prove them all wrong. The biggest inspiration is the arrogance of people who say “you’re not good enough”. I think my love of the philosophical exploration provided by sci-fi has always had me hooked. For example, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series explores mathematical and intuitive determination and manipulation of the future.
Q: The image of being “stuck in the mobius loop” is pretty striking. Can you explain what the concept is to you and how it relates to the overall message of the song?
The inability to determine orientation and clockwise from counter-clockwise is something we’ve all felt at times I guess? It’s hard to find a point of reference at times in your life.
Q: How do you usually write lyrics? Is there any sort of ritual or something which gets you creative?
I read a lot. That’s a good start. I’m hyper-sociable and talk to many people. I make endless notes of ideas no matter how vague….. but it all starts with the music. Music seems to switch on a different part of my brain and immediately these scraps of ideas join together. It’s rarely easy though!
Q: Often, your music combines philosophical themes with emotional experiences. How do you find a balance between these elements when you are writing songs?
I don’t try to balance them as far as I am aware, they are just a reflection of me and the way I see things.
Q: What, if anything, do you think music brings to bear on societal issues as reflected in your lyrics?
Mental health issues are much more accepted in society nowadays and the stigma has rightfully diminished but there’s still a long way to go. A broken mind takes a lot more time and support to heal than a broken bone.
Q: Is there anyone in particular, an artist or a writer, who has influenced how you approach the lyrics and what you write about?
I’ve read a lot of Camus and Sartre and of late much Iain M Banks. These must influence me but I think the way my ideas are pitched is probably more influenced by the post-punk lyricists such as Ian Curtis, Steven Patrick Morrissey and Paul Simpson.
Q: How does your background and personal experience shape the stories told through your songs?
I guess I’ve eluded to this quite a bit already. I think an artist has to write about things that actually matter to them instead of just a bunch of flowery hook-lines. There’s enough inside that’s unique if it can just be allowed to drift to the surface and be articulated in the flow of the music.
Q: What emotions would you like to evoke in your audience as they go through listening to your music, most especially in “Butterfly”?
Hope! The feeling of being at least partly in charge of our own destiny and not just a passenger on some predefined route through life.
Q: Are there any memorable responses that you could share from fans that might relate to some of the themes shown in “Butterfly”?
We’ve had quite a few positive comments but it was only released a few days ago. Come back to us in a year 😉
Q: Do you think songs could offer therapy to both the artist and the listener?
I have used songs as therapy for years. Leonard Cohen lends you the memories you never had. As an artist writing is like primal scream therapy, it is base-jumping for the soul. It’s better to explore your deepest feelings and get them out there. I personally feel liberated.
Q: You truly have grown as an artist with time. From some of your earlier works that you had done, how do you feel this lyrical style has evolved?
I’ve discovered how to be me. I takes a while. Living away from the city on an island in the Irish Sea has allowed me to switch myself on again.
Q: Is there a particular line or moment in “Butterfly” that you really connected with, and why?
I felt I was finally saying goodbye to my mother. “Your body’s cold, your eyes are cold” is the feeling I will always remember of holding her hand just after she died. I don’t want to sound morbid here, I think it’s important to let go.
Q: What is it that you hope sinks in, especially to those listeners perhaps in a place of struggle with their own vulnerabilities?
You can take control in small amounts and unleash your own butterfly effect. Be patient though.
Q: What’s peculiar or particular to you as an artist that happens in this process?
A massive feeling of liberation which allows me to function in everyday life outside music.
Q: How would you want your future music to shape up, especially the lyrics?
Blindness & Light are 100% independent. We don’t want a record deal. There are 12 people involved in this informal collective and we just want to retain the freedom to do things our way. In terms of money we just want to break even. Our last single achieved number 1 in the European Indie Charts so it shows what can be done by true independence. We still need to sell a few more CDs and vinyl to keep this going though.
https://blindnesslight.bandcamp.com/album/blindness-light
The second album, “I Dreamt I Had Insomnia”, will be released at the start of 2025 on all streaming platforms, CDs and limited edition vinyl.
Q: What do you want the audience to feel or be thinking of when done hearing “Butterfly”?
I hope they’re dancing away. My mother would’ve loved that. On her good days she was the ultimate party girl.
Q: Last but not least, if you could define “Butterfly” in a few words, what would they be?
“Goodbye mum, goodbye mother”.
