Former Shed Seven drummer Alan Leach has announced his debut solo album.
The musician decided to take an indefinite break from the indie rock group last year and has now revealed that his first solo record – ‘I Wish I Knew Now What I Thought I Knew Then’ – will be released on November 4.
Alan also shared the first single, the anthemic ‘Clouds Behind The Moon’.
The nine-track record has been written and recorded by Leach over the last 12 months, with the sound and lyrical style influenced by the drummer’s appreciation of the melodic song writer from the 60s and 70s as well as the British indie scene of the 1990s.
The album has been engineered and mixed by Mickey Dale and features a number of collaborations and guest contributions. Alan’s former bandmate Joe Johnson plays guitar on three tracks, including ‘Erica’ which the pair co-wrote together.
Alan is joined by his son Sonny Leach – who plays guitar on a number of songs – and duets with folk singer-songwriter Haley Hutchinson on the uplifting ballad ‘If This Comes Off’.
Discussing the album, Leach said: “Until I wasn’t in Shed Seven any more, I didn’t realise just how much I was ready for a break and up for trying something different.
“I’ve had a lot of these songs buzzing around my head for years, but band life can tie up a lot of your energies, so until now, I never got around to doing anything with them.
“As this is my debut album, I felt like I had a completely blank canvas, so I just threw stuff at it and hoped for the best. Romantic storytelling seems to be where I’m at my most comfortable writing lyrics, but that hasn’t stopped me from attempting to put the world to rights on a couple of songs.”
Alan added: “Singing has been the big challenge. I went into the studio aiming for the lush northern tones of Jarvis Cocker, Alex Turner, Ian Brown and Richard Hawley, conceding that if the finished product didn’t sound like Frank Sidebottom, then I’d have done ok.”
Leach has announced two live dates on December 2 and 3 in his home city of York where he will be performing songs from the album with the backing of a band.
‘I Wish I Knew Now What I Thought I Knew Then’ tracklist:
1. A Dozen Of Me
2. Clouds Behind The Moon
3. Erica
4. Going For A Song
5. The One Love Generation
6. If This Comes Off (featuring Hayley Hutchinson)
7. Anthem For The Here And Now
8. Things Like This
9. Clouds Behind The Moon (orchestral version)