Singer-songwriter Cian Godfrey is the artist behind Somebody’s Child. At the beginning of February they released their self-titled debut album. It’s obvious from the very first listen that this is a talent that will grow, indeed just this week they have hosted a Tim’s Twitter Listening Party for the new album, plus announced a string of tour dates in October as the majority of the current dates are now sold out. ‘We Could Start A War‘ is a track that stays with you long after the song has finished. So it was a pleasure to catch up with Cian to find out more about Somebody’s Child.
Congratulations on your self-titled debut album which was released on Frenchkiss Records. Somebody’s Child signed to Frenchkiss Records, the New York based label who have introduced the likes of The Hold Steady, The Drums and Local Natives, in early 2022. With Somebody’s Child starting in 2018, and the impact of the pandemic and its various stages of lockdown, is it fair to say that last year heralded a much-anticipated burst of both creativity and activity?
I think we felt like we were on a trajectory and that was taken from under us. While we did release three EPs we weren’t really sure where we were heading in hindsight. It was much tougher to get people to commit from a label perspective or whatever and I was self-managing for a large part of it which didn’t help. Creatively, we worked on song-writing 4 or 5 days a week during COVID and very little came out of it over a two year period. Thankfully the few months following lockdown proved that we weren’t the issue, it was the environment.
Cian, you grew up in Paris and attended music school in Dublin. You wrote for others initially. At what point did you realise you wanted to creative and release music for yourself? I’ve lived in Dublin since I was ten, so it was natural for me to go to college here. I always wrote for myself originally, but then when I started out in the music industry I felt there was no route for me on the live circuit, until I got a band. So for a while I was just writing for the sake of writing, hoping it was of use to someone. Thankfully after we released our first single things started to change for the better.
I’m fascinated by the fact that musical influences cited include the synth sounds of Joy Division and The Cure as well as the indie rock of the Arctic Monkeys and Foals. It makes for a thrilling combination in your music. Is there anything in particular that grabs your attention in their music?
I’m not sure what exactly it is. The 80s was the last era of modern music that I got into, which is why it had a longer lasting impression on me. And then the Arctic Monkeys were just a hugely influential band for me sonically in those early years, so it made sense to take inspiration from both eras.
Am I correct in saying that this album is partly inspired by the years you lived in Ireland?
Yes, the album was written in Dublin and journals my experience in it over a four year period.
Can you expand a little on your song creation process? Do you create both the lyrics and the music? Do they come together in unison?
The way I write is just intuition. I follow my gut and allow the song to write itself as best I can. I believe that in those moments of inspiration there is an end result, you just have to feel it out and find your way there. It’s therapy for me, so much so that I sometimes don’t understand the meaning behind the songs, but it’s the process of figuring that out that keeps me coming back.
I believe you are heading to SXSW in March. What other plans do you have for 2023?
We are also touring around the UK, Ireland, US that we know of. I’m not sure what the second half of the year brings. I’m planning on getting stuck into album two in the meantime.
If I looked in your fridge right now what would I find?
Very little. I’m between Dublin and London at the moment ahead of our tour, so I’m not exactly sure where I live!
Somebody’s Child debut album is available now on Frenchkiss Records. The band have just announced a tour for October as many of the February tour dates are now sold out. Please check here for album and full tour details.
For more information on Somebody’s Child check out their facebook and twitter.