Telford's PUKK write open letter about new album
Telford's former Unsigned column stars PUKK have just released their second full-length record, Seven For A Secret to fans old and new.
A concept album - reviewed here - it is based on two murders from the perspective of three characters, it falls into five sections - Prologue, Acts I, II and III, and an Epilogue.
Here, in an open letter, frontman and songwriter Joe Chalmers discusses the ideas behind he new record for fans as well as the trials and tribulations of an unsigned musician - he previously admitted selling many of his favourite possessions to be able to fund last year's debut LP Feckless.
"So the second album has arrived.
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It was put together like a screenplay with 'acts'. Inspiration was taken from gritty TV shows like Peaky Blinders, Tin Star and Ozark as well as off-kilter cinema a la [Quentin] Tarantino.
It kicks off with a murder ballad and journeys through firsty blues, indie rock, spoken word and closes on a hopeful note. Light The Way is akin to The Style Council via an 80s bitter-sweet sitcom theme song.
It would've been easy to make a straightforward album. I wanted to build something more interesting with layers. The story of two murders is told from three perspectives. That of an ageing police officer (LT), a jailbird (Caine) and his wife (Maggie). Their names aren't mentioned in the album. The only reference to Maggie is the Easter egg on the cover (a magpie).
I ended up adding several Easter eggs for my own amusement. They are in the lyrics, the cover art and in some of the sounds used on the album. Some are obvious and others are so cryptic you'd have to go full-on 'helter skelter' to get them.
The album was produced again by Gavin Monaghan with the exception of No Place Like, Dive Bar Ultra Star and Seven For A Secret. These were recorded in the back bedroom at PUKK HQ.
The release is staggered on purpose. The album is available on replica vinyl CD from www.officialpukk.bandcamp.com and comes with a free download. It gets its official digital streaming release on New Year's Day. This way those people who really like our stuff get to support us by buying a physical CD and we see a few quid directly back. To add value the CD has two bonus tracks that won't appear on the streaming release. It comes in a custom cover with a replica hand-stamped CD. It's a nice item and costs £6 delivered. That's a posh coffee or a large McDonald's meal. This is art that has life in it and lasts longer than food.
Streaming pays very little (1p for four plays roughly), so any value I can leverage back from these big companies is a win. This is why the delayed digital release is happening. Why give them first crack on the songs and get pennies in return?
The idea is to give good value for money with a product I'm proud of. I'd sooner give a free download link away to someone and get an email in return. That's more valuable than what streaming has given me so far.
If I have a physical product to sell I'll make sure it's affordable and good value. Fairtrade is no robbery. The only way I can justify having PUKK's music on the big streaming platforms is to look at it as unpaid advertising. These are popular platforms so it's handy to be able to provide a link to any given platform.
The same with social media platforms. I have a special dislike for one in particular but it's popular, therefore it makes sense to have a band page there. When I figure out a work around (and I will) I'll throw a party!
Lastly, as well as the new album I've put together a 'box set' called Lost Keys. It will be on our Bandcamp page. It is a USB car key fob with a PUKK keyring. It comes in a stickered tin and is loaded with everything PUKK. It has the new album plus everything released in the back catalogue. They are in both WAV and MP3 formats too. The USB includes artwork, lyrics, info, video clips and an unreleased album of out-takes, demos, live takes and oddities. It brings everything together, plus extras, in a nice little keepsake. I had five made. This is something the streaming sites can't match.
Anyway, enough ranting about them. The album is what I'm promoting. Another cheeky Easter egg is the revving car engine at the start of Bullish. It's a Lamborghini and their logo is...drum roll...a bull. I know, I know. I've scattered the Easter eggs through the album. I won't spoil any more for you.
Always a pleasure, Joe Chalmers."
