In Conversation With #100 - Dylan Cartridge
Dylan Cartlidge has just released his genre bending EP ‘Yellow Brick Road’ - with no song sounding the same, it proves this artist has no boundaries on how far he can go with his music. He took a moment to talk to us about the release.
Hey Dylan - so how are you? How does it feel to finally have the EP out there in the world?
I’m very well thank you! It's crazy to have another piece of my music out there after my last release in 2019 although in the current climate of the world, everything’s a bit weird for everybody.
It is titled ‘Yellow Brick Road’ - does that hold any meaning to you?
To me it's about personal growth, discovery and really going from nothing to something. It’s about dreams and aspirations and how when they come into fruition, that can be a rabbit hole of good and bad experiences. Suddenly you can find yourself in a situation or emotional state and not quite be sure how to go there but you still have to find a way to navigate through it all.
Where was the EP recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the recording process?
All the songs were written in two day spurts with zero preparation. One was written while on leave working in Wetherspoons. Another one I may or may not have been wearing underwear the whole time & only realised after the fact. And another was written in a 3 storey flat complex where the person I was working with, had people in the downstairs flat stealing his packages and a Jamaican lady upstairs screaming & singing - I’m pretty sure she made into onto the final recording!
How does this EP differ from your debut - ‘Monsters Under My Bed’?
I think the music on this touches upon different themes and emotions, and I hope adds another colour to the palette for listeners to get a bit more of what I’m about.
It was produced by James Dring - who has worked with the likes of Jamie T and Gorillaz, how did that partnership come about?
James was the first producer & writer I came across and boy was I Iucky. Not only is James the coolest cat I know but has grown to be a really amazing friend to me and one of my favourite people in the world, let alone the music industry.
What are the key themes and influences on the EP?
Life experiences, personal growth and the duality of dreams vs expectations.
You have a life motto of ‘hope above adversity’ - can you tell us what that means to you?
It means I’m happy to not be on drugs, dead or in prison as lots of people from similar backgrounds end up in, and that's f***** up man. With every step forward I take, I know there's a lane opening up for people who may have had to experience similar things but If I can pursue my dreams, live a relatively normal healthy and stable life, in which loved and supported, anybody can.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the EP? If so, which one and why?
Summertime opens up with, “Watched Hannibal yesterday, brand new way to procrastinate/Same old Ridley Scott Masterpiece, my parents must be proud of me….remember those things I should do? Before Red Dragon, Yes & No/Hey wasn’t I suppose to move, Silence Of The Lambs here we go ….im crazy about horror movies (I’ve seen like probably over 1000) and like everyday, sometimes you start out with the best of intentions before you end up doing zero of the things you planned to do.
Now the EP is out there - what next?
Summertime Wraps up the EP on the 14th of August, then more new music later on in the year in the form of another EP before I release an Album next year.