Released almost exactly a year after his debut album, Architect, C Duncan‘s newest release, The Midnight Sun marks quite a bit of growth for the artist. A nod toward The Twilight Zone, The Midnight Sun is more than just a collection of songs, and although it isn’t necessarily a concept album, it does have a very uniform quality and underlying theme that makes it some of C Duncan’s strongest work to date. With the album out now and tour dates to bring 2016 to an end, the new year is looking bright for C Duncan. Read about the new album, upcoming shows and more below!
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for any readers who may not be familiar?
Hello! I’m C Duncan, or Christopher Duncan. I’m a singer/songwriter/dream pop artist from Scotland. I write and record all of my music alone in my apartment in Glasgow.
You just released your new album, The Midnight Sun earlier in October. What was the most rewarding part about working on these songs?
The most rewarding part was the recording process and getting it released. I wrote a lot of it whilst on tour last year after Architect came out, so it was really fun returning home and recording all the ideas I had in my head.
Did you have any major goals in mind when you began working on the album?
I wanted to make an album in which all the tracks fit together stylistically and thematically. The first album is more of a collection of different styles of songs whereas this new album has a more coherent and overall sound.
Although it isn’t technically a concept record, there is an underlying theme on The Midnight Sun. Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind the album?
The Midnight Sun is inspired by the Twilight Zone from the 50s. It’s one of my favourite shows and has always been a big inspiration because of its mysterious and unexplained quality. Although thematically it isn’t tied to the show, the album is named after my favourite episode. The midnight sun is also a natural phenomenon that happens in northern countries where in summer it never fully gets dark. Being a nocturnal person, this messes with my head a lot.
How do you feel that The Midnight Sun differs from your last album, Architect, whether thematically or musically?
As I’ve said, Architect is more of a collection of differing songs whereas The Midnight Sun has much more of a line running through it both musically and thematically. The lyrics in the new album are much more personal and it’s definitely a more somber album.
Architect and The Midnight Sun were released almost exactly one year apart – how do you feel you’ve grown in between these two albums? What has been the biggest change you’ve gone through?
Architect took over a year to write and record as I was still learning and getting used to my studio set up. The Midnight Sun was recorded over three months. I guess that’s the biggest change when it comes to recording. I am much quicker and more confident about my production skills now. The other big change is my live setup. Over the past few months I’ve changed from a three piece band to a five piece.
You have quite a few shows coming up throughout the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017 – what are you most excited about on this upcoming tour?
I’m excited about everything. We have a UK headline tour in Jan/Feb which is immediately followed by a month long tour with Elbow, which is very very exciting! I have also started writing for the next album so I’m looking forward to seeing what that turns into.
What has been the highlight of your 2016 so far?
Releasing the new album. I’m really enjoying playing the new songs live and hearing people’s reactions to the record.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
No problemo. Hopefully see you soon in the States!
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