Podcast Summary: The Heavy Heavy on 'One of a Kind' Debut (Listening Party)

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Host: Alison Stewart
Guests: Georgie Fuller & Will Turner (The Heavy Heavy)
Date: September 19, 2024
Episode Focus: Exploring The Heavy Heavy’s debut album 'One of a Kind' through an in-depth conversation and listening party

Episode Overview

This special listening-party episode dives into the making and meaning of The Heavy Heavy’s debut LP, 'One of a Kind'. Host Alison Stewart welcomes bandmates Georgie Fuller and Will Turner for a conversation about their creative process, inspirations, and the technical choices behind the record’s vintage-yet-contemporary sound. The episode features multiple song previews, stories from the studio and road, and reflections on the cultural influences that shape their music.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Post-Tour Reset and Album Genesis

• After last year's U.S. tour, Georgie and Will returned to the UK and allowed themselves time to decompress before diving into album creation.
  • Georgie on returning home:
    “Slept, went straight to sleep and then went to our favorite coffee shop down the road, which we always do when we get home from tour, go get a croissant and a coffee and sort of sit there like for a couple of hours.” (03:22)
  • The pressure to make a full album was ever-present, even before tour's end.

2. Creative Process, Doubt, and Aiming High

• Both discussed the challenge of finalizing an album and the ever-present self-doubt that comes with closing the creative door.
  • Georgie reflects:
    “Oh, no, this isn't good enough... you're kind of desensitized to the songs as well by that point, so you don't even know what you're listening to anymore.” (04:08)
• Will describes a non-narrative approach, aiming for a set of 20 strong songs before trimming them down.
  “We weren't looking for any kind of narrative or any sort of concept, so it really was just having enough songs that would be sort of good enough. We don't want any filler on there.” (04:42)

3. Will's Production Role and the Importance of Control

• Will self-produced, engineered, and mixed the album, valuing artistic control:
  • “It's the only way I'd like to do it, really… having the control was the best way to do it for me.” (05:46)
  • He admits to being particular, sometimes preferring solo work to collaborative compromise.

4. Dynamic Collaboration

• The duo describes their working relationship as one of mutual trust and complements—Will builds soundscapes; Georgie brings perspective, melody, lyrics, and finishing touches.
  • Will:
    “Sometimes you do lose yourself in it and you sort of lose perspective. So Georgie will come in with a shared load of perspective and tell me if it’s rubbish or it’s really good.” (07:38)
  • Georgie:
    “My greatest joy is that I get to come in with something to already play with… and help arrange, help write melody lyrics… and then take it to that final point.” (06:34)

Song Spotlights & Notable Segments

"Dirt"

• [02:16]: Episode kicks off with a groovy, blues-inflected album opener, described as “buoyed by blues licks, dirty riffs and drum beats,” embodying the band’s blend of nostalgia and modernity.

"Wild Emotion"

• [09:14]: Will channels Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler for a song blending British and American sensibilities.
• Georgie on theme:
  “It's about a really sad woman. We don't even know what's happened to her, but… we could feel the pain of this woman as we were writing it.” (10:34)
• Discussion on using vintage tech and preamps to create a “3D”-sounding, characterful production.
  “Some microphones have a sort of darkness to them… an old mic from the 60s, it just has a softer sound. It has like a 3D nature to it.” – Will (11:21)

"Feel"

• [13:21]: A nod to ’90s Britpop and Stone Roses energy, built on a repetitive, hypnotic riff.
  • Will:
    “I wanted it to be sort of dancey and sort of epic, but also the sort of balls out lyrics are… very sort of groovy and primal.” (13:26)
• Revealing the layering process: Up to 50-60 tracks on a single song, yet striving for “space.”
  • “They try and let the light shine through the music, so you’ve got to leave space between the elements for it to work.” – Will, citing Ronnie Wood/Keith Richards (15:59)

"Lovestruck"

• [17:37]: A breezy, harmony-driven piece inspired by Joni Mitchell and CSNY, written in a spontaneous, almost accidental burst of creativity.
  • Georgie:
    “It felt like Hissing of Summer Lawns era Joanie. And then that made us think of CSNY and…California in general, and we’d been in Mill Valley not long before that…” (16:49)
  • The track was a label favorite despite being written quickly—with technical vocal harmonies making it a stand-out live.

"Selena"

• [22:12]: The album's cinematic, orchestral closer; dreamlike and lush, intentionally reminiscent of 60s production and golden-era songwriting.
  • Mellotron, cello, twin pedal steels, and castanets fuse into a dreamy journey—Will and Georgie connect the soundscape to the mythical volcanic island of Salina, Sicily.
    • “It was this sort of cinematic dream world that we sort of leave the album with.” – Will (21:47; 21:05)
    • Notable production detail: “It’s the only time I’ve ever used [castanets] is on that recording.” – Will (23:29)

"One of a Kind" (Title Track)

• [24:55]: The duo closes out with the title track—a vibrant, anthemic song encapsulating the band's spirit.

Influences & Musical Upbringing

• Will and Georgie were immersed in classic rock, Americana, and folk via their parents’ record collections:
  “I was sort of brought up on the Animals… but the Doors and Credence were in there.” – Will (23:54)
• The return of vinyl has affected their listening and collecting habits, boosting their direct relationship to older music.
  “We’re lucky that vinyl’s back… because before it was sort of the vinyl collection of my parents that they’d put up in the loft because no one had a record player anymore. And now it’s back.” – Georgie (24:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Perfectionism:
  “What if it isn’t as good… you’re kind of desensitized to the songs as well by that point, so you don’t even know what you’re listening to anymore.” – Georgie (04:08)

• On Artistic Control:
  “Sometimes sort of obligated to be nice in a collaboration… where I thought, well, no, I know what I want and it’s maybe not what everybody else would think would be obvious to do.” – Will (06:01)

• On Sequencing:
  “Will’s like, keep me out of it… I feel like I have this idea of where I want things to go. Either story wise, tension wise, emotionally… Wild Emotion and Selena were very obvious for the vinyl, very obvious enders…” – Georgie (19:17)

• On Discovery:
  “Now it’s so easy to find music and… it’s like we’re trying to carry that sound on and… just add to that pile of sound.” – Will (23:54)

Structure & Flow (Timestamps)

| Segment | Time | |------------------------|----------| | Introductions/songs | 01:02-02:16 | | Tour Return & Album Start | 03:07-03:59 | | Making the Album (Self-Doubt) | 04:08-04:42 | | Will’s Producer Role | 05:38-07:34 | | Collaborating Dynamics | 07:38-08:20 | | Songs & Stories | | | "Wild Emotion" Story & Tech | 08:30-11:14 | | Vintage Sound on Record & Stage | 11:14-12:55 | | "Feel" & Arranging Space | 13:21-16:27 | | "Lovestruck" Inspiration | 16:28-17:46 | | Sequencing & Emotional Flow | 19:00-20:16 | | "Selena" Orchestration | 20:22-23:33 | | Record Collections & Influences | 23:40-24:44 | | Fave Track Selection & Outro | 24:44-25:02 |

Conclusion

This episode offers both longtime fans and new listeners an intimate, revealing portrait of The Heavy Heavy’s creative process and the sonic & emotional world of 'One of a Kind'. The interplay between Georgie and Will—marked by humor, honesty, and mutual respect—mirrors the tension and harmony at the core of their music. The conversation is peppered with references to analog production, classic rock icons, and the delicate dance between vintage influence and contemporary originality.

Recommended for: Fans of modern rock with vintage roots, studio recording enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the making of a debut album by a band on the rise.