Brendan Welch has had a weird run of things: from having an unbelievable album locked in the legal system for years, to having songs of his finding fame and recognition through other artists. It's tempting to call him unlucky.But with his second record, Brendan Welch , which was released last year, it's hard to think of him as anything but. At least not with skills like his. I added Brendan on Facebook because Skype wasn't working, and we spoke via Messenger about expectations, True Detective , and being the original Sad Boy Cover of "Dancing on My Own".Today on Noisey we premiere the video for Brendan Welch's "Something Like Love," which you can watch underneath our interview.Noisey: Brendan! Hello!
Brendan Welch: Hey!
How are you? Are you at work?
Good, you? Yeah at work but I'm not really busy…
I'm good! I just watched the new Blade Runner trailer and I am feeling jacked about it.
Yeah I saw that, too. I love the director, Denis Villeneuve ! All his films are quality stuff. Arrival, Prisoners etc. Can't wait. Sicario also . He's my fave right now.
Ooh yeah that's a good one. I still haven't seen Arrival. It's basically Contact , right?
Yeah but shorter.
Haha, an excellent amendment.
And maybe better…
Whoa whoa whoa!
I haven't seen Contact for ages, I shouldn't say things like that! I take it back!
Ok good. I'll allow it…
I haven't seen Arrival either so really neither of us knows what we're talking about.
Anyway!
We're not here to talk FILMS (technically).
Yeah let's a2d for now and move on.
Great call.
Do you know that expression "your fave's fave"?
No..? It's good. Does it mean your favourite person or your favourite artist's favourite thing? I'm guessing…
Yeah yeah exactly.
I'm gonna use it.
You should.
It's like when I was obsessed with Bob Dylan, he led me to all my favourite old American music, because I was reading about what stuff he was into. And spoiled at least some of his magic in the process…
Oh yeah. Bit of that old Woody Guthrie?
Yeah exactly.
And older blues singers and such.
Yeah, it can be a bit disheartening when you think someone's doing some revolutionary shit and then it's all been lifted more or less from somewhere else.
But hey!!! That's art!
Yeah! Absolutely.
A great artist steals! Paraphrasing TS Elliot.
I should find the actual quote someday..
He said funny great things about writing like "you should write as little as possible".
Hahah!
Comforting for a lazy person.
Yeah that's good.
I brought up "your fave's fave" because I think you're one of those "fave's fave" type of artists.
Because you can count people like Tim Rogers and Paul Kelly as fans of you but you're not super well known in Australian music (yet)…
That's nice!
Yeah, I'm not well known at all. I need to work harder! And faster… I'm a bit of a tortoise when it comes to finishing new work and organising shows and everything.
I think taking an extended break after my first record wasn't the best 'plan' but I wasn't sure how to proceed at that point.
Yeah, are you still under some kind of NDA or can you talk about all that stuff with your first record?
It got locked up in the legal system, right?
Well the album did come out but the label had already given up at that point as it didn't get picked up by certain people in radio etc. So pretty much straight after the release we parted ways and they owned the album. At some point it disappeared from iTunes etc and then I spent quite a while trying to get the right to make it available again.
Eventually they licensed it back to me so I could at least re-release it before the new record came out.
That was a bad time after the first record! Had a bit of a breakdown and then backed away from doing anything new for a while. But then I met my now boyfriend of seven years and that got me back into writing and trying to put something new together. A lot of the songs on the new record are about that, including my first few real love songs.
Wow, that's a fucking beautiful thing.
So you've been doing this thing professionally for like a decade now?
Yeah a long time.
I can't stop!
Haha.
I still get a lot of energy from creating new songs. It's the important thing for me; to keep getting better. I'd like to have a larger audience but either way I won't stop.
I was going to say, there are some musicians who do it because they want to or because it's fun. You seem like the type of person—sorry if I pigeonhole you—that needs to make music. That it's very necessary in order to live a life you like.
It is. I don't wanna sound like it's some calling, but the creating of melodies and songs is like a power source in my life. When I don't feel like I'm onto something new, nothing feels possible. It's probably not a good thing…
Ha yeah wow.
That could really fuck a person around.
At the same time I'm not delusional about the importance of what's actually created in that process. I know they're just songs! But I can't stop that need to keep searching for that magic thing…
At the same time is all fun though!
You know True Detective?
I do.
That line that McCaunahay's character says: "there's barely enough time to get good at one thing in this life, so be careful what you get good at." I love that line and at least I feel like I've spent time getting good at the right thing.
I think I misspelled McCaunahay…
McConnaughey.
I believe.
Yeah that is a great line.
There were so many great lines in that show.
Yeah if you could make them out… Both of them were mumblers.
Haha that is true.
I think I used subtitles to be quite honest.
So how many songs do you think you've recorded? How many songs in your catalogue?
I'm not prolific but I would say over a hundred songs probably—many of them abandoned and some completely forgotten. I've managed to keep pretty good records of things but some of it's been lost. I go through periods where I write a bunch and then nothing. The cycle has gone around enough times now that I'm reasonably sure that when I'm in an ebb, another flow will come along at some point
What are the ebbs like?
Are you just a bit shitty at songwriting?
If I can't come up with anything new I usually start learning other people's songs or try and get better as a musician stuff like that. And watch TV.
I still think I'm good at songwriting! Somehow my self-belief survives.
Oh I just kind of got what you meant! Yeah during an ebb I try and write and everything comes out gross and dead.
Oh I didn't mean for that image to be so dark.
Bit bleak but it makes sense.
Do you have a favourite of your songs?
That's hard to say. Usually it's the newest thing, but my favourite to sing of late is "Five Days Gone" off the new record. But I'm pretty hard on myself, I don't think any of them are really good enough! That's what keeps me going though.
And "Something Like Love" off the new record I'm happy with. It's a true story and I think I did an alright job of putting it into a song.
It's a really fucking good one.
I love it.
What's the idea behind the video? If there is one…
Thank you!
The idea was just to have me dance! Not much planning but the idea scared me so it seemed worthwhile. I just improvised movements and tried to be genuine. We laughed a lot doing it. I actually edited it together which has harrowing, and I tried to keep it light and include some of the shots of me laughing uncontrollably but they didn't quite fit. It ended up quite serious looking and a bit liturgical, but I think it still fits with the song.
Photographed by Alice Glenn who's an old friend so it felt like a 'safe space' god I hate that term…
Haha
By the way this is my favourite Facebook msg conversation.
Haha, ever?
That can't be true
Maybe ever, I don't use it that much!
Usually just: 'Are you going to that thing'
Haha ahhh ok.
I get it.
So! You were the original "Sad Man Singing Robyn's 'Dancing on My Own.'" How do you feel about this… this… Callum Scott? You recorded a very similar thing back in 2014.
Hmmmmmmmm.
Touchy subject!
Go in, my friend, let's do this.
Nah I don't mind. Good on him for actually putting it out.
When I heard it I was like: "why didn't I actually release it as a song?"
Lesson learned.
It's not like it's some obscure song so it was bound to happen.
Maybe I'll include my version on something… I've been thinking of doing a covers record.
And mine wins on sadness alone, much more mournful!
Haha, very Brendan Welch.
Yeah I think I was in an Uber in Sydney when I first heard the Callum Scott version.
I was on my way out to a dinner or something.
And my jaw like, cartoon dropped.
For a second I thought it was you but then no.
Maybe I'll just pick another Robyn song and run with it?
You should!
"Call Your Girlfriend"?
"With Every Heartbeat"?
"Call Your Girlfriend" is bloody great.
That would be my go-to I reckon.
Really the best thing would be to come up with a song like "Dancing On My Own"! So simple so good.
Yeah exactly.
Do you like Carly Rae Jepsen? Or Sky Ferreira?
I only really know that one Carly song and I don't think I've heard of Sky…? I'm pretty out of the loop lately!
Omg i'm going into a two hour meeting but I will be back to finish this!
No probs
THURS 15:13
Ok I'm back.
I'm ready!
Great.
Okay. Jordie Lane's cover of "I Think I Always Thought I'd Fall In Love With You," how did that come about and what was the fallout of that? I know he's very generous with talking about you and your music, but do you feel like it's YOUR song? Do people know it's yours?
Well I used to be in the same circles with Jordie, we played some shows together and hung out a bit, when they asked if they could cover it I didn't think twice. I was flattered. I'm not sure if people know it's my song but it's all good, I'm glad the song got out there a bit!
I still sing it every show, I wonder if people think I'm covering Jordie? Haha.
I might re-record it sometime and put it out again maybe.
I'm too polite!
I need to learn how to have beef with people ha.
It really is…. the most…. beautiful song.
I was once camping and everyone was high on MDMA and pills and it was guitar around the fire time at like, 4am.
Someone played "Think I Always Thought" and everyone, like forty people, sang it.
That's wonderful to hear! someone may have told me that but my memory is baaaad.
It's a good feeling knowing a song means even a little-something to some people
I can (sort of) imagine?
Ok, getting serious: What's the best thing about being a songwriter?
The best thing about being a songwriter is when you're in the middle of making something new and a bit of a melody or a word or a chord progression takes over for a few seconds and you're certain there couldn't have been a more correct next move to make and you hold onto it for as long as you can and it's magic! …Too vague ?
Nah that's really nice.
And also just when you like a song you've made and then you play it to someone and they get it.
Haha.
That's sick.
Sometimes you're sure something's good and then you play to a person and they go 'meh' as well.
Yeah that would feel really fucking odd I think.
Yeah but the person's usually right.
These things are for an audience after all, I try not to forget that.
I was going to call the new record Entertainment.
Haha.
That's really good!
I think I got the idea from that Bob Dylan documentary where he says all he does really is entertain. He's like "no one comes to a concert to get whipped and if you do and you want to get whipped aren't you being entertained?"
Maybe that's why he was uncomfortable accepting the Nobel Prize.
I think he was just touring…
I think the story ended up being way more boring than we thought.
Oh! Haha
He just cbf?
Yeah it was just a bit inconvenient.
Haha.
Do you know what your favourite song is?
Honestly I couldn't say one I don't think! I think one that really captures something unsayable and strange and beautiful (the sort of thing I'm after) is the song "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was The Ground" by Blind Willie Johnson. It doesn't really have words though, does that count?
There's so many good ones.
It counts.
Thousands of them.
Haha.
Yeah.
I forget that not everyone's a psycho like me and I has like,
An ultimate top ten in their head at all times…
There's probably thousands that people haven't really heard that are incredible!
I could probably come up with a top ten pretty quick but I've not really put that together
When I think about doing a covers record, I'll do it then…
Sounds good.
Brendan Welch: Hey!
How are you? Are you at work?
Good, you? Yeah at work but I'm not really busy…
I'm good! I just watched the new Blade Runner trailer and I am feeling jacked about it.
Yeah I saw that, too. I love the director, Denis Villeneuve ! All his films are quality stuff. Arrival, Prisoners etc. Can't wait. Sicario also . He's my fave right now.
Ooh yeah that's a good one. I still haven't seen Arrival. It's basically Contact , right?
Yeah but shorter.
Haha, an excellent amendment.
And maybe better…
Whoa whoa whoa!
I haven't seen Contact for ages, I shouldn't say things like that! I take it back!
Ok good. I'll allow it…
I haven't seen Arrival either so really neither of us knows what we're talking about.
Anyway!
We're not here to talk FILMS (technically).
Yeah let's a2d for now and move on.
Great call.
Do you know that expression "your fave's fave"?
No..? It's good. Does it mean your favourite person or your favourite artist's favourite thing? I'm guessing…
Yeah yeah exactly.
I'm gonna use it.
You should.
It's like when I was obsessed with Bob Dylan, he led me to all my favourite old American music, because I was reading about what stuff he was into. And spoiled at least some of his magic in the process…
Oh yeah. Bit of that old Woody Guthrie?
Yeah exactly.
And older blues singers and such.
Yeah, it can be a bit disheartening when you think someone's doing some revolutionary shit and then it's all been lifted more or less from somewhere else.
But hey!!! That's art!
Yeah! Absolutely.
A great artist steals! Paraphrasing TS Elliot.
I should find the actual quote someday..
He said funny great things about writing like "you should write as little as possible".
Hahah!
Comforting for a lazy person.
Yeah that's good.
I brought up "your fave's fave" because I think you're one of those "fave's fave" type of artists.
Because you can count people like Tim Rogers and Paul Kelly as fans of you but you're not super well known in Australian music (yet)…
That's nice!
Yeah, I'm not well known at all. I need to work harder! And faster… I'm a bit of a tortoise when it comes to finishing new work and organising shows and everything.
I think taking an extended break after my first record wasn't the best 'plan' but I wasn't sure how to proceed at that point.
Yeah, are you still under some kind of NDA or can you talk about all that stuff with your first record?
It got locked up in the legal system, right?
Well the album did come out but the label had already given up at that point as it didn't get picked up by certain people in radio etc. So pretty much straight after the release we parted ways and they owned the album. At some point it disappeared from iTunes etc and then I spent quite a while trying to get the right to make it available again.
Eventually they licensed it back to me so I could at least re-release it before the new record came out.
That was a bad time after the first record! Had a bit of a breakdown and then backed away from doing anything new for a while. But then I met my now boyfriend of seven years and that got me back into writing and trying to put something new together. A lot of the songs on the new record are about that, including my first few real love songs.
Wow, that's a fucking beautiful thing.
So you've been doing this thing professionally for like a decade now?
Yeah a long time.
I can't stop!
Haha.
I still get a lot of energy from creating new songs. It's the important thing for me; to keep getting better. I'd like to have a larger audience but either way I won't stop.
I was going to say, there are some musicians who do it because they want to or because it's fun. You seem like the type of person—sorry if I pigeonhole you—that needs to make music. That it's very necessary in order to live a life you like.
It is. I don't wanna sound like it's some calling, but the creating of melodies and songs is like a power source in my life. When I don't feel like I'm onto something new, nothing feels possible. It's probably not a good thing…
Ha yeah wow.
That could really fuck a person around.
At the same time I'm not delusional about the importance of what's actually created in that process. I know they're just songs! But I can't stop that need to keep searching for that magic thing…
At the same time is all fun though!
You know True Detective?
I do.
That line that McCaunahay's character says: "there's barely enough time to get good at one thing in this life, so be careful what you get good at." I love that line and at least I feel like I've spent time getting good at the right thing.
I think I misspelled McCaunahay…
McConnaughey.
I believe.
Yeah that is a great line.
There were so many great lines in that show.
Yeah if you could make them out… Both of them were mumblers.
Haha that is true.
I think I used subtitles to be quite honest.
So how many songs do you think you've recorded? How many songs in your catalogue?
I'm not prolific but I would say over a hundred songs probably—many of them abandoned and some completely forgotten. I've managed to keep pretty good records of things but some of it's been lost. I go through periods where I write a bunch and then nothing. The cycle has gone around enough times now that I'm reasonably sure that when I'm in an ebb, another flow will come along at some point
What are the ebbs like?
Are you just a bit shitty at songwriting?
If I can't come up with anything new I usually start learning other people's songs or try and get better as a musician stuff like that. And watch TV.
I still think I'm good at songwriting! Somehow my self-belief survives.
Oh I just kind of got what you meant! Yeah during an ebb I try and write and everything comes out gross and dead.
Oh I didn't mean for that image to be so dark.
Bit bleak but it makes sense.
Do you have a favourite of your songs?
That's hard to say. Usually it's the newest thing, but my favourite to sing of late is "Five Days Gone" off the new record. But I'm pretty hard on myself, I don't think any of them are really good enough! That's what keeps me going though.
And "Something Like Love" off the new record I'm happy with. It's a true story and I think I did an alright job of putting it into a song.
It's a really fucking good one.
I love it.
What's the idea behind the video? If there is one…
Thank you!
The idea was just to have me dance! Not much planning but the idea scared me so it seemed worthwhile. I just improvised movements and tried to be genuine. We laughed a lot doing it. I actually edited it together which has harrowing, and I tried to keep it light and include some of the shots of me laughing uncontrollably but they didn't quite fit. It ended up quite serious looking and a bit liturgical, but I think it still fits with the song.
Photographed by Alice Glenn who's an old friend so it felt like a 'safe space' god I hate that term…
Haha
By the way this is my favourite Facebook msg conversation.
Haha, ever?
That can't be true
Maybe ever, I don't use it that much!
Usually just: 'Are you going to that thing'
Haha ahhh ok.
I get it.
So! You were the original "Sad Man Singing Robyn's 'Dancing on My Own.'" How do you feel about this… this… Callum Scott? You recorded a very similar thing back in 2014.
Hmmmmmmmm.
Touchy subject!
Go in, my friend, let's do this.
Nah I don't mind. Good on him for actually putting it out.
When I heard it I was like: "why didn't I actually release it as a song?"
Lesson learned.
It's not like it's some obscure song so it was bound to happen.
Maybe I'll include my version on something… I've been thinking of doing a covers record.
And mine wins on sadness alone, much more mournful!
Haha, very Brendan Welch.
Yeah I think I was in an Uber in Sydney when I first heard the Callum Scott version.
I was on my way out to a dinner or something.
And my jaw like, cartoon dropped.
For a second I thought it was you but then no.
Maybe I'll just pick another Robyn song and run with it?
You should!
"Call Your Girlfriend"?
"With Every Heartbeat"?
"Call Your Girlfriend" is bloody great.
That would be my go-to I reckon.
Really the best thing would be to come up with a song like "Dancing On My Own"! So simple so good.
Yeah exactly.
Do you like Carly Rae Jepsen? Or Sky Ferreira?
I only really know that one Carly song and I don't think I've heard of Sky…? I'm pretty out of the loop lately!
Omg i'm going into a two hour meeting but I will be back to finish this!
No probs
THURS 15:13
Ok I'm back.
I'm ready!
Great.
Okay. Jordie Lane's cover of "I Think I Always Thought I'd Fall In Love With You," how did that come about and what was the fallout of that? I know he's very generous with talking about you and your music, but do you feel like it's YOUR song? Do people know it's yours?
Well I used to be in the same circles with Jordie, we played some shows together and hung out a bit, when they asked if they could cover it I didn't think twice. I was flattered. I'm not sure if people know it's my song but it's all good, I'm glad the song got out there a bit!
I still sing it every show, I wonder if people think I'm covering Jordie? Haha.
I might re-record it sometime and put it out again maybe.
I'm too polite!
I need to learn how to have beef with people ha.
It really is…. the most…. beautiful song.
I was once camping and everyone was high on MDMA and pills and it was guitar around the fire time at like, 4am.
Someone played "Think I Always Thought" and everyone, like forty people, sang it.
That's wonderful to hear! someone may have told me that but my memory is baaaad.
It's a good feeling knowing a song means even a little-something to some people
I can (sort of) imagine?
Ok, getting serious: What's the best thing about being a songwriter?
The best thing about being a songwriter is when you're in the middle of making something new and a bit of a melody or a word or a chord progression takes over for a few seconds and you're certain there couldn't have been a more correct next move to make and you hold onto it for as long as you can and it's magic! …Too vague ?
Nah that's really nice.
And also just when you like a song you've made and then you play it to someone and they get it.
Haha.
That's sick.
Sometimes you're sure something's good and then you play to a person and they go 'meh' as well.
Yeah that would feel really fucking odd I think.
Yeah but the person's usually right.
These things are for an audience after all, I try not to forget that.
I was going to call the new record Entertainment.
Haha.
That's really good!
I think I got the idea from that Bob Dylan documentary where he says all he does really is entertain. He's like "no one comes to a concert to get whipped and if you do and you want to get whipped aren't you being entertained?"
Maybe that's why he was uncomfortable accepting the Nobel Prize.
I think he was just touring…
I think the story ended up being way more boring than we thought.
Oh! Haha
He just cbf?
Yeah it was just a bit inconvenient.
Haha.
Do you know what your favourite song is?
Honestly I couldn't say one I don't think! I think one that really captures something unsayable and strange and beautiful (the sort of thing I'm after) is the song "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was The Ground" by Blind Willie Johnson. It doesn't really have words though, does that count?
There's so many good ones.
It counts.
Thousands of them.
Haha.
Yeah.
I forget that not everyone's a psycho like me and I has like,
An ultimate top ten in their head at all times…
There's probably thousands that people haven't really heard that are incredible!
I could probably come up with a top ten pretty quick but I've not really put that together
When I think about doing a covers record, I'll do it then…
Sounds good.