Elliott Dawson on his new music & upcoming album “Certain Death”
Making angry rock inspired by British post-rock and jazz, the Pōneke based artist known for his unmistakable alternative excellence releases his final single ahead of this sophomore album (out April 4) - featuring Dawson’s penchant for the absurd, mixing in unconventional grooves with heavy guitars and dramatic saxophone and trumpet.
HM: Hey Elliott! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat to us about your new music! First of all, we'd love to know about your musical journey from when you first started singing and making your own music?
Elliott: Kia ora - thanks very much for having me. Super excited to release my new album. I starting singing and playing music fairly young in church choirs (not religious now lol) and school musicals. I started songwriting when I was about 13, having picked up guitar after playing the violin extremely badly for the previous 6/7 years. At that point I just wanted play in bands and the rest is kind of history through high school until now. Did a bunch of Rockquest stuff (as everyone kind of did) and then started new bands when I moved to Wellington for uni in 2016.
HM: Awesome! Who were your main musical and creative influences growing up?
Elliott: The first album I ever owned was “Songs About Jane” by Maroon Five (on CD) but I think most of the stuff I was listening to was like classic post-punk/punk pop in the early days like Paramore, My Chemical Romance, and a bit of Linkin Park which definitely grounded the desire to play rock music. In the high school days I definitely moved into more of a neo-soul phase and was listening to stuff like Nick Hakim, Tom Misch, Lianne La Havas, with an honourable mention to stuff like Hockey Dad and The 1975. I'm not sure if any of that comes out in my music now and definitely not really on the new album which is more a product of the stuff I was listening to while making it (lots of Blackstar, Yves Tumor, and Puma Blue).
HM: Nice! And congrats on your upcoming album “Certain Death” - what themes were important for you to write about lyrically for this project?
Elliott: Thank you very much! Kind of the whole point of this album was that I wasn't aiming to communicate a particular idea or theme. My first album (“Hang Low”) was super conceptual and I wanted to go way off the other end with “Certain Death” and make something authentic which required me to draw on my own life and express way more vulnerability lyrically than I did on “Hang Low”. So the guiding light lyrically for “Certain Death” was just that I was being honest with myself and the listener and that I didn't rely on character ideas as something interesting/to hide behind. In a certain sense it kind of feels like I'm releasing my first album twice because “Certain Death” is about my life and “Hang Low” wasn't.
HM: We are a huge fan of your latest single “Speaking Frankly”! What was the inspiration behind this track and the writing/production process like for this one?
Elliott: “Speaking Frankly” was really hard to finish. I wrote the original version back in 2021 or 2022 before “Hang Low” came out and even at that time, it was based off an idea that I had been floating around with for a couple years. It's gone through maybe 10-15 different versions and James Goldsmith and I somehow finally landed it. “Speaking Frankly” is broadly about how good I am at holding a grudge (embarrassing) and acknowledging that's not really the best character trait but also making my case about how its justified because of all the terrible things that happen in our personal lives. I had a really good friend who treated their partner extremely badly (who was also my friend) and no one in the wider friend group seemed to care that there was this exploding relationship in which everyone was implicated, and no one held anyone responsible or really cared or even acknowledged it. It was such a kind of breach of trust that I tapped out of the friend group and everyone treated me like I was the bad guy for it while ignoring the underlying cause. I still wonder whether I did the right thing!
HM: Appreciate you sharing that experience with us - that definitely sounds like a tough spot to be in. Sometimes the best solution is to remove yourself from the situation like you mentioned. We also love the song “Calling Time” - can you tell us about the concept of this song and how it came together?
Elliott: “Calling Time” was one of those songs that came out of nowhere and arrived fully formed. Sonically it's a bit of call back to previous projects in its simplicity. “Calling Time” is (kind of like “Speaking Frankly”) in that it’s about my relationships with friends and how a lot of the time I'm so focused on doing other things that I'm not the best person to have as a friend. Basically all of my close friends I had in Wellington have now left and there was a period of time where I was going to a different leaving party every week. I came away from those being sad because people were leaving but also bad because I hadn't seen the people that were leaving for ages anyway and realising that it wouldn't be that different after they're gone. “Calling Time” is about feeling like you've been left behind.
HM: What were some of your main highlights making the album?
Elliott: This is a hard question because I found making this album really difficult because I didn't have an overarching idea or concept guiding me other than I had to be completely honest. I think just generally my favourite part of songwriting is the period of about week when you have a new demo and you're really excited about it and can't stop listening to it. Sessions with James Goldsmith and recording with great musicians is also super fun.
HM: Love that. And who are some of your favourite NZ artists right now and are there any songs in particular that you especially love?
Elliott: In no particular order: Wiri Donna (I'm biased), Louisa Nicklin, Revulva, Sleeping Village, Louisa Williamson, and Soft Bait.
HM: Some great picks! What's one of the biggest lessons you've learned in your career so far, or one of the best pieces of advice someone has given you along the way?
Elliott: It sounds real cringe but it's so important to understand why you're making music. It's too hard to do it for any other reason that you want to or have to because you love it. Genuinely it's not worth it otherwise. Stay true to the purpose.
HM: Great advice! And what have you got planned for 2025?
Elliott: Album and album shows.
HM: Lastly, if you could say one thing to every person in the world, what would it be?
Elliott: Chill out, Free Palestine, Land Back.
Thanks heaps Elliott! Make sure to keep up with him on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Spotify or Apple Music.
