Patrick Duff‘s musical career has been a captivating journey, taking him from the humble beginnings of street performance to the heights of critical recognition as both a frontman and solo artist. Emerging from the vibrant underground scene, Duff first made his mark as the charismatic lead singer of the band Strangelove, captivating audiences with his emotive vocals and poetic lyrics. Even after Strangelove’s unfortunate disbandment in 1998, Duff’s creative drive remained undiminished, and he has continued to forge ahead as a solo artist for over three decades, exploring a vast tapestry of musical styles and genres. At the core of his work, however, lies an unwavering commitment to crafting deeply personal love songs, borne from a heart that has been, in his own words, “broken by the world.”
Now, as Duff debuts his latest studio album, “Another Word for Rose,” having just released on 1st of November 2024, he promises an experience akin to “looking through a window into the landscape of a person which usually remains hidden.” The haunting, evocative soundscapes of the album’s first two singles served as a captivating harbinger of what’s to come, so CinemaChords caught up with Duff over Zoom to get a clearer picture of what we can expect from his latest creative offering.
Duff’s creative process for each new album is always deeply personal and distinctive. Rather than producing generic, formulaic material, he approaches each project with a clear artistic vision and specific intentions. Notably, Duff’s latest album was significantly shaped by the collaborative relationships he developed with the myriad musicians involved. As Duff explains, “The last few albums featured more self-contained material, with the songs and lyrics standing strongly on their own as standalone stories and vivid imagery, even when I played them solo on guitar. In contrast, these new songs were more feeling-based, and I knew they required fuller arrangements – simply playing them myself wouldn’t be enough. I needed to expand the songs beyond their initial form, so I considered who I would collaborate with because when you make an album with others, it’s a creative process centered on the relationships and dynamic between those people.” Hand-picking artists he’d known for a long time, Duff purposefully then left ample space for his collaborators to organically shape the material and infuse it with their own interpretations and sensibilities; an approach that required vulnerability and a willingness to relinquish some creative control, but one that ultimately yielded a richer, more multifaceted musical statement that truly captured the collective talents and perspectives of the entire team: “It was all about creating space so everyone could contribute their unique skills and abilities, allowing me to hand over to that set of relationships. That’s really what the album’s about when I listen to it. I hear those kinds of relationships in the new songs and I’m pleased because I think I created a space, and we all created a space, where everyone was able to bring and give what they’re able to give without cramping anyone’s style and that’s what makes this a really great record.”
The lyrics from the first two singles off Duff’s new album have taken on a distinctly introspective and intimate tone, delving into deeply personal themes and emotions. Lines like being “thirsty to be someone else” and “why did I pay the price of human sacrifice?” suggest a level of self-reflection and emotional honesty that feels almost uncomfortably personal at times. This raises the question of how Duff could translate that level of personal expression into a collaborative effort for the full album. However, Duff’s explanation sheds light on his creative process and vision: “These lyrics are very heartfelt and very deep and they weren’t just storytelling. They were more focused on conveying emotion, which is why I knew I wanted the arrangements on this album to be more expansive and elaborate compared to my previous releases.”
Duff’s 2022 autobiography provided a rare and intimate glimpse into his personal life, allowing him to reflect deeply on his past experiences and the formative moments that shaped his worldview and artistic approach over the years. As he was in the midst of writing songs for the new album, this process of revisiting and recounting his storied life undoubtedly had a profound impact on the creative direction he took this time around. Though Duff insists the connection was not a conscious one, it’s clear that the self-examination and introspection involved in penning his memoir inevitably bled into and informed the lyrical themes and emotional textures of the new material. The songwriter describes his creative process as an inherently intuitive one: “Songs are just a kind of crystallization of something inside me and they just burst out really.” This was especially true of singles “Once” and the particularly poignant ‘Water,’ the latter of which Duff says simply “wrote itself” as he instinctively picked up his guitar, the full-formed composition flowing out of him in a single uninterrupted burst: “‘Water’ came about when I went upstairs and I just played it out in one go. It had just written itself inside me in its complete form. Just prior to writing that song, I just had a feeling inside me to pick up my guitar and I went and I just played it all out.”
This deeply personal, intrinsic and intensely individualistic songwriting approach is in stark contrast to the collaborative nature required when working with various other musicians. However, Duff wanted to find a way to seamlessly blend these two disparate methods, as exemplified by the track “Water” on his latest album: “It’s a song that is very heartfelt. It’s very simple, but at the same time there’s a depth to it that comes from simplicity and I wanted to accentuate that by incorporating strings. I knew a string arranger named Drew Morgan, who I had met while he was working on Neil Davidge’s solo record. Davidge was the producer for Massive Attack and was also working on his own solo project. He invited me to come and sing on one of his records, so I went into his studio. While I was there, I learned that Drew was also collaborating with Neil Davidge on the music for the video game Halo 4, which I wasn’t familiar with. I went to the studio to listen to what Neil was working on and to bounce some ideas around. I ended up hitting it off really well with Drew. We had an instant connection. He’s from Denver, and from the moment I met him, I felt very comfortable. We worked together on a piece of music, and over the years, I got to know him better. When it came time to do this new album, I knew I wanted to collaborate with him again.”
Since Duff’s former band Strangelove split up, he has had the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse array of artists from all walks of life. This wide range of creative interactions and musical influences has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on his own songwriting and artistic expression and Duff recognizes that his songs are not just a reflection of his own experiences, but a synthesis of the myriad human connections – fleeting or profound – that have shaped his worldview. As Duff explains, even the most fleeting encounters with strangers can have a profound impact, sparking a sense of introspection and wonder: “You are always affected in some way or other, even if it’s just somebody in the distance. There are so many people walking around who you never get to meet but just seeing an elderly woman hobbling down the street, for instance, might lead you to wonder about who she is and what’s going on for her. There’s a kind of reverie about people going on inside you all the time, whoever they are and I think all those people affect how you feel and what you think about life and they all have an influence on your songwriting in some way or another because songwriting is just an expression of what I feel.” Duff then went on to explain how music becomes a conduit for expressing those nuanced emotional and existential truths that exist beyond the reach of language alone: “Words often fall short in capturing the full depth and mystery of life and so music and songs help me to express those things. I’ve definitely been influenced by musicians that I’ve worked with but I’ve been influenced by all sorts of people, anybody who touches me in any way whatsoever will have an effect on my songwriting because every relationship you have with somebody changes you in a certain way.”
When it comes to playing on the live circuit, Duff’s perspective on the crucial role of silence in live performances is a fascinating and insightful take that many musicians often overlook. As he explains, when playing on stage in front of an audience, it’s not just the music itself that matters, but also the silence that surrounds and permeates the performance: “Each stage has its own distinct atmosphere that ends up shaping the concert experience. I remember being much younger and experiencing how different these places feel and that definitely has an effect on the concert that you’re giving. Also the people who turn up, that particular constellation of people who are in that room is a one-of-a-kind assemblage that will never be replicated. I just get the sense that when I’m playing my songs on stage and when I’m getting into it deeply and I’ve gotten over myself and I’ve got over my worries about it and I’ve gotten over my agitation about the sound perhaps not being super perfect. When I’ve gotten through and over those things, I can tune into the atmosphere of the room. I can hear myself singing, I can hear the other people I’m playing with and I can also feel the atmosphere of the people listening. It’s really a privilege to be listened to by lots of people at the same time giving you their complete attention. It’s an incredible thing to receive and it’s life changing every single time. And coming back to your question about silence, when that’s happening to you, you sense that beyond the music there’s this kind of silence listening to you at the same time that has a special quality. That’s the only way I can describe it. And the quality of that silence I think is really what my gigs are about. This delicate balance is truly at the heart of the live music experience and it’s something that I only came to realise quite late on in my career.”
Duff’s musical journey has also been marked by both personal struggles and a profound artistic drive that has continued to push him forward, even in the face of adversity. As an artist with the “sensitivity of a songwriter,” Duff has long grappled with the weight of depression and anxiety, which he describes as a “melancholy” that has both challenged and nourished his creative process. This is something that he has eloquently articulated, noting that the very “sensitivities” that have made him susceptible to emotional turmoil have also enabled him to “dig that bit deeper” and imbue his songwriting with a raw authenticity. Indeed, Duff’s willingness to confront his inner demons has been integral to his creative evolution, as he has transformed the weight of his experiences into a wellspring of artistic expression. This is particularly evident in his latest album, which grapples with the struggle to carry on in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges: “Without wanting to go into it too much because everybody is struggling in some way or another. Everybody struggles to survive and to get through life and we have a particular set of struggles in the world that we’re living in. As a musician, I’ve had to adapt to the dramatic changes in how music is created, distributed, and consumed since I first started out. The industry infrastructure is vastly different now, and it has been challenging to adjust to all these shifts. At a certain point, as I was writing new songs amidst personal difficulties, I reached a point where I seriously questioned whether I could carry on doing this any more. I felt that within myself really strongly and I was trying to think my way out of it but at the same time these songs were still writing themselves inside me. They just wouldn’t stop. When I decided I just couldn’t carry on doing that, my songs seemed to come to me even more so this album really does capture the expression of a deeper part of me that just wants me to keep making music which turned this album into a celebration of that unwavering creative drive.”
With Duff’s highly anticipated new album having just released, to celebrate the occasion, he treated fans to a series of intimate in-store performances at Rough Trade locations. Duff explains that fully realizing the expansive, ambitious sound of the new record live would require a “monumental effort,” so instead he offered a more stripped-down, interpretive take on the material: “While I’m not opposed to a grand performance of the album in the future, I’m currently not in a position to do so. Instead, I’ll be performing a representation of the album with a musician named Woody Taylor, who I’ve been playing live with for around six years. He’s 21 years of age and he’s an amazing guitar prodigy. We have a great creative connection, so we’re doing our own interpretation of the record. We also recorded our performance at an amazing gig in Germany, which took place at the historic Delphi Theatre in Berlin. The Delphi was an old silent movie theatre where legendary performers like Marlene Dietrich have graced the stage over the years. It was such a beautiful place. A French filmmaker captured the event on camera, and we also recorded the gig so we’re going to put those things together and so this interpretation of the album will also be getting a release. Plenty to come in the pipeline yet.”
The new album ANOTHER WORD FOR ROSE will be released on 1st November – digital, CD, limited edition of white vinyl LP and white cassette, available for pre-order through roughtrade.com.
Keep up to date with Patrick Duff online:
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