"Towards the end of last year, I wasn't certain that I even wanted to be in the band anymore," admits Scott Hutchison, looking back on the transition period after Frightened Rabbit had rounded off the most successful year of their career - finally getting under the skin of the wider audience they deserved. "I don't know if anyone else was feeling that way - it was such a grind. It was an amazing year but it almost broke us down completely, this had to happen."
The catharsis that Hutchison refers to is his return to music as a solo artist, under his pseudonym of 'Owl John'. Far from a 'rebirth', but just an artist going out on a limb and a labour of love, exorcising a few demons in the process. The result of this experiment is Owl John's staggeringly inventive self-titled solo album - which drops this week.
"For that reason, I don't care how it does," he laughs. "I don't have high expectations for it commercially, I just needed to do it. The fact that I did it all is more than enough for me. The purpose of this album was that I wanted a break from the band and to do something different that would refresh the palette, so that when I went back to the band, which we're doing now, I would be excited about it again."
It has indeed been a period of dramatic change for Scott Hutchison. F'Rabbit's latest album, 2013's brilliant Pedestrian Verse, saw the band rocket from a cult indie curiosity to a major label tour-de-force - conquering hearts in the US while rounding off their UK campaign with a glorious victory lap that ended with a massive show at London's Brixton Academy. After seeing a decade of toil finally pay off, a worn-down Hutchison then relocated from Glasgow to the slightly sunnier climbs of Los Angeles.
However, don't expect Owl John's album to be a bright and breezy West Coast AM rock affair - it's still cloaked in the same darkness, poetic cynicism, brutal self-doubt and anxiety that you love him for.
"It's funny, because when I moved out there, that was a running joke - that I'd be happier, but I don't think this is a happy album," smiles Scott, letting out a dry chuckle. "The music was written in Scotland and I think for that reason, it might seem slightly darker. When I moved out there, that was when I wrote the lyrics and it was the first three or four weeks where I felt really weird. It wasn't quite what I imagined it to be.
"It was a real adjustment period and I think that kind of sentiment is written all over the album. Contrary to having a 'West Coast jangle', it's actually got a lot of anxiety on there which I've been experiencing for a while now. I'm really happy there and it feels like home now, but it took a while to feel like that. When I came to write it, that's what came out - the alienation I was going through at the time."
Photo: Justine Trickett/Gigwise
A solo album this may be, but Hutchison has successfully avoided several clichés in his endeavour. Firstly, stripping away the band has not necessarily allowed the songs to act as a more direct window into the artist's soul.
"They're not necessarily any more personal than the stuff with the band," he shrugs. "I think that this is just a collection of ideas that I was having at that point in time. I didn't want it to be too overtly personal as that's something I've covered in the band, so I took it away from that a little bit. Although a lot of the lyrics are quite direct and simple, it's hopefully less of a 'me, me, me' album lyrically, anyway - but I have no idea.
"All of the stuff that's on there is about stuff that's happened to me and I didn't really use too much story-telling on this album."
The other thing you should not expect is that this album is 'Scott unplugged' - the vision of Hutchison bleeting through Highlands folk in a thick cableknit jumper by candlelight couldn't be any further than the tapestry of searing post-rock, chunky riffs and cinematic soundscapes that fill the many layers of the Owl John record - but still maintaining a fair whack of that F'Rabbit charm.
"With Frightened Rabbit, we got to writing a certain type of song that works really well live and is a kind of unifying and joyous 'fist in the air' feel - and there's less of that on this record," he nods. "There are more intimate moments and a lot of it is less 'wordy' than Frightened Rabbit. I don't know how it will shock anyone, I don't know if 'shock' is the right word, but certainly surprise."
He lets out a heavy sigh and continues: "The idea is that when someone hears that the frontman of a band is doing a solo record, then perhaps they tend to think it's going to be this set of acoustic numbers and it's going to be really stripped back. This didn't turn out like that, and I'm quite happy it isn't a hackneyed acoustic affair. I wasn't really interested that."
If Scott wants advice on how to undergo a massive departure from an influential band and strike it alone, then he could always turn to Million Dead turned arena-filling solo artist Frank Turner - a long time Frightened Rabbit fan who recently covered the band's staple fan favourite 'Modern Leper'.
"That was great," beams Scott. "Frank's been really supportive. I've met him quite a few times and he's a nice chap. He's just been a big Frightened Rabbit fan for years. He's really brought a whole bunch of new people into the band and he's been extremely generous with the way that he talks about us in interviews and what not. It was a right honour for him to do that."
Speaking to Gigwise, Turner went on to describe Hutchison as an inspiration and 'absolute genius'. Is it a headfuck to hear such praise from a festival headlining peer?
"It is, but it's funny," laughs Scott. "You eventually hang out with these people and realise that they're doing the same thing as you. He's achieved great success and the thing about him is that I have so much admiration for Frank because he's achieved everything that he has through absolutely solid hard work. I don't understand how he does what he does because he's constantly touring, then he seems to make a record in like two weeks then starts touring again. It is a bit of a headfuck when you think about it, but then at the same time, you meet these people and they're normal. He's a fan and likewise, I really admire what he's done."
Could there be a collaboration on the cards?
"I'm always up for collaborations, it's just a matter of being in the same place at the same time, He's a fucking busy man and I live in America now, but if the planets ever aligned I would jump at the chance to work with Frank. I know it would be a great experience because he's such a lively and creative personality. I should give him a shout actually."
Photo: Justine Trickett/Gigwise
But, hypothetical duets aside, the Owl John record is an utter triumph and you should buy it. It adds myriad dimensions to a writer that you may have thought you'd had pegged. And what's more, it's given him the distance and breathing space to look at the future of Frightened Rabbit with fresh perspective and renewed vim.
"It feels good to be back and working with them again," nods Scott. "We've just started writing and my solo record has definitely influenced where we're going next and brought new light into how we should do things differently this time. We've been playing a few festivals and we've also set aside three weeks to write things in a house.
"When I'm over here, we have to use our time as effectively as possible, so in between these festivals we're writing the next album. It's happening now. Everyone's been putting little ideas into a Dropbox and we have a bunch of completely unfinished songs and the other guys have been working completely independent of me and that's completely new because even though we collaborated on the last one, the nuggets of everything pretty much came from me.
"Now, we've got all of these little nuggets from everyone and to try and combine them is something that's really exciting."
Whether flying solo or with the flock, music is a far more interesting place with Hutchison in it: back from the brink, doing what he wants, and doing it really bloody well. In his own words, "John is a weirdo, John is a thief,, John is a wino, listen, bleed, weep".
We're listening. No matter what name he goes under, assume it's a mark of quality, authenticity and passion.
Owl John's self titled debut album is out now. He plays The Soup Kitchen in Manchester on Tuesday 5 August and Oslo in Hackney, London on Wednesday 6 August. Support comes from the amazing The Twilight Sad.
Below: Exclusive photos of Frightened Rabbit at Brixton Academy
