Ahead of a particularly busy festival season Jack Garratt takes time out to talk through one of his finest tracks: the irrepressibly funky 'Worry'.
Watch the video of Jack Garratt talking through 'Worry' above.
Speaking to Gigwise in London's Shoreditch recently, Garratt explained: "'Worry' came about in a very strange way. The way that I write most of my songs, it comes from the sounds, or the tone, or the emotions. I rarely start with lyrics, for example: I try and create the mood and the feel of a piece through the sounds and the instrumentation of it, just through a beat."
Garratt then explains how he worked with Danish producer Carassius Gold. "We went into the studio to just do something. I was going through real writer's block at the time I didn't know what sound I was trying to make because I used to do a lot of acoustic music and I didn't know whether I still wanted to do that. Or whether I thought I thought it was a bit shit and whether the stuff I was writing was any good. I was having a real self-critical moment."
The producer and Garratt attempted to break this creative deadlock by writing a song, irrespective of whether Garratt would be the one to perform it.
"The idea we had was to write a song in the style of Justin Timberlake that could be used in a J Pop track. That's was what we were going for. And after the first day we had this beat and the chorus for 'Worry' sorted." After that first session it was clear they had something special. "At the end of that day I sat him down and I went we'll come back tomorrow and finish this off because I want this song. I want this for myself. This could be a really interesting direction to go into."
Garratt subsequently returned to Denmark and spent a week finished the song off for his Remnants EP. "The song itself is similar to what the whole Remnants EP was about: the ideas of obsessions and how unhealthy they can be and how forceful to ourselves about needing them. 'Worry' for example is obsessing over the idea. It's not being able to come to terms with the fact that someone is over you and so instead you tell yourself that they're not. But through that you are telling them it's alright to [it's] over."
"It's a weird [disillusioned] process that I've definitely been through before. And I think a lot of people may have been through before." Garratt explains the thought process as: 'Cutting someone off to let them go because you love them so much but when actual fact you're just doing it for yourself because we're all very selfish but no-one wants to admit to it'.
Garratt is keen to clarify though that this is only his interpretation of the song. "I have a reason for what the songs are written for and I usually don't really say what they are about. Because the whole point is to make sure people have the opportunity to create their own experience from the song first. I've had people tell me that songs are about completely different things that I intended to be about. That's amazing. More than anything, I should be asking you guys what you think Worry is about" Thoughts? Leave them in the comments below.
Garratt is currently planning a UK tour including two dates at London's Village Underground - probably your last chance to see him in an intimate venue. Garratt will play:
Wed May 13 2015 - EXETER Cavern Club
Sat May 16 2015 - OXFORD O2 Academy2 Oxford
Mon May 18 2015 - BIRMINGHAM Hare and Hounds
Tue May 19 2015 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy 3
Wed May 20 2015 - NOTTINGHAM Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Thu May 21 2015 - BRISTOL Thekla
Mon May 25 2015 - LONDON Village Underground
Tue May 26 2015 - LONDON Village Underground
For tickets see here.
