One of the things I love most about being in OLDER is Julie’s vocals. Not just the lead vocals, which are fantastic in themselves, but her ability to harmonise. The layers, textures and emotion that is created once those extra voices start weaving into the song is pure magic.
The funny thing is, none of the harmonies are really planned. We don’t sit down beforehand and map out vocal arrangements or write harmonies on paper. That’s never been how we work. The songs tend to evolve once we’re actually in the studio. We’ll get Julie’s lead vocal down and then the real fun begins. That’s the moment I always look forward to.
It has to be said too that not all singers, even great singers, can harmonise – it is a special skill you either have or don’t. Julie learnt how from an early age from her mother who happened to be a teacher and an accomplished piano player herself.
We’ll hear the first harmony line come in and suddenly the song changes shape. Then another layer appears. Then another. Sometimes they’re subtle and haunting. Other times they lift the chorus into something far bigger than it was before. It’s almost like watching somebody paint with sound. Often the harmonies completely ‘make’ the song providing a new hook.
And honestly, it’s music I couldn’t write as I’m hopeless at singing!
That’s the beauty of working with another person creatively. They bring something into the room that you simply don’t possess yourself. Julie has this instinct for harmonies that feels incredibly natural. She hears spaces in a song that I don’t even realise are there, and somehow fills them in with these vocal layers that add warmth, emotion and atmosphere.
I’ve isolated some of the harmonies from one of our songs (Crossfire on HUMAN+) recently just to listen to them on their own and to show you the beauty I hear when mixing. Without the instruments, without the full production, just those voices layered together. Beautiful. There’s something incredibly emotional about harmonies when they’re done well.
I’ve always loved bands that use harmonies properly. To me, they add dimensions to a song that simply don’t exist otherwise. A good harmony can completely change the emotional weight of a lyric. It can make something feel lonelier, bigger, more uplifting, more heartbreaking. It adds colour and depth in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’re really listening for it.
And I suppose that’s why I feel incredibly blessed to work with Julie. Every time we record there’s this moment where the song suddenly becomes more than the sum of its parts. What started as already a well developed track transforms into something textured and human and emotionally rich, often because of these layered harmonies that were never planned.
That’s the magic of making music together.
