Interview with Ewan MacFarlane: ‘With this record, I could do whatever I wanted…I liked the risk element of that’

Scottish singer-songwriter Ewan MacFarlane will release his second album Milk tomorrow (28 October), a heartfelt and explorative album charting the journey of his relationship with his wife.

The 13 track album reflects his wide-ranging passion for music, with echoes of Springsteen, The Replacements and Al Green seeping through: ‘It’s such an eclectic mix,’ he said. ‘I would describe it as prepare for the unexpected. I didn’t want to be pigeonholed in terms of genre. Songs like ‘All The Years’ and ‘Won’t Stop Burnin” are classic rock songs. ‘When Al Green Sings’ has a soul vibe but songs like ‘Milk’ and ‘Deep Heavy Notion’ are more modern takes. The beauty of this for me is that I’ve been in a band (Apollo 440, a Liverpool-based electronica group with whom he played for 20 years and The Grim Northern Social) my whole musical life, which was fantastic but you’re always compromising. With this record, I could do whatever I wanted. If it’s good, it falls on your head; if it’s bad, it does, too (laughs). I liked the risk element of that.’

The title track ‘Milk’ is a natural opener and sets the tone for what follows. From its low-slung garage rock riffs that hint at his admiration for AM-era Arctic Monkeys, to the feedback-driven hooks that propel it into shoegaze territory, it’s a song that finds him subverting genre conventions: ”It’s quite playful, with the “Yes, yes, I fancy you”,’ he said. ‘It’s a sensual track that twists and flirts with itself throughout the song. When I named that song, I thought it was a great name for the album. I love that it’s quite fragmented. The bridge and chorus swell up like a wall of sound. It escapes the reality of life and takes you into a fantasy of love and passion. Skin-on-skin, creamy and  smooth, it exudes the texture of milk whilst also being nurturing and wholesome. With ‘Milk’, I thought about a groove part and thought “I’m loving it”, so I kept expanding it. I think it’s important not to restrict yourself to write in a certain way, it makes you much more creative.’

As the song goes: ‘She’s so for me, she’s so familiar but not in a bad way. Twenty-one years and it just got better. She’s so for me, she laughs at my shit jokes. She reckons I’m something. I fell in a spell to a handwritten love letter.’

‘The album is about our journey, it’s my reflection of our years’

MacFarlane’s relationship with his wife , Jo, doesn’t appear on the album in chronological order and he says that the ninth track ‘Tangled’ about the night they met, marks the beginning of the story: ‘The album is about our journey, it’s my reflection of our years,’ he said. ‘I’ve been married to the same amazing woman for 21 years. We’re best friends, lovers, we do everything together. We’ve got three children. We’ve always maintained that it’s always about getting quality time together. My mother-in-law, she’s brilliant, she takes the children one night a week, it’s important.’ He describes ‘Tangled’ as ‘steeped in truth’: ‘I’d been living in London being too rock ‘n’ roll for my own good (laughs), so I moved back home to be close to my mum so she’d look after me like a wee boy (laughs). I played that night in my mate’s cover band and Jo was enticing me into her world.’

As the track goes: ‘It was midnight baby when I saw you sittin’ there. On that stage in a night club. You said you noticed my shoes, so then I sang you the blues. And how you danced, and it was only for me.’

Understandably, his wife was unsure at first whether their relationship was good fodder for an album: ‘Like most bands and solo artists, I had a body of songs that were all contenders,’ he said. ‘It became apparent to me that a lot of them were about my relationship with Jo but she wasn’t sure it was the right road to go down. ‘All Those Years’ probably kickstarted the album. My Jo didn’t like that it starts: “Mrs. MacFarlane, you still do me like you done me more than 20 years ago” but I said that it didn’t do Mrs. Robinson any harm!’

‘All Those Years’ is one of the standout tracks on the album, with his rich, ragged voice, wearing his heart on his sleeve like a belting Petty-fronting The Replacements: ‘It expresses the euphoria that love still brings after being with someone for a very long time if you refuse to let it go stale,’ he said. ‘It’s about letting your partnership know that you still feel the same buzz that you felt on the first night you met.’

‘I keep having “lightbulb” moments at two in the morning’

He admits that he’s an ‘obsessive writer’: ‘I’ve probably got another eight albums there,’ he laughed. ‘I want to release an album a year. Creedence Clearwater Revival released three classic albums in one year. If you’ve got it in you, get it out. If you don’t have it in you, search harder (laughs)! I’ll often pick up the acoustic guitar and come up with a chord sequence. Since COVID, I’ve become very obsessive about songwriting and production. I keep having “lightbulb” moments at two in the morning (laughs), waking up with lyrics and melodies in my head as if I’d been dreaming about it. It’s really fucking freaky. It’s started happening every single night! By the time the family is up, four or five hours later, I’ve got a song. It’s knackering but the excitement keeps you going and new things excite me anyway. After a few hours, you’ve got something that didn’t exist a few hours earlier. I looked up to the sky and thanked the big man. I am an absolute nightmare (laughs), I push all the time. After I’ve done this, I’d like to go the gym and work out untll I get dizzy.’

We get chatting about music keeping you young and he gets very enthusiastic: ‘I say this to people every single week!,’ he said. ‘At gigs, people hang around to say hello, it’s such a blessing, and they say I haven’t changed in 20 years. Music definitely keeps you young, if you can find the balance!’ I say how amazing Chrissie Hynde looks for 70 and he agrees: ‘I used to live next to her in Maida Vale. My manager went to Barbados for a year and asked if I could house sit, well, I couldn’t say no to that (laughs). Chrissie freaked out when I had a barbecue! Another time, she knocked on the door when I was writing a song and said: ‘I’m trying to write but you’re playing the guitar” and I said “Well, I’m trying to write a song, too”. She was cool, though.’

Other tracks, such as ‘Love & The Lonely’ have a massive Springsteen vibe, kicking off with a rolling drum beat, with a jangly riff underpinning the song: ‘You’re the first person to say that, I’m so happy you said that,’ he said looking genuinely pleased. ‘I’m a huge fan of Springsteen. It was all about finding that groove, that drum beat. It borders on a two chord song. You can disguise a song that’s two or three chords with dynamics and instrumentation. For me, the song is me saying to people: “Have a wee look at our relationship and what we’ve got and use it as a template for satisfaction with your daily life. I’ve written about love since I was a young boy. I’d been speaking to a few people who weren’t happy in relationships and I thought there was a template there. It’s not about sweetness and light (laughs). We have barnies, we’ve got a completely normal relationship. You have that tension but also that softness and gentleness. It’s exciting when you’ve got a couple of nights together to be rock ‘n’ rollers the way you always were.’

Music clearly runs in the family, with MacFarlane’s 14 year old daughter contributing to the album: ‘She has a good feel for it, she wants to do what daddy does,’ he said proudly. ‘She sings all the backing vocals on Milk. She’s out playing live with us, to give her a feel as to what it’s like and not just because she’s my daughter. She’s a great addition, it’s so cool.’

‘I adore his voice, his songs, his musicianship, how he made a love song pure but with a groove’

‘When Al Green Sings’ is his tribute to the great man himself, a slower, pared back, retro-sounding track which opens with the lines: “When Al Green sings, my heart swings”, which sums it up for fans of the 70’s soul legend: ‘I just adore the guy,’ he said. ‘I adore his voice, his songs, his musicianship, how he made a love song pure but with a groove, that deep south thing. When we got married, I walked down one stairs and Jo the other and we met in the middle with his ‘Let’s Stay Together’ playing. I wore a grey kilt and cherry doc boots (laughs) and the bridesmaids wore black. Our first waltz was to ‘Great Balls Of Fire’, it was very rock ‘n’ roll (laughs)!’

West Lothian, Scottish legends in the making The Snuts have also inspired a track on the album, ‘Won’t Stop Burning’, which opens with a hooky piano line before the guitars and feathery drums kick in. It sounds like a 90’s classic mixed up with a good dose of Scottish attitude, making it addictively good: ‘Thank goodness for The Snuts!,’ he said happily. ‘They’re so unapologetic. A lot of the new bands are a bit safe but they’re in the fucking rock ‘n’ roll business, they’re ripping it up! I’ve been told by someone who’s seen us both live that Jack used to come and see me at Blaeberry Inn as a lad. What you hear lyrically in this one is exactly what happened when me and Jo had a fight on the way to see The Snuts. One thing led to another, and we ended up having a massive barney. Taking none of my shit, when the car stopped at the traffic lights outside the subway, she jumped out the car in the middle of the road, told me in no uncertain terms to go fuck myself, and to go to see The Snuts on my own. She then hopped onto the subway to make her way home but we did go together in the end! This is the story of that night. I tried to treat it in a few different ways. It was my take on ‘Born To Run’ not that I’m comparing it to that (laughs). I have a version of it with sax in it but I thought it was too obvious.’

‘Springsteen, he’s got the formula, he’s a master craftsman’

‘Never Forever’ opens with a sweeping piano solo and I ask if he’s playing it: ‘No, I have a mate, Andy, who’s a great Randy Newman fan, he’s playing on this,’ he said. ‘That’s the way he likes to play, he just nailed it. I played the acoustic.’

This latest stage in his career stands in stark contrast to the music that he  first established his reputation with. He spent more than 20 years fusing the worlds of dance and rock ‘n’ roll with Apollo 440 before signing off in style by playing a huge show in front of 30,000 people in sun-kissed Seville. Initially managed by the renowned Bill Curbishley, best known for his work with The Who, MacFarlane also fronted the cult rock ‘n’ soul favourites The Grim Northern Social, during which time he wrote ‘Obstacles Incidents’, the closing track on Milk.

Springsteen and Petty remain two of his musical idols: ‘Springsteen, he’s got the formula, he’s a master craftsman,’ he said. ‘Lyrically and musically, I love how they tell their stories. It’s similar with Jack in The Snuts, he’s making sense for his generation, I admire that.’ If he could go for a drink with anyone he picks Tom Petty and John Lennon: ‘John Lennon and Paul McCartney, they’re special,’ he said. ‘What The Beatles produced in a short space of time is crazy. A long time ago, on holiday in Barbados, I met Julian Lennon (John Lennon’s eldest son). I didn’t talk to him about his dad, although I wanted to, because I sensed that it wasn’t the time. It was in ’94, we were getting managed by the manager of The Who, Bill Curbishley. He said: “We’re going to Barbados for five days after Christmas and then you’re going to New York to speak to a record label”. I was just a young guy from a council estate in Scotland (laughs). We met Julian and became mates. Those five days turned into five weeks of complete debauchery – I only remember a week of it! I did get to New York in the end, just a few weeks later!’