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Ed Jackson and Alexie Pigot run us through their top five tracks

Songwriters Ed Jackson and Alexie Pigot have independently produced and released 15 tracks over the past few years including an EP and a swag of follow-up singles.

With Ed as the songwriter and Alexie as the song-man they have forged a distinct indie folk-rock sound awash with layered acoustic guitars, vocal harmonies and strings. Their music is upbeat and heartfelt at the same time.

With two new songs due out before year’s end and an album underway for release in 2020 we asked them to shuffle the deck and take us through their top 5 songs and how they came to be.

Fresh off the release of an incredible new single Windswept, Ed Jackson and Alexie Pigot run us through their top five songs.

Slowly

This track was where we really started to find our sound. Slowly is about a big night out in Sydney and follows a couple as they bar hop about town. We wanted the track to build as the night progressed and the drinks flowed. The song starts stripped-back and sober but with each new verse we drop in more guitar layers and vocal intensity. This energy continues to the end of the story when the last night cap is poured and we bring the final verse back-to-basics as the song melts away and resolves.

What’s your favourite part of the track?
The dynamic shift between verse and chorus.

What was the best part about working on the track?
Drinking at small bars in Sydney to get ideas for lyrics.

What would you change if you could?
The cover art.

Smile A Little More

This break-up song reflects upon why a relationship didn’t work out. We both liked the track Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People because it’s happy and catchy-as-hell but before you know it you’re bouncing along to a song about a kid planning a shooting rampage. We applied a similar approach to Smile A Little More. Whilst our subject matter is not as dark, we used swing guitar lead and melodic bass to create an atmosphere of people sitting around chatting at a beach bonfire. Everyone’s having a good time until one of the party goers recounts exactly why they hate their ex. It’s a bop about an ex – that goes upbeat on the downstrokes.

What’s your favourite part of the track?
The driving-along-the-road metaphor.

What was the best part about working on the track?
Leaving the studio mics on to record us stupid-talking between takes.

What would you change if you could?
Add some more sonic textures like the sound of fire and a car engine.

Watch You Fly

We needed a final track to round out the EP but had nothing so we used an apology letter Ed had written to his girlfriend and worked it up into a song. We went into the studio with just words written on a piece of paper and gave ourselves 5 hours to complete, mix and master a song. Part apology, part admission of guilt, Watch You Fly asks a series of open ended questions as a guy tries to win back his girl. We wrote the song on keys and transposed it across to guitar. The spareness of the instrumentation created an aura of desperation reflective of the intense studio process and the story itself.

What’s your favourite part of the track?
Just how raw and direct it is.

What was the best part about working on the track?
Re-working and improving it with JP Vernon as part of Close to the Sun.

What would you change if you could?
Add some more call-and-response echo harmonies.

Windswept

The inspiration for this track came from a curious 5 year old boy who asked his Uncle Ed, ‘where does the sea stop?’. This big question became the basis for the song Windswept – about two people who get philosophical on the front porch of a beach house while a late night party kicks off in the backyard. Upbeat and summer-infused we use rap-like verses to scattergun images of revelry at the back of the house against the calmness of the conversation out the front. It’s a fun song about summer love, the meaning of life and a night getting out of control.

What’s your favourite part of the track?
The breakout instrumental section.

What was the best part about working on the track?
Getting existential with the question ‘where does the sea stop?’

What would you change if you could?
Adding in female vocals to the mix.

Let You Go

We both grew up in small towns – Alexie is from Coffs Harbour and Ed is from Taree. Let You Go represents a deliberate shift into a country music sound. The challenge with the song was to tell a city story in a country way. It’s a journey song as a couple form a life-long bond and eventually escape the rat-race for a sea-change. Finger-picked guitar through the verse and a ‘yee-hah’ drum kick in the chorus create a catchy Americana vibe.

What’s your favourite part of the track?
The trumpet solo.

What was the best part about working on the track?
Grooving on the chorus.

What would you change if you could?
Add a choir and massive string section.

Discover more about Ed Jackson & Alexie Pigot.