A Chat with Marky Wildtype (13.12.20)
Generally performing as a guitarist in heavy rock bands, Marky Wildtype takes some time for himself embarking on an alternative rock solo project. We speak with this Scottish singer-songwriter about his debut album bruising words and bitter pills, musical influences and robots doing housework.
OSR: How did Marky Wildtype come about?
Wildtype: When a man and a woman love each other very much they do a special hug…just kidding. I’m a songwriter from Edinburgh. My friend Emily, who is half of a really brilliant band called The Jellyman’s Daughter, challenged me to write some songs as I hadn’t really done that for a few years. I’d mostly been writing guitar parts for other people to write songs over. It kinda snowballed from there.
OSR: What can you tell us about the album bruising words and bitter pills?
Wildtype: It was written, recorded, mixed and mastered entirely at home – very DIY!
OSR: Do you have a favourite track?
Wildtype: It changes day to day, but today ‘To My Bones’. I like the way it builds. I think it’s pretty catchy and it really brings me back to the emotions that inspired it.
OSR: What inspired bruising words and bitter pills?
Wildtype: A lot of things have happened in my life over the last few years, good and bad, and I’m not great at processing these things in my day to day life. Music is my way of doing that. So I’m basically exploring some really tough emotional situations I’ve experienced through the medium of pop songs!
OSR: Do you believe track placement is important on a record and why?
Wildtype: Definitely! An album can tell a story and create/sustain a mood in a way that a randomly assembled collection of songs can’t. In an ideal situation that will keep the listener’s attention and take them on a journey. When I’m listening to an album I often learn song names quite late. I know songs as much, if not more, by their position within the track listing.
OSR: Do you have any musical influences?
Wildtype: Tons! I was brought up on classic 60s pop but got really into rock and metal as a teenager. I still like a bit of the heavy stuff, but I’ve also vastly broadened my tastes. Arcane Roots are one of my top rock bands of the last 10 years and I love Jamie Lenman, Black Peaks, Deftones etc. But equally, I’m a huge fan of pop and lots of stuff in between. Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Sia and Taylor Swift have soundtracked a lot of this year.
It’s really the craft of songwriting that inspires me though. It can be anything – lyrics, melody, phrasing, rhythm, production. I don’t think I take anything specific from anyone in terms of influence, it just becomes part of a huge tapestry in my mind which unconsciously informs my choices when I write.
OSR: How do you feel writing and recording as a solo artist compares to being part of a band?
Wildtype: It was never something I intended to do. I’ve always written songs for bands and I love playing music with other people. It’s lonelier but also quite freeing to do it on my own. The lack of shared responsibility is a blessing and a curse – I can do whatever I want, but it’s all on me if it sucks. I also found it very daunting to let it out into the world. I wasn’t sure until very late in the process that I would even release it. I don’t consider myself a singer, but I’m not sure who else could sing these songs!
OSR: What is your favourite type of music?
Wildtype: Well-written songs with heart and passion in any genre.
OSR: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
Wildtype: A mix. There’s a lot of darkness in the world, especially right now, but there are always wonderful people doing inspiring things too. On a more personal level, I’ve found a focus in my creativity again which keeps me moving.
OSR: Would you like to own a robot that did most of the housework?
Wildtype: Oh God, yes. Housework is a never-ending nightmare! Although I would obviously be concerned that at some point it would rise up in revolt against its owner and exact a terrible revenge.
OSR: Do you think the Covid-19 pandemic will have long-term effects on the entertainment industry?
Wildtype: Unfortunately, yes. So many people have had to abandon careers because of it and not everyone will be able to return to it if/when things get back to “normal”. In a more positive sense though, it has created new ways to work together and make content available to people.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Wildtype: Stay hydrated! Support good art/artists – they need you!
Thanks to Marky Wildtype for speaking with us. For more from this artist check out his Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
