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Made from Home
Chris Home • 17 April 2021
Way back when
As a young fella I had hopeful dreams of becoming a singer-songwriter. Over 25 years ago, I sent a demo tape to a record company after recording a few songs on a 4 track with an acoustic guitar, drum machine and synth. I got a letter back asking if they could come and see me play at a gig. I wasn’t doing gigs, I’d never done a gig, very few people had ever heard my music. I didn’t have the confidence to go for it and I never replied.
I spent the next couple of decades or so building a career in technology and providing for my family. My music was always there in the distant background but I hardly even played my songs to my wife and kids. And then when covid hit, I decided to try again, dust off some of those old songs and write some new ones. I recorded a demo of a song I wrote early in lockdown called ‘Long Way Round’ and thought I’d have a go and put it out on Spotify. You can hear it here.
This was one of ten songs I'd written that I thought could work as an album. I had rough demos of everything, but it was obvious if I was going to do this properly I needed some help.
Recording in lockdown
I thought about taking 3 weeks off work and using savings to hire a producer to get the songs done - but how would that work in lockdown with no studios open? And then Spotify sent me an advert for their SoundBetter app which helps connect artists to producers, engineers and session musicians. So I decided to give it a whirl and put a request out for a producer.
That’s how I met Jason., a producer based in Barcelona We talked about the sound of the album, musical references and the like. We did one track to test it all out and then did the album. He introduced me to the group of session musicians he worked with who ended up playing on everything. They’ve all been brilliant but Jason has been amazing. We spent many a Sunday morning chatting about life in lockdown, the recording process and the music of course. He’s been a coach, mentor, part-time therapist….and not a bad producer too!. The songs are the same songs I wrote on the acoustic guitar but the soundscape comes from him and the band.
So the album Called ‘Made from Home’ was released in full in May 2022. following two single releases - the first of which was Bring Me Home’ released on May 1st 2021 (snippet below). The 10 songs on the album span my adult life, from the early hopes of a future full of opportunity, the sting of unrequited love and the politics of an angry young man, through to the strength of the love of my life (my partner of 25 years, Sarah), the gift of fatherhood, and learning to be comfortable with who I am.
Never giving up
I’ve had no expectations at all and the process has been a great experience whatever else happens. I’ve loved every minute of being part of bringing these songs to life. So if someone out there listens to them or likes them - that would just be a big fat cherry on top of a very large slice of cake I’ve already enjoyed!
After all these years, returning to the start of my early ambition to write and sing songs feels like coming full circle. I’ve been so lucky to have lived my life to this point in the knowledge that there has always been a place for me to come back to where I’ve been safe and loved. Lucky to have the one thing I guess that really matters in life: a family at home that loves you. So the album is dedicated to my family, fuelled by the realisation that coming back to them is what counts regardless of all the hopes, fears and doubts life throws up. This album, like me, is all made from home.
So this is a song I wrote for my wife, Sarah. We went on a short trip to Lake Garda in 2013 - one of the few times we’d been away without the kids. The hotel was great, perched in the hills above the lake with amazing views. It was lovely just to slow down for a minute and have some time for ourselves. We’ve been lucky to be able to have those moments, I know many don’t. This is an out and out love song. I’d been playing around with the different parts of the song for ages but it was 3 or 4 years ago when the lyrics and music came together. I wanted to express something of the uncertainty and complexity of any relationship - natural human doubts that can creep in from time to time. But also I wanted to express the joy of properly loving someone over the best part of a lifetime. I probably don’t tell Sarah that I love her often enough so I hope this makes up a little bit for that. Check it out here .
This was my second single and the last song on the album. You can play it on different platforms here . The chords and melody for this were largely written in my mid-20s. Really easy one to play - easy three chords, like most of my songs - and it was fun to sing along to. I rewrote the lyrics 20 years later and decided to write a song about taking a risk in life and going for it.
Whatever your circumstances, however bad things are, there is always the possibility for the hope and joy that small everyday things can bring. Like a nice cup of tea or sharing a smile with a stranger. That’s what this song is about. So this was single number one and the first song that Jason and the band worked on. I love the energy they added to it with the guitars and that piano riff - made me so happy when I first heard them play it. You can play it on Spotify here .