1. The First Song I Wrote
I actually think it was called ‘Upside Down Skies’, and I do remember the lyrics but if I put them here I would probably have to kill you. 14-year-old Chris was pretty cheesy.
2. The Last Song I Released
I recently released my second EP Flux, which I co-produced and recorded up in Cairns with Mark Myers (former member of The Middle East). I’m really proud of this CD and have great memories recording and writing it. The record is based around the theme of constant change and a quite painful emotional split, so Mark and I worked pretty hard to create a really convoluted, textured and dark energy soundscape for most of these songs. I think up until just recently, ‘Stranded’ was the best song I had written. It’s so brutally honest it still makes me upset if I let it catch me off guard.
3. Songwriting Secrets
I’m a really honest songwriter so a lot of my lyrics are non-fiction, inspired by self-reflection or anything that’s made an emotional impact on me and my close friends and family. I often think about the way I slot into their lives, and the art of calling a spade a spade. I’m always writing lyrics – I realised the other day planes make me really nostalgic and any sort of travel is a great time to reflect, amongst other things.
4. The Song That Makes Me Proud
The song that makes me the most proud is definitely ‘Stranded’ off the new EP. It’s sentimental to me. Lyrically it’s that kind of vulnerable honesty I really hope to recreate more often. I actually woke up from a pretty intense dream about someone I loved, who was tied to a cross in the middle of a stormy sunset in what could’ve been the Sahara Desert. There was a huge rumbling cloud of dust, and a sea of warriors were charging toward this person tied to the cross. And as I stood next to her, just out of reach, she was screaming for my help but I watched it happen and left her stranded. Through all of that trauma, though, I vividly remember feeling like it was the best thing for the both of us.
5. The Song That Changed My Life
‘Land Of The Bloody Unknown’ – The Middle East.This is the first song that made me feel like I wanted to be a songwriter for good, and the album I Want That You Are Always Happy is still my favourite of all time. It’s a beautiful homesick song, albeit incredibly cryptic. The imagery is so powerful, and it’s always made me challenge the thought of who I am and what role I play in this country, and what my version of Australia is.
Fluxis out now independently, and Timberwolf plays the Beach Road Hotel on Friday October 2.
