StereoGum: You worked with Iain Cook from
Chvrches on some of these songs [Big Music].
I was wondering how you came to meet him and how you found the experience of working with him?
JK: It was a great experience. Exactly four years ago, it was a sad period for me because my mum
was on the verge of passing away and I'd come back to Glasgow to be around during the last weeks. I was staying at
the house with Mum and Dad. She actually said to me, "What are you doing sitting around, go and do some work." She
just knew I wasn't being myself, obviously. I thought, "You know what, I'm probably freaking out just sitting and
moping around, she's right." So Iain and I had a mutual friend [Martin Hanlin] and
he said, "I'm gonna take you over to see [him]." I’d just previously done a solo record and worked with various
people, and I was thinking about maybe doing another one. He said, "There's this kid that it’d be good for you
to work with." I said cool. Iain was only ten minutes away, and it was amazing
because the neighborhood Iain lived in was only three houses away from where
we started as a garage band, really, as Simple Minds. It was like coming back full circle, but in
Iain's basement. I went in, and I had never met him but I could see from
all the stuff he had on the walls that he was a real music guy. I said, "Look, let’s do something." He said, "Well, I've
been working on a couple of things. I listened to some of your earlier records and I’ve been working on a couple
of things that might be of interest to you." And, indeed, one of the first things he played me became the melody for
the track Honest Town." That was four years ago. They were just sort
of putting together Chvrches, they hadn't even found Lauren Mayberry yet, I don't think.
Chvrches were just starting out. But it's been amazing to see the success that they've had.
Iain and I wrote probably about ten songs over a period of two weeks.
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