INTERVIEW: TIMOTHY NELSON RELEASES IMPELLING NEW TRACK ‘BIDING TIME’ - AND WE'VE GOT IT ON REPEAT!

Timothy Nelson is back with another track from his upcoming solo album (due for release early next year) with the haunting yet driving ‘Biding Time’. Powered by a chorus laden Rhodes piano and a shimmering 12 string acoustic guitar, ‘Biding Time’ draws on the nostalgic warmth of a Rumours era (Fleetwood Mac) and contrasts it with the haunting gloom of Echo & Bunnymen with its heavy and moving lyrics. 

I remember this song so clearly from your Couch Concerts performance with us during isolation. Such a beautiful track. What was it during isolation that made you change the direction of your upcoming album?
I wouldn't say the direction has necessarily changed too dramatically, but I'm always trying to pick the right songs that will fit together on a record and have that represent where I'm at. Obviously the whole world has completely changed since we started recording back in January, and in that time I did a lot of writing and found there were some new songs I thought would fit the record quite well. 

The tone is set during the introduction of the song with the retro synth swells providing gentle harmony to the driving rhythms of the guitar. Nelson draws on all of his songwriting skill throughout ‘Biding Time’, weaving through the verses delicately to land on an undeniably catchy chorus that’s going to be stuck in your head all day. Without divulging too much of the story behind the song, Timothy says “It’s quite dark really… love, death, and a downward spiral that can only go so much further. Essentially, it’s about two people who are at crossroads, both with themselves, and each other.”

You've definitely proved you can write different styles with your recent single 'Your House' which is a different type of banger. Do you find you're pulled between the two styles quite often?
Well, there's more than two actually, which is why I started Indoor Fins. I like too much music and find myself influenced by so many different artists that it's almost impossible to stick to one sound. You can only hope there's some unity between the songs you write simply because it's you that's doing it. But I get bored trying to do the same thing twice, so every new song I write for me is just a chance to go somewhere I haven't gone before in some way. There's a part of me that wants to write every kind of song you could think of.

Both tracks are very beautifully layered, what is your production process like? Is it part of your initial writing process? 
This record is a mixture of songs I've been playing with the band for a while, and some I wrote at home and just had a basic demo of. Working with Andy Lawson at Debaser has been a real joy, and our main concern with this one has been to base everything around the vocal. In the past I've tended to throw the kitchen sink at everything, whereas the new stuff is arguably a lot less busy. When I'm writing I'm usually layering up all kinds of instruments and vocal things along the way until I find a vibe that works.

A far departure from the summery slacker jam ‘Your House' that was his last release, ‘Biding Time' is a reflection of the crazy events that the world has been through this year. Nelson says he has reflected on what he wants his new record to be now that he’s had so much time to write and think about his music - “I started making this album before everything shut down, but over the last few months I’ve written so much new music and also had some time to rethink what I want this next record to be. My last record (2016’s ‘Words Like Young’) was really focused on this power pop thing, whereas I think this record is going to be more eclectic. So those two songs being so different from each is kind of an indication of what you’ll hear when it comes out.

​What other influences can we expect to hear coming through this new collection?
For now I'll just say there's a fair bit of the 70's going on. You'll hear what I mean soon enough!

And we look forward to so much more! You can listen to ‘Biding Time’ below or on any major streaming platform, enjoy!

Gerard Kinsella, Keeley Connolly