The Family Grave Perspective on Leave Him Behind

I am The Family Grave and come from Brighton, England.

The song Leave Him Behind is sung for a friend who might be thinking about a past lover or relationship and the chains that memory can sometimes impose. It is a positive song because there is too much negativity and hesitancy and I want the listener to feel empowered and strong in their resolve. The past is always there but life lies ahead of us not behind. 

The two pop albums in my parents' house when I was small were by Petula Clark and the Everley Brothers. I love them both to this day.  The first album I bought with my own money might have been the soundtrack to Grease.  But I can remember hearing Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone come on the radio when driving in the car with my Dad and immediately recognising this was something else, a different kind of poetry and intelligence, but I was pretty young then. 

I've loved music all my life, but came to songwriting quite late. I had a busy life, kids a good job and never really thought about creating songs but seeing some incredibly talented local artists in small venues in my hometown (acts like The Great Park, Laish, Mary Hampton) let me think I could do that too, and so I picked up a guitar and did. That was when I was in my 30s. 

I never know how to categorise my music. I think of this song as a pop song, but more indie pop. There's a singer-songwriter approach, using simple repetetive folk song structures and a lo-fi acoustic style there. Lyrically, it's not a love song, but it's not an anti-love song, so maybe it's more about pride and self-empowerment. Someone once described my songwriting as a form of outsider art, and I will take that too.  

My first album (Everybody Is Flawed) was recorded straight to tape, most of the songs in a single take. Martin added a little bass or keyboards but it was basically what it was. For the next album (Happy Songs) I decided these songs deserved a bit more attention, and so I went into Church Road Studios with Paul Pascoe and we slowly built these lo-fi acoustic songs into something a little more developed, kind of learnign as we went.  The new album which the song Leave Him Behind comes from has taken our approach one step further, with more arrangement and some really beautiful added contributions. I think it's pretty different from most modern albums that tend to reproduce a singular style.

I asked  Perplexity AI the question: What are some key themes in The Family Grave's songs? This is what it came up with (I think it's a pretty good summary): 

Based on the available information about The Family Grave, some key themes in their songs appear to be:

1 Love and relationships: Their upcoming album is titled "The Family Grave Play Songs About Love", indicating this is a central theme. Songs like "Caroline" and "Leave Him Behind" suggest relationship-focused lyrics.

2 Nostalgia: Their recent singles are described as tapping into a "nostalgic vein", suggesting they often explore themes of memory and the past.

3 Classic songwriting: The band is noted for their "love of classic songwriting", implying they tackle timeless themes and storytelling approaches in their lyrics.

4 Folk and alternative styles: They are described as "eclectic folk pioneers" with a "driving, lo-fi, alt-folk" sound, which also informs the themes and imagery in their songs.

5 Urban/modern life: As a band based in Brighton, UK, they incorporate themes of city life or contemporary experiences.

6 Personal/introspective topics: In keeping with their singer-songwriter roots, their songs explore personal emotions and experiences.

While the details of their lyrical content are limited in search results, these themes seem to align with The Family Grave's described style and approach to music. Their songs blend elements of folk storytelling with more modern, personal perspectives on love, life, and human experiences. 

I think people need to pay attention to the lyrics because they are strong and ought to stand out. Musically, I think there are a lot of surprises, and surprising hooks. I've likened my albums as a stroll around a small art gallery, coming across occasioal pictures that trigger a thought or a memory or emotion.  I don't expect people to dance, although to one or two of my songs that too is conceivable. 

Like John Lee Hooker said, 

Let that boy boogie-woogie
It's in him, and it got to come out...