Oliver Gearing Perspective on State of You
I'm an independent musician from the UK, who makes rock and pop music. I'm predominantly a singer, drummer and pianist, but I also play the guitars too.
This song was inspired (if that is the right word) by Donald Trump, and his first term has US President. I have always been quite distrustful and critical of political leaders, and I found some of the actions that he took during his first term to be quite shocking. I believe that politics of division and differences are not the way forward, although I recognise that many people are looking for change, which is something that he offers.
I always struggle to pick which genre my music fits into. I think that this particular track has elements of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Incubus, and perhaps even Paramore. I listened a lot to Smashing Pumpkins as a kid, so this probably feeds into this song as well. I thnk the genre is Pop Rock and Alternative Rock, and I have had a few people describe this as 'Emo Pop', which I don't really recognise as a genre. I love Emo, so I'm sure this is all good!
The last 3 years have been relatively quiet for me as an artist. I released Moment of Change in 2020, which was my first song in 13 years, but then had a break until 2023, where I released Scars and a few other songs. I have been working hard on my production techniques, and feel that my sound is getting better. I'm really excited for 2025, where I plan to release a lot more music, including covers.
My method of making music has evolved over the years, but follows a set pattern.
- I write the lyrics alongside the music, both of which evolve together until I have a complete song
- I then record the song on MIDI instruments, as a rough take. I do this relatively quickly, so I can play around with arrangment ideas
- I then capture a vocal take as a guide
- Drums are recorded next, as these are the heart of my music, and where a lot of my energy for the track comes from
- Bass is recorded using a software instrument, and blended with the drums to be super tight
- Guitars and keyboards then layered over the top
- I then record my main vocal, followed by any backing vocals.
- Finally I mix and master the song.
