The Queensland, Australia-born singer, songwriter, and narrator packed
up his life in a suitcase and circled the globe on a near twelve-year
and five-continent international trip, as chronicled in photography
and music and most significantly, his latest full-length Marigold
[Nettwerk Records]. Since dropping his debut EP The Black Tree,
Stu’s discography carefully traces every step of his journey. “In
2014 and 2015, I was a vagabond, a nomad, and an adventurer,” he
explains. “2017 and 2018 felt a bit more solid. I found a sort of
routine in this way of life. I was still traveling and exploring, but
I knew more about who I was. 2019 has seen me searching for true love
and genuine happiness and connection in a bigger way, not just
romantic; but also in a general way in life.” The eleven tracks on
Marigold speak to Larsen’s external and internal progression. In
between Marigold and his earlier LP Resolute, Larsen fell in love only
to fall into heartbreak and, ultimately, find the inspiration to write
straight from the heart. “I feel like these songs are more personal
than any of my previous work,” he affirms. “They’re about
falling deeply in love with someone who came into my life and then
disappeared soon after. It’s very personal. I’m attached to the
message and the feelings. The travel didn’t necessarily affect the
lyrics of the songs, but it did influence the relationship and produce
the songs themselves—because I was writing on the road everywhere
from Eastern Europe to South America. My takeaway from the entire
situation is, ‘love really is a mystery.’” Despite the
intangible and elusive nature of the central theme, the process itself
would be his most memorable and tangible yet. Over the course of just
15 days at Golden Retriever Studios in Sydney with producer Tim Hart
[Boy & Bear] and engineer Simon Berckelman [Philadelphia Grand Jury],
Stu tracked and mixed to tape for the first time. “To be honest,
it’s the first time I’ve been physically and mentally present in
the recording process,” he smiles. “In the middle of the first
album [Vagabond], my father passed away, so my mind was somewhere
else. On the second one, my appendix burst, and I was two weeks late
to the sessions. It was amazing to be there for ‘Marigold.’ We
were making decisions on the fly and sticking with them. We weren’t
going to go back and redo things. We agreed, recorded, and locked it
in; which made it quick.” The first single “Whisky & Blankets (A
Tu Lado)” pairs breezy guitar and a steady beat with a warm promise,
“Darling, it’s alright. I’m not going anywhere. I want to be
right by your side.” “After my heart had been broken, I wrote
three or four of the saddest songs I’ve ever written,” he laughs.
Originally conceived amidst tour dates in an Argentinian hotel room,
“The Loudest Voice” resounds quietly as vocals descend from hushed
verses into a slight-whisper on the refrain, “I never wanted to be
the loudest voice.” “That’s kind of the way I live my life,”
he goes on. “I don’t need to shout and scream about who I am and
what I do. I’m here. If you want to respond to my message, that’s
great. I’m not going to fight it. I’m going to be me.” On the
other end of the spectrum, gusts of electric guitar and robust
delivery blow through “Hurricane” carried by raw emotion. The
bilingual “je te promets demain” echoes with heartache over sparse
instrumentation. The title translates to “I promise you tomorrow”
as an homage to the French phrases Stu learned from his ex. The album
culminates with the finale “Phone Call From My Lover.” Soft
strumming underscores the pain of this send-off. “It’s a little
‘P.S.’ at the end,” he says. “Things were lingering with my
relationship like maybe something will happen or maybe it won’t. A
week before recording, we finally had ‘the’ phone call.
Afterwards, I thought, ‘Okay, she’s really gone.’ I sat down and
wrote the tune. It’s the most intimate moment on my most intimate
work. It’s a real love letter to her.” In the end, Marigold closes
out one chapter for Larsen and turns the page to the next. Website
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01/06/2020 Last update