The Easter Parade has released his new single ‘Sing Our Kids To Sleep’.
The Easter Parade is the music project from musician, producer, and songwriter Matt Steven who is working on his upcoming EP ‘Raindrops’.
Speaking of the new single, Matt said: “After a long break, I’m excited to share something new with the Easter Parade. It’s a project that reflects both where I’ve been and where I’m headed, and I hope people find something in it that resonates with them. The intention of the project is not to make a grand statement, but to offer an honest collection of music shaped by time and experience.”
To celebrate his release, Matt shared with us 5 tracks that influenced ‘Sing Our Kids to Sleep’.
Ennio Morricone (Once Upon a Time in America Soundtrack) – Deborah’s Theme
Many of Ennio Morricone’s soundtracks have left a deep impression on me as a musician, but ‘Deborah’s Theme’ might be the cornerstone for this entire project so far. The track is hauntingly beautiful, steeped in a well of emotion. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to capture the nostalgic, cinematic qualities that ‘Deborah’s Theme’ embodies and see what it might sound like in a contemporary song form. It’s something I’m still exploring and playing with. Much of what I’ve written so far has come to life alongside fragments of old black-and-white films, which I use as a guide to help me bring out these qualities, hence the name The Easter Parade which is of course a film from the 1940’s starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire.
The Blue Nile – Regret
I’m sure I read somewhere that this track was recorded quickly as a B-side because they needed something fast and ‘low budget’. It features on the extended edition of their album ‘A Walk Across the Rooftops’. This song has been a constant reminder throughout my own process that music isn’t judged on how long it took to write, produce, or perfect; it’s about whether it captures something or makes someone feel. I honestly believe the simpler you can communicate a message, the more powerful it often is. This is something I keep coming back to, to make sure I’m not ironing out the song with too much complicated production or arrangement and was a big part of the process with ‘Sing Our Kids to Sleep’.
Elbow – Open Arms
Elbow have this incredible ability to build tension in their music, and ‘Open Arms’ is a masterpiece in that regard. The song has an almost three-minute build that never quite reaches a climax but just keeps rising, holding you somehow in its grip. I remember being captivated by it the first time I heard it. I took that idea into ‘Sing Our Kids to Sleep’, which began as just piano and strings, and decided to layer in some drums in a sparse, slightly unconventional way. It was important that it never fully broke into a beat, so as not to break the tension.
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds – Into Your Arms
This is one of those songs that, when you hear it, you remember exactly where you were, what you were doing. Ever since that moment, I’ve been a huge admirer of Nick Cave’s Songwriting, drawing inspiration from him both sonically and lyrically. One of the most important things I’ve learnt from Nick Cave as an artist is having the courage to polarise. I know my music won’t be for everyone, and that’s something I fully embrace. That’s why I chose to keep the vocal in ‘Sing Our Kids to Sleep’ close and intimate, especially in the opening verses, to create a sense of personal connection.
Salvador Sobral – Amar Pelos Dois
Portugal’s Eurovision winner in 2017. I had this on repeat for about a month after it won. It’s such a heart-wrenching piece of music, with a vocal delivery that seems to transport you through time. The song’s old broadcast-style string section was a huge inspiration for how I wanted the strings to sound in ‘Sing Our Kids to Sleep’. I knew real strings would be essential to capture that quality, so I began working with a string quartet, which has really added another dimension to my music. Although the original arrangement of ‘Sing Our Kids to Sleep’ had a string intro, I chose to cut it to preserve the overall flow; however, there are still lots of these style strings throughout the record.
Listen to The Easter Parade’s musical influences:
Stream The Easter Parade ‘Sing Our Kids To Sleep’ via Spotify: