I could take a track off there and tell you how old it is. The last tune—”Adrenaline”—I’ve had that for years, but it’s never been suitable for an EP. I’ve always seen it as part of something else. After Unearth, I said, “I can’t see myself doing another EP for a long time. If I want to make music, I’m going to go in and do an album.” I looked at demos and found a few that didn’t make the album but that I still really liked. I based that whole album around “Adrenaline.” This was around the time that Unearth came out—in July 2021. The pandemic had a big effect, obviously; I stopped playing shows, like everyone else.
This might be a good time to mention my alias. There was a time when those split: I made a graphic of me handing the Murlo USBs to Sharda. Sharda’s the DJ now; Murlo’s going to be buried away in the basement just being a little art guy.
With the Murlo stuff, I made an audiovisual show, which I toured a bit before the pandemic. I decided I wasn’t going to DJ as Murlo any more, because the stuff I was playing was further and further from stuff you’d mix. Sharda was an alias that I had from years ago—probably eight or nine years ago. It was originally just silly bassline tunes, and then I started making more garage stuff, and then I connected with Conducta. We both made a tune called “Together,” which is credited to Murlo, but deep down, it’s a Sharda tune. There’s not much difference between the aliases anyway—it’s all a laugh; I found the mysteriousness really funny. I liked the idea of starting an alias where some people might not know it was me. I was playing Sharda shows for that whole time until the pandemic. I did some Sharda shows after, but something irreparably changed. I don’t know what it was, and I still think about it all the time.
It got to the point where I had to make a decision for what I wanted to do as Murlo: did I want to do another album or just move on? It’s connected to me getting older, too, and wanting something a bit more stable. I was really lucky: I got a big advert placement last year, on a tune that had already come out. That gave me the freedom to properly focus on an album. That’s really rare; it’s a privilege. I don’t have a background where I’ve ever had financial stability to that degree before. I thought, “I’m gonna make the most of this, and do something I really want to do.” That’s what Puckle was.
I don’t know what my future is, in terms of being a full-time musician. I can’t see how it’s sustainable. I don’t even know if I’m going to make another album. For me, Puckle was my last chance to do what I really, really wanted to do and do it as best I can. No matter what happens afterwards, I don’t have to wonder, “did I squander that opportunity?”
Let’s say I get a job that’s more focused on the visual side of things. Maybe I’ll get a job in a studio. I’ll still have time to focus on music, but it won’t be the same. Those were my thoughts behind this when I came in: I’m gonna throw myself completely into it, do everything that I wanted to, not worry about having to play live shows. I’ve had a lot of messages asking if I’m gonna tour it, but the Dolos live show took five months of solid work to get where it was. This is a whole new album. It would have taken me that same amount of time as making the models, the compendium, and such. I’d rather make something that’s a bit more tangible, something you can hold in your hands. There’s a lot of instability with live shows at the moment. Imagine if I spent six months doing the show and, for whatever reason, couldn’t hit the floor running. It was a risk to do away with the idea that I couldn’t tour it at the moment, but I’m happy with the choices I made.
Art by Murlo
My dad’s a sheet metal worker. We’ll chat, and I’ll explain things to him, and if I have something on my mind that’s bugging me, I’ll realize very fast as I’m explaining it that it’s a stupid thing to complain about. Oh, the trains aren’t very good at the moment, or I had to wait at the airport? But I’m playing in Porto—it’s a gig! It’s just perspective, you know?
I’m very grateful. It’s almost like I’ve managed to get away with this for this long. I can still try and keep this going, but I’m a bit older now; I just turned 36. I started thinking a bit more about the future—I don’t know if my maturity is finally catching up with my biological age. But maybe I want more stability, and to not need to worry about paying rent. That opportunity with that advert gave me a chance to invest in passion projects, like this album, and maybe then get something that’s a bit more stable but still make music on the side. That’s probably where my future lies—the arts, in general, are not that stable. But if it’s commercial work, I can keep my head down, get on with it, and be happy.