More than four years after I met with my producer for the first time, my debut EP is finally out. 

As the title suggests, Circadia – Songs for Insomniacs consists of five songs that deal with topics that may cause us to lie awake at night. The name Circadia is the name of a place I imagined during those sleepless nights, looking out the window into a night sky. I imagined a place where other insomniacs could come together and chill out together. 

Working with a producer was a completely new experience, but I put my trust in Dan Billu and I am very glad I did. Having someone else develop a relationship to songs you’ve sat alone with in your home is a very intense and sometimes scary process. But seeing his vision for the songs and how he developed them over time – from my bare bones demos into the finished songs they are today was exciting and I am very happy with how they all turned out. You can listen to the songs if you scroll down to the bottom of this post!

Let me tell you a little more about each and every song.

What are the Songs on „Circadia – Songs for Insomniacs“ really about?

The EP opens with the most upbeat and optimistic song of them all: Behind This Window. The song begins with a bang, a wall of sound almost.  

I started writing this song when I was a student in Uppsala, Sweden. When I looked out my dorm room I would see several other buildings exactly like my own. A lot went on in my life during that time and I was amazed by the fact that behind every window, another student’s life was going on, just like behind my own. And I am still in awe of that sometimes when moving through the city. So many windows that separate the outside from the home and how many ups and downs we all experience behind those windows. Everyone’s journey is different but equal in importance to ourselves.

The second song, Out of Sight, Out of Mind is about fair-weather friends and acquaintances. You know the type of very enthusiastic person who makes grand plans but as soon as you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind. And they never reach out again. The finger-picking and strumming pattern on the guitar combined with assertive strings contribute to a little unsettled and annoyed vibe. 

Thicket of Lies is about feeling unseen and unheard and observing other people take the credit for your or someone elses work. It’s about disingenous social interactions, office politics and people playing games. The song is leaning most towards dark americana of all the songs on the EP, including banjo, toy piano and a selection of organic percussion instruments to create a homemade and secretive soundscape. 

You’ve been doing your thing is a country ballad featuring the late Irish folk musician Kevin Ryan. It tells the story of a misunderstanding from two diametrically different perspectieves. Every relationship requires both listening and speaking up before things go to far. It is about communicating.

The last song is a sort of lullaby, written during a sleepless night and it is the song that inspired the common theme for the EP. Circadia starts with birdsong, a beautiful sound, but to an insomniac it is the symbol of having spent another night awake because now morning is approaching. „Circadia“  is told from a perspective of someone being surprised and in wonder of how other people can simply fall asleep. 

Where to listen to „Circadia – Songs for Insomniacs“

Now, if you want to listen to the EP, it is available to stream and buy on Bandcamp. There you’ll also find the full credits and lyrics for every song.

You can also stream it on all the other music streaming services, but please know that musicians receive next to nothing from streaming whereas the CEOs and stakeholders get really, really rich.

Find the EP on your preferred streaming service here.