Q&A: The Closing of a Chapter, Leo Dolan’s newest EP ‘Something Somebody Told Me Once’ Encapsulates Emotional Issues of Being Human
YOU KNOW THAT OLD QUOTE — “The most important things are the hardest things to say”? Leo Dolan’s newest release, Something Somebody Told Me Once, encapsulates that: extreme vulnerability.
Born in Bend, Oregon and now a resident of LA for the past five years, Dolan has always had a knack for portraying emotionally unguarded situations with his songwriting, and Something Somebody Told Me Once has no disillusionment to the same.
Thematically, the EP is graced with undertones of experiences and conversations with those around Dolan. He is the type of introspective guy who will remember what you say and give it some thought. The EP is an easy listen, opening with “Ghosts of My Friends,” featuring the mellotron, an electro-mechanical musical instrument that is new for Dolan’s music. The heartbreak anthem, “Tongues,” comes next, with harrowing vocals the forefront of its sound. Closing track “People’s History of Central Oregon” touches on the passing of life and the impact you make on others. From start to finish, you’ll find yourself facing the reality of human existence in such strange times.
“It's a collection of songs that looks back pretty far — some of these songs touch on things that happened to me when I was a kid,” Dolan shares. “So it's a weird macro view of what is happening to me now and things that happened in that past that inform my life still.”
Produced by Ryan Pollie (ANTI- Records) and mixed by Brian Rosemeyer (Kurt Vile, Cat Power), this release marks an important step in Dolan’s musical career.
Read below to learn about the meaning behind the EP’s title, Dolan’s songwriting style, and his current favorite artist.
LUNA: Congrats on this release — I truly think it is the most beautiful set of songs you have put out. You began playing guitar at a very young age and have been writing and performing since you were nine years old. How do you think your music has changed over the years?
DOLAN: It has changed a ton. I feel like music has been my main companion in growing up and becoming who I want to be. I've been a part of a lot of different bands and pursued a lot of different styles so there have been a lot of changes there, but beyond it changing aesthetically, I feel like what I am trying to say is just different now. I want to talk about stuff that is harder to put into words.
Sounds kind of self-righteous to say now that I am saying it out loud, but I do think my favorite songs manage to speak on small, everyday things while also taking on bigger issues of being and purpose. So that is where I am at right now.
LUNA: You do a great job of encapsulating that. What is the biggest inspiration behind the tracks on Somebody Something Told Me Once? What is the inspiration behind the album’s title?
DOLAN: I experienced death for the first real time over the last few years, and that is really what most of these songs are about. It's also a collection of songs that looks back pretty far — some of these songs touch on things that happened to me when I was a kid. So it's a weird macro view of what is happening to me now and things that happened in that past that inform my life still.
Also, the dissolution of relationships that were important to me, and moving on from things. The album title comes from how I think about lyrics right now. I feel like more and more my lyrics are just random collections of things that happened to me, including snatches of conversation or things people said to me years ago. Some things stick with me for no apparent reason, and if something bounces around in my head for a few years that's probably a good sign that I should write it into a song.
LUNA: Describe your style of lyricism. For example, artists sometimes take a more literal approach to their storytelling and some turn to a more ambiguous style. How do they come to fruition for you?
DOLAN: I used to write pretty specifically and literally, but around the start of the pandemic something switched in me and now I am a lot more interested in kinda far-off lyrics that make less sense. More like scene-setting. Just like the title of the EP, these songs mean a lot to me because I know what I'm singing about, even if it isn't apparent to the listener.
LUNA: You mentioned these songs mean a lot to you — what does it feel like to put them out into the world? How is it different from the last?
DOLAN: This release feels like a pretty big deal to me. I feel like I was finally able to start making my songs sound the way they were supposed to, and this collection feels like closing the chapter on the first real era of my solo music. I am in a band called Finnish Postcard as well, and that is where my head is at, so I think it'll be a decent amount of time before I release new Leo Dolan music. But this feels like an extremely appropriate closing of this era.
LUNA: It truly feels like every song on the album is gutted with emotion and intensity, which is personally my favorite kind of music to listen to. Very impressed with this release. But thank you so much for talking today, and for my final question: What have you been listening to lately?
DOLAN: The new Samia record is so sick. Also been listening to Alex G a lot more. Helvetia also a ton. Probably my current favorite is claire rousay. Her music blows my mind in ways I haven't experienced in a long time and is probably my biggest source of inspiration right now.
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