Loserdom

Loserdom, Auld’s second album, is a co-release by UK label Safe Suburban Home and US label Repeating Cloud and represents a big departure from his earlier twee-folk sound. Loserdom is a louder and more ambitious shift toward blown-out power-pop, inspired by records like Grand Prix by Teenage Fanclub, Pinkerton by Weezer and Tony Molina’s Dissed and Dismissed.

Auld wrote the record during a period of personal upheaval. Moving cities, leaving relationships and quitting bands resulted in songs filled with resentment, shame and a sardonic, over-the-top admission of failure.

These songs are also a celebration of the relief that comes when you accept your losses. Auld first heard the term “Loserdom” said by Walter Becker in a Steely Dan documentary:
“I thought it was such a funny and tragic term and felt some affinity with it”.

Layered vocal harmonies and Bach-inspired guitar solos give the impression of a rock opera, while the arrangement and structure of these songs are concise and always conscious to not feel superfluous. Each song squeezes itself under the 3 minute mark with unhinged feedback, ripping solos and a refreshing degree of unpredictability.

The drums and rhythm guitars were tracked at Sick Room Studios in the Norfolk countryside, and were engineered by Owen Turner who owns and runs the studio. All of the remaining pieces (the solos, bass, keys and vocals) were then recorded over a period of almost a year at Auld’s home. The record was mixed down to ¼” tape with Auld’s bandmate Conor Etteridge assisting with the mixing process. Auld reached out to Dylan Wall to master the record, having appreciated his work on Hotline TNT’s Nineteen in Love.

Loserdom is certainly influenced by melodic, harmony-rich American bands such as Weezer, Jellyfish and Big Star, as well as the 90s Glasgow power-pop scene. Auld channels the heartfelt lyricism of Norman Blake’s songs in Teenage Fanclub, as well as the absurd guitar wizardry of Tony Molina. In doing so, Loserdom amps up the emotion, harmonies, and volume for an album that captures a rocky life transition with tongue-in-cheek drama