De Nada by Phillip Jon Taylor

“...happy in a silence most couldn’t bear.” - HAAR

It’s been five years since singer, songwriter and producer, Phillip Jon Taylor relocated from Glasgow to the sleepy beach side village of Dornoch on Scotland's north east coast. A move driven by loss and life-altering revelations, Taylor finally found himself with the space to practice some long overdue self care, and distance himself from the crutches of modern technology. Having barely stopped to take breath following a decade spent touring the world with the Glasgow band PAWS it was an opportunity to look inwards and take stock of where he found himself, and where he was heading.

This disconnect from the ‘always online’ world, also sparked a renewed creativity. Setting up a recording studio in an the crofters cottage on a working farm he now called home, it became an office hours workplace, and adopting the role of multi-instrumentalist and producer for the first time in his career he released the download-only debut album Essential Maintenance For Human Happiness, followed by The 5 Songs and Supportive Partner Please Stand Here EPs .

Dug out from the vaults of this same period, his latest record De Nada houses the finest aspects of Taylor's work to date; the indie rock/pop sensibilities frequented throughout the PAWS discography, the soaring ambition of his solo debut and EPs, and most notably the electronic flourishes of his stunning Coping Mechanism project. Drawing from a lifelong listening apprenticeship in multi-instrumentation, writing and production from the books of DIY songwriting talismans such as Jim O’ Rourke, Jon Brion, Liz Harris, David Bazan and Phil Elverum; crystal clean electric guitar parts swirl around the routed acoustic heart of the songs that extend a friendly handshake to fans of the 90’s underground shoegaze of Lilys’ Eccsame The Photon Band and Clarity era Jimmy Eat World.

All of this has led to De Nada. The title - directly translated as ‘for nothing’ - belies its heart. The record was everything for Taylor at a time when he was making sense of the new world he found himself in.

Tracklist

1.	The Catalyst	4:06

2.	HAAR	2:48

3.	Turnaround	3:00

4.	Love In Plague Time	3:14

5.	Louvre Selfie	2:24

6.	A Buried Life	4:09

7.	Raincheck	3:19

8.	Low (Your Big Heart)	2:30

9.	The Lambing Snow	4:08

10.	Turnaround (Overture)	4:15

Credits

released June 28, 2024

Written, performed, produced and mixed by Phillip Jon Taylor at Achley Farm Studio.

Cover art and layout by Phillip Jon Taylor.
Reverse cover art by Pablo Fox.
Mastered by Paul Gallagher at Glenwood Studios.

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