1. Burnt Cookies (ft. Oakelani Edmonds) (5:26)

  It was an absolute delight to collaborate with singer-songwriter Oakelani Edmonds on this piece. Oake and I first met at my first ever professional gig, “Six of the Best” at Smith’s Alternative – and I was enraptured by her incredibly poetic use of language in her original music. Later I found out she had a whole band(!!) and had the joy of (for the first time) seeing The Bottlebrushes perform at a gig only a few days after Just a Little Bit Mad came out.

  This song is about two people who meet and fall in love, and they do all these nice things for each other. They try to surprise each other by baking their favourite treat  – cookies – but unfortunately they both burn the cookies. The song is about loving someone despite them not being perfect. It also includes one of my favourite rhymes (“spatula” with “that you love”).

  Oake and I are sure to write more songs together over the coming months and years. Keep an eye out!

2. Too Loud, Too Quiet (5:01)

  This was one of the first songs I wrote for this album. Originally, Just a Little Bit Mad was going to be a s-song EP for voice and ukulele, but I have once again succumbed to the urge of creating mega-projects. The six songs are all in the first half of the album.

  I wrote it after a particularly bad day when I was feeling sensory overwhelm, and quite isolated from my friends. It’s about being autistic and struggling to fit in and catch up. My autism didn’t start to present very clearly until I was in my mid-teens – there were signs when I was younger, but I was masking very heavily for many years. A few months after writing this song, I stopped masking as much (it very rarely happens now!) and I started being a lot happier.

3. I Think I’m a Baritone (5:39)

  The second-last song to be written on this album, I Think I’m a Baritone has become a steady favourite of mine. I do wish I were a true tenor, but I am slowly learning to sing higher and higher with a softer and sweeter tone – but not in falsetto! Developing my mixed voice has been a lot of fun, but I don’t actually use it that much on this album. That’ll be something for next time.

  In this piece, I quote Nessun Dorma by Puccini, and I sort of fail at it. It’s not perfect in this recording. However – I have been working on it, and it’s getting better and better each time!

  I’ve been told this piece is very Noël Coward. I’m honoured to be compared to him in any capacity.

4. You’re As Sweet As My Coffee (6:03)

  This song speaks for itself. It’s about people I don’t like very much. It was also one of the original six for the would-be EP.

  I am wary about this song, because it is about real people. But I won’t ever say who those people are. The people who know know, and that’s enough. The concept of the song is what’s important – it’s comedy. It’s meant to be bold and a little bit shocking. The bridge still makes me laugh after listening to this dozens of times while mixing it.

  My mother does not like this song. But you can’t please everyone.

5. Moira’s Tale (4:42)

  Another of the original six, this song is one that I am very proud of. It was originally going to be a comedy song about a soldier who did whatever his commander told him to, to the point of covering up the commander’s crimes, but the meaning and style of the song changed a lot as I started writing it.

  I actually wrote this song all in one day, over eight hours. It is the only time I’ve ever done this. It’s also the first song in the album where someone dies. The song is about a lonely girl who dies in a storm while she’s at sea – and despite her loneliness and lack of human connection, her song is still sung today by the creatures of the sea.

6. I Could Never Get Married (To Your Wife) (5:03)

  Yet another of the original six, this was a song I wrote for my brother’s wedding. I was honoured to be chosen as the MC for Caspian and Tabitha’s wedding, and I decided to surprise them with a song I had written. The concept was simple. And it was a big hit. This was the first original song I had ever performed live, so it’s very meaningful to me. And I’m sure it’s very meaningful to Caspian and Tabitha, too.

  Caspian and Tabitha’s wedding is also where I met a lot of the band members for my album launch of These Past Few Years, and most of them are a part of this project, as well. Of course, that day is the most significant day of my brother’s and sister-in-law’s lives. But it was pretty damn significant for me, too.

7. Mice in My Roof (2:54)

  Again, a very simple concept. There were actually mice in my roof late at night, and it sounded like they were doing the deed up there. And so I had the idea for the song. This song was also one of the original six.

8. So Many Boys (3:10)

  If you didn’t know, I’m gay. Well, I’m bi. But this song is about the guys.

9. That Was Love (4:15)

  I jokingly call this song my one hit wonder. It’s the most commercial song I’ve ever written (and it’s also the first one from this album I wrote – it’s part of the original six!). The simplest chorus. Falsetto singing. A love song. One day it’ll make me a million bucks.

  It’s important to note that the song isn’t called “That Is Love.” It’s “That Was Love.” It’s about acknowledging that a (one-sided) love that once existed no longer exists, and it’s about reminiscing about old feelings.

10. ‘Cause When You’re Near (5:04)

  This song is dedicated to my two best friends, Zoe and Nadia. It was the last song to be written on the album. And it’s a song that I’m extremely proud of.