Image credit: Rob Baker Ashton
Late Night Final, the side project from Public Service Broadcasting’s J. Willgoose, releases his debut album, A Wonderful Hope, via PIAS. Written during last year’s first lockdown, the 4 track album was born out of a deep rooted yearning to connect with other humans and a need to do something creative and to regain some sense of control.
He also shares a visualiser for the record’s title track, the third in a series of videos created by Nic Finch, which you can watch HERE.
“We were working on the next Public Service Broadcasting album when the restrictions hit,” says Willgoose. “All of our equipment was stuck in a different country and we were unable to meet up. I’ve always wanted to explore a more meditative sound, inspired by Brian Eno, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream and KLF’s seminal ‘Chill Out’ album. This felt like the perfect opportunity.”
The 45 minutes of music that grew out of his lockdown reflect the make-do-and-mend attitude of the period: listen out for the distorted sound of his baby’s metal rattle played backwards on track two and samples from his local park on the fourth and final track. Willgoose also explores theories of random music generation as well as the human capacity for hope.
“We will find our way back to a world in which live music will happen again. But I’m less optimistic in person than I am on record. Music allows me to express hopes I find difficult to acknowledge in everyday life. I made this whole album picturing a dance tent at 4am or a room late at night, full of people, movement and warmth and all the joy that that can bring. It feels like I was sending signals out into space.”
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