A Chat with Ron Briskin (25.07.25)
Bring audiences in 2025 the best of old-school indie-rock, singer-songwriter Ron Briskin fits alongside The Strokes on any playlist. We speak with the UK-based musician about his new album, Heart of Clay, inspiration, what music means to him, and much more.
OSR: What drew you to music, and what made you decide to pursue a musical career?
Briskin: My dad has been a fan of classics like The Beatles, Queen, and the Rolling Stones, which means that since I was young I was always hearing good music in the living room or the car. I think part of me always wanted to be a rockstar, and although I’ve dabbled in music I only discovered it as a potential career during COVID when I had literally nothing else to do, now it feels like everything.
OSR: You recently released your debut album Heart of Clay. What can you tell us about the album? Is there a particular backstory or themes?
Briskin: It’s very exciting to finally release a full album for the first time, it felt like the first opportunity to explore more sounds and to try and develop an actual concept for a music release. My last three years in London have been full of ups and downs, which led me to learn a lot about myself as a person and really affected my world views. I think Heart of Clay is a loose adaptation of that story, from someone who doesn’t recognize themselves to a new person that understands this complicated world a little better.
OSR: What was the production of the album like? Any challenges experienced or lessons learned in the process?
Briskin: So this album was not even my idea, it was actually my producer’s, Daniel. He urged me to make a push with my music and to finally write a full album, so I did. We started from 25 songs drafts which we eventually developed into 12 demos. I feel like I learnt from every step in the process; it’s tough to find new and creative ideas 12 times, and it can be challenging to find something that we’re all happy with. My bandmates Bryn (guitar) and Sid (drums) were very involved, and I wanted to make sure each of them contributed and had a say in the production since I really do see them as part of the project. Getting the mix right was one of the biggest challenges, but I felt that in the end we managed to nail that balance between a professional sounding mix and something that reflects my influences and ideas (The Strokes and 2000s indie rock were a MASSIVE influence for this whole record!).
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Briskin: For me music is art and self expression, a vehicle for emotions. It’s really as simple as that. That’s why I’ve always listened to it, and that’s why I write it. It’s not just the lyrics, but also the melodies, I feel like that it all comes together to create something so special and unique. It might even be better than therapy, but I’m not licensed to actually give that advice unfortunately!
OSR: What do you hope people will take from Heart of Clay, and what do you take from it?
Briskin: I mean, honestly, that stems from my last reply. It’s really all about the emotions, and about how you personally connect to these melodies and lyrics. It could be an entirely different story for you, but as long as it awakens something inside you, that’s all that matters to me. This album is not just mine anymore, it’s yours. And for me it’ll always be that first chance to share a journey of mine with the world.
OSR: Which do you find more challenging when creating a song: the melody or the lyrics?
Briskin: I’d say lyrics for sure, I’ve been influenced by so many talented lyricsts it’s hard not to compare myself and to think “I wish I wrote that!!” So I do try to just keep it real and honest, which does result in some lines that feel a bit more generic than I’d have liked, but in the end of the day it’s a combination of everything and I’m proud of my growth as a songwriter in all facets, and I’m sure I’ll keep improving.
OSR: You mention you have a multi-national, multi-cultural upbringing. How do you feel that exposure to different cultures influences your music, if at all?
Briskin: I think it means I got early exposure to so many different kinds of genres and artists, which has made me very open minded about my approach to music. I think that’s also what made me so comfortable when it comes to working with musicians from many different backgrounds on this album. We have a producer from Colombia, a mixer from Ukraine, and musicians from the UK. I think that’s such a cool team to have to create an indie-rock album in 2025.
OSR: You’ve performed at various venues across the UK. What was your most memorable gig to date, and why that performance?
Briskin: I think our gigs at the Star in Shoreditch have been my favourite so far. I’ve played there twice, once this year and once last year, and something about that little venue is so magical to me, it always feels packed and that makes me feel so much closer to the audience. There’s been some real connection there and I’ll remember those gigs forever.
OSR: If you were to introduce a new listener to your music, which song would you recommend?
Briskin: That’s a tough one! I’m tempted to pick the title track, since it’s such an important one for me at the moment, but perhaps it’s actually better to go with ‘Robot with a Heart’, since that’s a track with a little more flavour and personality. I wonder what my listeners would pick!
OSR: What can we expect from Ron Briskin in the future?
Briskin: I haven’t officially announced this yet, but I’m planning some sort of extended version of this album that’ll include alternative versions of some tracks. Hopefully we’ll do a late album launch show to celebrate that occasion, and beyond that, I’m already working on some more songs, something to continue the story I left unfinished with Heart of Clay. I’m excited to get back into the studio very soon!
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Briskin: There’s some amazing music videos we’ve worked on for this release. I strongly recommend checking those out, because so much love and effort has been put into them. If any readers are musicians, I hope I’ve inspired them to do their own thing, as scary as it can be to put yourself out there in the 2020s. Rock on, reach out you won’t regret it.
Many thanks to Ron Briskin for speaking with us. Find out more about Ron Briskin on his Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
