A Chat with The Butterfly Graveyard (04.09.25)
As delicate and fragile as a butterfly wing, but with the complexity and ruggedness of a rural graveyard, singer-songwriter The Butterfly Graveyard weaves an intricate blend of fragility and sturdiness in his music. We speak with the Irish artist about his single, ‘Steal Every Drop From The Day’, memorable live shows, releasing new music, and much more.
OSR: We spoke to you not too long ago about your single, ‘Falling’, but today we’re taking a look at your new single, ‘Steal Every Drop From The Day’. What can you tell us about it from writing to production?
The Butterfly Graveyard: I remember when the track was finished and not knowing where it would sit with the rest of the material. It was much more subtle and lo-fi than a lot of the other tracks, and it was possible it mightn’t even make it on an album. We had this ambient, atmospheric piece of music, and initially, I couldn’t hear anything to hang a melody on. I remember tuning into the very sparse piano underneath the ambience, and gradually the melody became clear. It was like looking into a deep forest with no obvious way in, and then you see a path through the clearing. Kind of like Neo staring at the Matrix, and suddenly it all makes sense.
OSR: You mentioned a backstory to ‘Falling’, does ‘Steal Every Drop From The Day’ also have a backstory or particular theme?
The Butterfly Graveyard: Yes, ‘Steal Every Drop From The Day’ does indeed have a back story. Its central theme is that every day we are given on this planet is a gift, life is brief, and we should try and make the most of it. I can’t remember where the phrase “steal every drop from the day” came from, but I knew the theme would be an attempt to get across a message of positive affirmation. It definitely sits in with a vita brevis/carpe diem vibration.
The lyrics actually practically wrote themselves. When I had the first line, the next line just appeared, such as “Remember that your feet are made of clay and it’s only once you pass this way, so you steal every drop from the day.” Really, it’s a collection of different things important people in my life have said to me over the years. Whenever I sit down to write, I usually have a poem or an image of a painting on a postcard or something that might be inspiring. I actually wrote ‘Steal Every Drop From The Day’ as a mental note to myself, to get on with things – “Don’t think, just do”, as the wise old Jedi once said.
OSR: What do you find more challenging: melody or lyrics?
The Butterfly Graveyard: Every song is different, really. I’ve spent hours on long walks on country roads (where I write most of my lyrics), trying to fit lyrics into a melody floating around my head. I have, as well as notebooks packed full of lyrics, a notebook full of song titles, pages and pages of titles waiting to be actualised. ‘Steal Every Drop From The Day’ was one of those titles, waiting to be brought into being.
OSR: You said you wouldn’t change anything about ‘Falling’ – does that hold true to the new single? Would you change anything, and if so, what?
The Butterfly Graveyard: Structurally, I wouldn’t change anything in ‘Steal Every Drop From The Day’. I really like the slow build-up to strings, the big chorus and the refrain of “from the day” at the end. One thing I would certainly do, if I had the opportunity, is to get in a full orchestra for the string section and a choir of 14 to 20 voices, something like the choir Annuna. I can see and hear in my mind palace, Annuna singing the chorus as a mantra over and over, affirming and actualising through the music, magical really.
OSR: What do you hope people take from ‘Steal Every Drop From The Day’?
The Butterfly Graveyard: I really hope it helps someone who may be stuck on their journey to get out and move again. I mean, I wrote those lyrics to inspire myself, to remind myself to appreciate every day. So, if it inspires anyone else, that would be fantastic. It’s like one of those old Chinese paintings of the guy on his journey up to the summit of a mysterious, snowy, cloud-covered mountain. You reach so far, rest, take in the surroundings, and when you’re ready, continue on your way to the top.
OSR: Last time you mentioned new material being written and live shows to come. Can we expect an EP or album in the future?
The Butterfly Graveyard: I really like the idea of an album. I like thinking about the album cover art and the running order of the tracks. What song will be the opener on side one, what song will finish the album, etc. There is certainly enough material for an album, but I feel the album as a medium today is a bit tricky. There is an ocean of new music being released every day, and when you release your album, it’s very easy for it to be lost and to disappear into that ocean and never be seen again. That’s why, at the moment, I enjoy releasing singles; they get more time to breathe and wander out in the world with less pressure.
An EP is definitely a possibility, as I have been thinking about releasing an EP with different versions of songs that will eventually appear on the album. It’s nice to give people something different, not just stuff they will hear anyway. I love when my favourite artists record different versions of songs I have known so well. It’s like hearing the song for the first time again. Sometimes it works, and maybe sometimes they should have left it alone, but sometimes an acoustic version of a banging tune can be an unexpected diamond.
OSR: Regarding live shows, which is your favourite or most memorable to date and why that particular gig?
The Butterfly Graveyard: For live shows, I’ll always come back to Maureen’s in Cork City. Such a special and intimate venue. A hub of cultural and artistic endeavour. A very discerning audience that really are there to listen intently. This pushes you to be on your A game. It’s like a grounding exercise, even though it’s great to be on a big stage with a big sound, and there’s a certain comfort that you can’t even see the audience, there’s a special magic in a venue like Maureen’s where there’s nowhere to hide. It’s just you and the audience on an unexpected journey into the mystic.
OSR: If you could perform with any musicians, who would they be and why?
The Butterfly Graveyard: Hilarious, I have bucket lists full of people I’d love to perform with, but if that ever happened, I’m one hundred million percent sure I’d be too awestruck to do anything meaningful. I mean, instantly it’s the Pantheon, Elvis, Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley. Of those who are still living, probably Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. I read years ago that Nick Cave used to sit on a bench in the graveyard by Brompton Oratory in London, writing his poems. For a while, whenever I went to London, I’d always stroll through the cemetery looking out for Nick scribbling his lyrics. Of course, now that he’s in Brighton, that’s the end of that, or one never knows, it’s a funny old game, football.
OSR: If you had to create a seven-track mixtape of any songs you want, what would the mixtape be?
The Butterfly Graveyard: I love mixtapes; in fact, I love lists. I love top tens, I’m always compiling top 10 songs, movies, cities, books and then constantly revising and updating. I do this especially in airports, waiting around; any delays and I’m out with the list and seeing what makes the cut. As for a seven-song mixtape, I’d begin, seeing as it’s September, with David Sylvian’s song ‘September’ from the album Secrets of the Beehive. A tiny piece of perfection. Sparse and almost zen-like simplicity packed with emotion, a diamond.
(2) Lord Huron, with ‘The night we met’. I think for a song to make it onto my mixtape, I have to be able to press the repeat button again and again and never get tired of playing the track, and this one certainly ticks that box.
(3) The Red House Painters with ‘Have you Forgotten ‘. Mark Kozelek or Sun Kil Moon or whatever incarnation has written so many amazing songs, but this one, especially the version on the soundtrack to the movie Vanilla Sky, is just incredible. It’s a different version to the one on the album and, in my opinion, better. The opening line, “I can’t let you be, cos your beauty won’t allow me, wrapped in white sheets, like an angel from a bedtime story”, just gets me every time.
(4) Sigur Ros with ‘Svefn-g-englar’. Such an evocative piece, I mean it just proves that even when the lyrics are sung in an unintelligible language, it’s all about the music of the spheres and the music vibrating in the soul.
(5) kavinsky with ‘Night Caller’. I remember seeing the movie Drive, which definitely made it into my top ten movies, and thinking how amazing the soundtrack was and how completely integral it was to the movie. I could listen to this song all day long.
(6) Electric Youth with ‘A Real Hero’. Another song from the Drive soundtrack. Again, I have played this track to death.
(7) M83 with ‘Midnight City’. I mean, if there was ever a track to turn up to 11 and wake up the neighbours, this is it, great keyboard riff, infectious and infinite.
OSR: Do you have any message for our readers?
The Butterfly Graveyard: Yes, I do. My message is to stop thinking about it and just do it, and steal every drop from the day.
Many thanks to The Butterfly Graveyard for speaking with us. Find out more about The Butterfly Graveyard on his Spotify.
