A Chat with HMS Beckett (02.07.26)
Serving as a sort of therapy for singer-songwriter Chris Beckett, HMS Beckett is a “cathartic release of feelings held back for over thirty years.” His debut album, greyhound / fern / swallowtail / apple tree explores the concerns, emotions and thoughts about the climate crisis. We speak with HMS Beckett about his album, creative processes and much more.
OSR: Cliche question, but how did HMS Beckett come about? What drew you to music?
HMS Beckett: I went to Art College, and in the UK, in the 90’s, that setting was a melting pot for musicians. Many of the visual artists there were also avid musicians (many of my friends from back then still are), and those people gave me the idea that it was possible for someone like me to create music. It was the beginning of a time where you could record music at home. I recall a friend, Patrick Atkinson (who now goes by the name Stuck Sunsets), came in one day with a 4-track cassette recording of a track he’d just written, and I was totally hooked. Certain albums of that era sounded counter to technical musicianship and high production values, and that only convinced me further that I too could make music. In many ways, my music is still trying to recreate the spirit of what I first heard in those 3 albums.
OSR: You are about to release your album greyhound / fern / swallowtail / apple tree. What can you tell us about the album? Is there a particular theme or backstory?
HMS Beckett: Definitely. The driving force – from initial impetus to where it is now – has been a kind of spontaneous grief therapy. For many, many years (though I didn’t fully recognise it), I have been living in a state of subtle freeze response regarding the state of our planet, its ecosystems and what we humans are doing to it. Climate change terrifies me, and the fact that we are still pursuing denial and chasing profit at this stage enrages me. When my friend suggested writing a song on the subject, and an outpouring of songs occurred, I was, I believe, releasing those stuck emotions. It has freed me to feel a different way about the subject, but the songs themselves record those feelings, and I hope, communicate them to the listener. Also, by nature of the long-held feelings, it was as if the songs wrote themselves. I was simply in position each night, guitar in hand, to channel and record them. But in so doing (letting go as much as I was able to, and letting a deeper part of me speak), what surprised me was that the songs are not particularly dark, frozen, or angry. But rather, on the whole, they are tender, loving, mournful – a “sweet grief” as I heard someone describe it.
OSR: What do you hope people take from the album? Also, what does it mean to you?
HMS Beckett: I hope the music inspires people to notice, appreciate and celebrate nature and our natural world. To really see and appreciate it. To immerse themselves in, and allow themselves to be healed by it. I hope the nature of how it was made inspires others to create, particularly as a way of processing emotions, regardless of musicianship or equipment. I also hope the lyrics, which in retrospect are all about parenting (nurturing and protecting) our precious planet, inspire people, in their own small, personal way, to care more for their particular corner of the world.
For me it represents a return to making music after a decade in which it seemed ‘pointless.’ So it means a kind of rebirth, recognising what’s important in life. Creativity is definitely one of those things, though I tried to pretend it wasn’t for a long time.
OSR: If you could change anything about the album, what would it be and why?
HMS Beckett: I used a tiny USB mic to record, so obviously it sounds homemade and lo-fi. You can actually hear my dog Lilly walk in on the title track. But I’m not sure I would change that aspect of it. It was made this way partly out of necessity of means, but also as a homage to the lo-fi recordings of old, which continue to mean so much to me. I hope it’s a celebration of a spontaneous, flowing creativity, using whatever resources are available to you at the time. Not overthinking or over-complicating things.
OSR: If you had to recommend your music to a new listener, which song would you recommend?
HMS Beckett: I feel like the single ‘will anyone remember the dew?’ is the most accurate distillation of the spirit of the album. But my favourite songs are the title track and ‘Summer field’ – the ones which arrived almost fully formed, and felt almost like gifts from the Universe. Rhythmically, they are all over the place, and I feel like I would ordinarily not be able to write songs like that.
OSR: How does greyhound / fern / swallowtail / apple tree compare to your 2024 EP, Wigginton? What have you learned since releasing Wigginton, and how did you apply those lessons to greyhound / fern / swallowtail / apple tree?
HMS Beckett: Wigginton was a collection of bedroom recordings mostly made over 20 years ago, so I sound very young, naive and idealistic. This one perhaps reflects my age now – more realistic, grounded, still not cynical though I hope. Funnily enough, I had no knowledge or equipment to edit songs when I made Wigginton, so each one had to be recorded live in one take – guitar and vocals together. This time, technology affords me the luxury of being able to make mistakes and overdub.
OSR: You mentioned that you wrote 13 songs in 17 days when creating the album. So, what is your creative process?
HMS Beckett: As I have said, on this occasion, it was a process of creating the conditions for the music to ‘arrive.’ So, every night, when my daughter Sophie had gone to bed, I would go downstairs, pick up the guitar and notebook, and just play, getting myself (my ego) out of the way as much as possible. I feel like the routine of consistency was important to this process, and the decision not to limit creativity through being judgmental or striving for anything of value in particular. I decided that whatever appeared was of value.
OSR: Which do you find more challenging: melody or lyrics?
HMS Beckett: Ordinarily, both, or equally. But, on this occasion, the process was much more ‘channelled’ or lucid. I let the songs speak to me, rather than direct them. So, the lyrics and the melody often arrived together, fully formed. Sometimes, of course, they were gibberish, but I tried not to judge or edit them too heavily, once a general meaning emerged. Often this meaning surprised me. For example, ‘Flamborough Head’ is a location on the Yorkshire Coast that I have only ever visited once in my life, as a child, many, many years ago.
OSR: If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would you say?
HMS Beckett: Not to push songwriting (or creativity in general), but to let it emerge naturally, organically, in its own time. To give it space, patience and respect even. And when it’s not happening, that that’s okay too. To see it more in terms of seasons and cycles – no-one can be inspired all the time, just like it can’t be summer all the time – nor would we want it to be. It would make any art and artist quite one-dimensional and boring in my opinion, if they’re making art without also living, fully engaging and immersing themselves in the world and nature.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
HMS Beckett: I went with the first one that came to mind. To stave off my anxiety (including the eco-anxiety of this album), I practice daily meditation. One of my favourite prompts regarding mindfulness comes from a wonderful Buddhist teacher called Tara Brach. And the quote is “You can’t too often re-arrive in the [awareness of the] body.” It’s a great prompt for when you are feeling too stuck in your head.
Many thanks to HMS Beckett for speaking with us. Find out more about HMS Beckett on his Bandcamp and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
