And so what made you decide to return to music after such a long hiatus, and how did you approach the creative process differently this time around?

I’ve never stopped making music. It’s a large part of who I am. For years though, I’ve just kept it to myself? When PJ (Smith aka Roy) put me in touch with you, and you asked if I'd be interested in releasing something. That was the impetus that I needed, after years of only playing and writing behind closed doors. The Violette Records label appealed to me after Mick Head’s 'Adiós Señor Pussycat' album, recorded by Ste Powell, who also recorded the Ella Guru album. I’d been to Violette nights and really liked the way they do everything. I never stopped playing or writing music, I just quietly carried on without any plans in place. I’m learning that part of the creative process is to occasionally close the gate on the field of songs and move onto pastures new! I used to write solely on guitar, now I tend to write on piano. I guess that’s the biggest difference since the Ella Guru days. Also I didn’t have seven other people to play the songs to and develop them. That definitely slowed the process. I got into a bad habit of not playing anything to anyone. I’m changing all that now.

And did your experience with Ella Guru and the reception of your previous album influence the direction and style of The Quiet Portraits in any way?

 The reaction to the Ella Guru album gave me the confidence to know that people could react in a positive way to my songs. I discovered that people could often feel the same way I did about them. I learned that through the feelings as a band playing the songs in our room, and then subsequent gigs around that time, it often had the potential to feel really special. I’m always looking for that feeling. I learned that a room can contain whatever atmosphere you create within those walls, and I feel that music is powerful in that way, even if it is quiet. Or especially if it is quiet. I still like to create the same feelings in my headphones as I’m writing, and I hope that can translate to the listener too.

And so tell me how do you think you have you've grown and evolved as a musician and songwriter over the past 20 years, and how has that influenced the music on this new album?

Well I’m older now so I have had more life experience and that probably feeds into the songs. I was lucky enough to get married to an amazing person and have 2 beautiful boys. All of these things often arise somewhere in the songs, a constant muse. I have enjoyed experimenting, playing many different instruments on the album, building layers, to create the overall sound.

How did the experience of recording and producing this album on your own compare to your previous experiences recording with a band?

I could be a control freak to my heart’s content and no one was there to accuse me of doing so. Not that anyone ever did. Well, not to my face anyway! When we recorded with the late Jimmy Carl Black, he told me I reminded him of Frank Zappa, but without the ego. I think it was a compliment! We loved Jimmy. I was in my element in the studio. It was one of the best experiences of my life, recording that album at Elevator Studios with Ste Powell. It felt like we were on the crest of a wave, which subsequently engulfed us. Then for years, it was just me playing at home to myself. I had no one to hurry me along. The recording process took some steps forward when I reached out to some other people and did some collaborating remotely during lockdown. Andy Frizell (Wizards of Twiddly/ Kevin Ayers/ 9th Ella Guru member) played on a few songs. I loved receiving late night contributions from him. He’s an amazing musician. Also things started to take shape when the legend, BJ Cole played pedal steel on some tracks, and Scott Poley too, another great pedal steel player. I love that instrument. So it was mostly on my own, but I enjoyed the input from these great musicians and it definitely helped move the process along.

What advice would you give to other musicians who may be struggling to find their creative voice or get their music out into the world?

Don’t compromise on being true to yourself. You are the only one that can create something truly original. Don’t listen too hard to stuff when you’re writing. Be yourself. Woody Guthrie said write a song a day. That’s pushing it, but the more you write, the better you’ll get at it. Sometimes you’ll stumble upon something special, don’t lose that moment. I’ve lost loads over the years. And I’m probably not one to give advice on getting your music out into the world, but I would say don’t put everything out there, even though it’s easier to do so these days. Maybe aim more for quality than quantity.

What's next for you creatively, and how has this project influenced your future plans?

I have a stack of songs that I am excited and enthused by and I want to get them recorded and not sit on them for as long as I have in the past. I have also been writing some songs with words written by my sister. She’s a great writer and that’s been enjoyable, so I’m learning to collaborate too. I need to get songs out there, however that might happen. I’d love for music to be my only job. Joni Mitchell talked about how songs can travel and you don’t know where they end up. I like this idea. I’d love to hear my songs in films. If I was in a dreamworld, I’d like Brian Wilson or Paul McCartney to listen and say, "Hey John, I like that…" I’d die happy then. I dream. I actually had a vivid dream one night that Brian Wilson had covered ‘It Could be So Good’ from the album. I could hear the whole thing, the arrangement with the full band and everything. I was gutted to wake up, back in the real world! I've had a couple of my new songs played on 6music recently, which has been nice. I’d love Iggy Pop to play something on his show. I also must get braver to play live more and release more music. It’s been a long time.