Tape Notes

John is joined by Myles Smith and producer Peter Fenn to discuss how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘My Mess, My Heart, My Life’. Myles Smith is a singer-songwriter from Luton in the UK. Performing at local open mic nights since his teens, he built a loyal fan base and landed a record deal with Sony thanks to cover versions he posted on Tiktok. In 2024, Myles’ single ‘Stargazing’ was a viral hit and has since been streamed over one billion times globally. The momentum of ‘Stargazing’ and other early singles helped establish Myles as one of the UK's most promising new artists. He won 2024’s BBC Introducing Artist of the Year and the BRIT Rising Star Award and is only the second artist, after Lewis Capaldi, to sell out London’s 02 Arena before releasing a debut album. ‘My Mess, My Heart, My Life’, his debut, produced by longtime collaborator Peter Fenn, arrived in June 2026. Sitting down at Salvation Studios in Brighton, the trio discuss “getting out of the way of the song” as their approach to production on the album and how billion-streaming hit ‘Stargazing’ evolved into something really special in the studio. They explain why they prefer to be “in the box” when it comes to mixing, and reveal how they translated Myles’ original acoustic tracks into anthemic live performances, including “Myles Sauce” vocal techniques! Plus they answer questions from our Patrons! Tracks discussed: Stargazing, My Mess, Dying Days LISTEN to ‘My Mess, My Heart, My Life’ - It’s Okay To Feel, Sony Music: My Mess, My Heart, My Life. by Myles Smith TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. Try the new Tape It Denoiser currently 50% off! TRINITY LABAN Find out more about Trinity Laban’s new MA in Songwriting. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE Recorded at Salvation Studios LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Decapitator Neural Archetype: Cory Wong X Audiomovers Listento Hofner Bass iZotope Vocal Synth 2 Shure SM7B Neumann U87 Oek Sound Soothe2 Leapwing DynOne Valhalla Reverb The God Particle Waves NS1 UAD Hitsville EQ UAD 1176 UAD Lexicon Reverb UAD Capitol Chambers UAD Spark UA Apollo Xfer Serum Ebow Soyuz Pencil Mic Taylor Acoustic Guitars OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

John is joined by Haim and producer Rostam Batmanglij to discuss how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘I Quit’. Haim are an American pop-rock band from Los Angeles, made up of multi-instrumentalist sisters Danielle, Este and Alana Haim. Playing together in their family band growing up, they formed Haim in 2007 and released their debut EP, ‘Forever’, in 2012. Their debut album, ‘Days Are Gone’, arrived in 2013 and earned them a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. Their follow-up records, 2017’s ‘Something to Tell You’ and 2020’s ‘Women in Music Pt. III’, both received widespread critical acclaim, with ‘Women in Music Pt. III’ also securing a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Haim released their fourth album, ‘I Quit’, in June this year, once again collaborating with longtime producer Rostam. In this episode, John is joined by Danielle and Rostam, from Rostam’s LA studio where much of the album was recorded. The trio discuss everything from garageband demos to recording and reamping drums, as well as techniques for producing Haim’s distinctive vocals and being influenced by multiple genres and sounds. Tracks discussed: Relationships, Down to be wrong, Now it’s time, Everybody’s trying to figure me out GEAR GIVEAWAY COMPETITION Join the Christmas Giveaway on the Tape Notes Patreon Page TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. QUBE Get 20% off at Qube Studio: https://www.theqube.com/ MAKENOISE PRO AUDIO Get 20% off all Franklin Audio products at https://makenoiseproaudio.com/ MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘I Quit’ here: I quit by HAIM, Polydor Records LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS D16 Repeater Delay Waves Soundshifter Plugin E-Mu Emulator ii Vintage Synth Solaris Synth Universal Audio AMS-DMX Roland Juno Gretsch Round Badge Drums Ludwig Steel Snare SPL Transient Designer Korg Trident Eventide Harmonizer UnderToneAudio Unfairchild Korg A5 Multi-Effects Pedalboard E-Bow Oberheim OB-8 Synthesiser Electro-Voice RE20 RCA KU-3A Vintage Arturia Mellotron GarageBand OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Patreon: Tape Notes YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Instagram: @tapenotes Discord: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

John is joined by Scottish musician and producer Sam Gellaitry. Described as “your favourite producer’s favourite producer”, Sam’s innovative, genre-blending electronic music and superb production skills have earned him a loyal fan following and industry respect over the past decade. Sam signed his first deal, with XL Recordings, at just 18. While early EPs were purely instrumental, Sam started to incorporate his own vocals on fifth EP, IV (2021). The track ‘Assumptions’ from the EP became his biggest hit to date, reaching No. 5 on the US Dance Chart. In 2022, Sam’s collaboration with Pink Pantheress, ‘Picture in my Mind’, brought him to mainstream attention. The same year, he released his mixtape VF VOL II and was named by EDM as one of the 10 best producers of the year. Sam has toured extensively with artists including Kaytranada and Justice whilst continuing to release singles and selling out a multiple-night residency at cult London club Phonox. Sam’s debut album, ‘ANYWHERE HERE IS PERFECT’ was released on 7th November 2025. Sitting down at Baltic Studios in London, Sam talks John through how the gear he uses has evolved over the years and the bespoke approaches he takes to create his unique, 80s-influenced sound. Sam talks about how having synaesthesia (experiencing music as colours) since childhood has been central to his creative process, his techniques for producing vocals and string sounds on the album, and much more! Tracks discussed: ON&ON, DON’T TRY, YOU MIGHT FIND THE ONE Recorded at Baltic - Studio 1 TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘ANYWHERE HERE IS PERFECT’ here LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Reason Studios Ableton Live Magix Acid Pro Audacity FL Studio UVI Falcon UVI Vintage Vault NI Kontakt RME Babyface RME UFX ii Shure SM58 Neve 1073 Brusfri Klevgrand Neumann U87 Furman power supply Antares Autotune Klevgrand Korvpressor Klevgrand De-Esser Soundtoys Echoboy Emu Emulator 2 Digitech Talker Sequential OB-6 Moog One Moog Matriarch Fender Mustang Fender Jaguar Fender Mustang Bass EastWest Quantum Leap Virharmonic Bohemian Violin OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Patreon: Tape Notes YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Instagram: @tapenotes Discord: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

John is joined by Hayley Williams and producer Daniel James to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party’. Hayley Williams is an American pop-punk and rock musician. She began writing songs in her early teens, signing a deal with Atlantic Records at just 15 years old. The label wanted her to be a solo artist, but Hayley had other ideas, instead forming the band Paramore with three school friends. Paramore released their first album ‘All We Know Is Falling’ when Hayley was still only 16. They quickly built a loyal fanbase as audiences resonated with the energy and passion in their music. The band went on to release five more albums and win numerous awards including three Grammys. In 2020 Hayley released her first, highly acclaimed solo album ‘Petals for Armor’. Sophomore album ‘FLOWERS for VASES/descansos’ followed in 2021 to further critical praise. ‘Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party’, released in August this year on Hayley’s own label Post Atlantic, is her third collaboration with musician, producer and longtime friend Daniel James. In this episode, Hayley and Daniel sit down with John at Platoon Studios to discuss how it felt setting out to record songs without an album in mind, how writing solo music differs from writing for Paramore for Hayley, the record’s diverse influences, the vocal recording techniques they used and much more. Tracks discussed: Kill Me, Love Me Different, Parachute TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party’ here: Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party by Hayley Williams LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Portal - granular synthesis engine Apple Logic Pro Apple Logic Pro Retrosynth (stock plugin) Arturia Mellotron Stellar Echo SD-201 Valhalla VintageVerb UAD Capitol Chambers Soundtoys Phase Mistress Remo drums Output Arcade Soundtoys Microshift Neural DSP Shure SM7 mic Neumann U67 mic Avid Pro Tools Studio Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar Gibson Les Paul Junior 1959 Thermal by Output Fender Rhodes electric piano plugin Teletone Roland Juno 106 Akai MPC 3000 Splice sample library Astra by Splice E-Bow for guitar Neve 1073LB UAD Urei 1176 Korg MS20 Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Patreon: Tape Notes Discord: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, slide into our DMs, message us on Patreon, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

John is joined by Pomplamoose - American indie-jazz duo Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn - to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘Photogénique’, released in July this year. The two met while studying at Stanford University and began making music together in early 2008. They first gained widespread attention in late 2009 through their inventive covers of popular songs on YouTube and MySpace, achieving their first viral hit in 2010 with their rendition of Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’. Since then, Pomplamoose have released seven albums, including ‘Tribute to Famous People’ (2010) and ‘Hey, It’s Pomplamoose’ (2016), blending elements of indie pop, rock, and jazz. In this episode, Jack and Nataly join remotely from their US studio to discuss the three-year process of writing and recording ‘Photogénique’, the ‘extreme self-honesty’ that led them to scrap and re-record much of the original album and their intricate vocal production processes. They also get into the influence of AI on their art, their top gear recommendations and advice they would give to newer artists. Tracks discussed: Tu Peux Pas Savoir, Julie TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Photogénique’ here, Pomplamoose Inc. LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONS Ableton Live Waves Smack Attack Soundtoys Decapitator Fabfilter Saturn 2 Waves The Kings Microphones Goodhertz Megaverb Roland JU-06A Roland Juno-60 Roland Juno-106 Neumann TLM49 OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Patreon: Tape Notes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast Discord: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

John is joined by singer-songwriter and musician Laufey and producer Spencer Stewart to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘A Matter Of Time’. Having performed on numerous national TV singing shows in her youth, Icelandic-Chinese artist Laufey released her first full-length album, ‘Everything I Know About Love’ in 2022. It was praised for seamlessly blending jazz influences with contemporary production. Her second album, ‘Bewitched’, continued this trend with its captivating jazz-pop ballads and earned her the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Laufey met producer Spencer Stewart when they were students at music college in the US and they have been collaborating ever since. Laufey’s much anticipated third album ‘A Matter of Time’ was released on 24th August 2025. Sitting down at Strongroom Studios in London, the trio discuss how creativity often involves breaking formal rules, why the voice is an underrated instrument, the importance of not being a snob when it comes to technology and their belief that when it sounds wrong in the studio, it might just be because you’ve hit on something really original! Tracks discussed: Lover Girl; Tough Luck; Too Little, Too Late TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit ⁠tape.it/tapenotes⁠ or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. Recorded at ⁠Strongroom Studios⁠ LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at ⁠landr.com/tapenotes⁠ MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount⁠ HERE⁠ LISTEN to ⁠‘A Matter of Time’ here⁠ , Vingolf Recordings LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES ⁠linktr.ee/tapenotes ⁠ ⁠Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective⁠ GEAR MENTIONS ⁠Neumann TLM103 ⁠Neumann U67 ⁠ ⁠Shure SM7B ⁠ ⁠Juno-60⁠ ⁠iZotope Ozone⁠ ⁠Echoplex⁠ ⁠Plank of wood⁠ OUR GEAR ⁠https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear⁠ HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on⁠ Patreon⁠, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram:⁠ @tapenotes⁠ Twitter:⁠ @tapenotes⁠ Facebook:⁠ @tapenotespodcast⁠ YouTube:⁠ Tape Notes Podcast⁠ Discord: ⁠Tape Notes⁠ Patreon:⁠ ⁠⁠Tape Notes⁠ To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list:⁠ www.tapenotes.co.uk⁠