A new podcast ahead of our one-year anniversary

Hi, I'm Mathew Bosher and this is the Domes newsletter. You signed up at our website or store to get thoughts and stories about our journey. If there's been some mistake, you can unsubscribe easily. If not, well, I'm pretty excited to share this.

It's amazes me that the one-year anniversary of our life-change recording experience is coming up. Our adventure was the realisation of a plan just crazy enough to work. Start a band from scratch; write music in a totally different way; record on the other side of the planet in a boat—in one year. The real joy of it all was sharing a deep, collective creative energy and friendship.

In recognition of this, Brendon and I wanted to do something a little different. We've been thinking about our network of talented friends and colleagues with whom we've shared experiences along our creative journeys. So, we thought we'd tell some stories and interview interesting artists and other professionals on a podcast. We called it Creative Labour.

One of the essential voices in the story of our record is that of Dave Holmes, producer and big brother to us all. My working relationship with Holmes started around 2008 and he's become a cherished friend. I hugely admire his skill, intellect and generosity of spirit without which the Domes project would never have materialised. Oh and if you're subscribed to this newsletter but don't already know about his band Kerretta, you're welcome.

It's a broad conversation that's a little on the long side but nevertheless fascinating for musicians, fans, engineers and anyone who loves "behind-the-scenes" stories. We discuss:

• Holmes' unique recording space aboard a 1939 lightship

• The rich community of artists he serves in London

• How he creates a safe space for vulnerability

• Mastery of the craft and what the role of a producer really means

• What worked and didn't work about our approach

• Discovering nuance and protecting interesting moments

• The resilience required to create positive artistic and recording experiences

The episode is available to stream on our website. It's currently propagating on the usual platforms if you'd like to subscribe. [As I write, it's up on Spotify and SoundCloud but Apple Podcasts apparently takes a little while.]

We hope this is a small reprieve from lockdown cabin fever.

Help yourself to a download of "Bonfire of the Vanities" in lossless (WAV) or mp3 format before it's released anywhere else. If you like the track and know someone else who might, let people know it's coming 8 May.

Stay safe and keep in touch,

Mathew