Trophy Eyes frontman John Floreani bares all on his debut solo album, ‘sin’. Here’s everything you need to know about the brutally honest release, straight from the man himself.
Sin was recorded in Thailand, at Karma Studios with my dear friend Shane Edwards. Karma is a luxury resort studio that’s hidden away in a tiny fishing village about two hours south of Bangkok. By the time I had finished ‘sin’, I had been there for nearly three months. I learnt to speak a lot of Thai and spent most of my time with the locals. Their affinity for life was attractive. They care more for joy and happiness than they do for material wealth. That period of my life was like therapy for me.
‘sin’ wasn’t a very well prepared album, but we focused more on our natural vibe while creating it. Some days we would do nothing but sit by the ocean, drink cocktails and talk about life. Sometimes, creativity would strike at 2am, and we would be locked in the studio playing with bells and whistles and infinite soundscapes to capture our feeling sonically.
One of the most personal songs I’ve ever written is on this record. A song about my brother and our tumultuous friendship. When I’d finished it, I was ashamed of the things I’d said, but I’d made a promise to myself many years ago that I wouldn’t hide the truth in my music, so it stayed.
I was sick with a fever for three days during the recording process of ‘sin’. I could feel myself getting sick, but instead of applying some much-needed self-care, I started my night at a Thai music festival. That night was a bit of a blur from there, I suppose. I woke up in bed a couple of days later, drenched in sweat, with my girlfriend next to me dabbing my forehead with a cold towel. We celebrated my recovery with a night out.
I’d never felt as free as I did making this record. It was only me; no band, no direction, no worries – just music. There were a few minds present in the making, but I found that quite easy to adapt to. These songs didn’t feel like they BELONGED to me; they just felt like cool songs. I wasn’t afraid of what the public might think, or whether or not they’ll be successful. I remember a fridge magnet of my others from my childhood; it said: “Imagine what we could do if we knew we would never fail.” That didn’t ever make sense to me until I realised I was in Thailand making a record for fun.
Taken from the July issue of Upset. John Floreani’s debut solo album ‘sin’ is out now.
