It’s been a little while since we’ve had the pleasure of hearing the unique yarns of Douglas Savage.
The alias of Liverpool-based wordsmith Connor O’Mara, Douglas Savage first came to our attention in 2018 with a flurry of singles that really were unlike anything else on Merseyside. The project, on a beautiful ascent before the COVID pandemic halted everything.
Through the Douglas Savage lens, O’Mara’s songs are filled with witty observations and hairpin turns that are like abstract missives ripped form a notebook. From dismantling the pros and cons of romance (Ballerina) to erotic encounters with bees (God Save the Bees), O’Mara’s storytelling is one of the most interesting from the younger brigade of artists across the North West.
Following last year’s singles, San Francisco Disco and Grow a Garden, both of which were released to little fanfare, the Douglas Savage story continues with Sugar High #2.
Set to feature on a forthcoming EP (more details on that below), Sugar High #2 sees O’Mara infuse a Morricone-inspired majesty with a saccharine pop sensibility. His alliance with guitarist Slye, something that continues to grow with each release in the Douglas Savage canon.
Last week ahead of the release of Sugar High #2, O’Mara kindly took part in our latest 13 questions series.
1. It’s been a while since your last single. Had you been working on music over the last three years?
Connor O’Mara: “It has felt like a very long time! Yes, slow and steady wins the race I’ve always said, and I now have a full EP written, recorded, and ready to go!”
2. For those out there unfamiliar with your work, tell us about the history of Douglas Savage?
CM: “Douglas Savage has taken a few turns, originally it was meant to be a concept album that accompanied a short novel, then I ditched the novel and just made the music because I don’t think I’m a novel writer at this point in my life. Since then it’s never really felt like a conscious effort to create one big thing but a series of smaller things. It’s fun looking back and finding the overarching themes and realising ‘oh that’s where that comes from’ or ‘that’s why I think that way’. In short I’d say Douglas Savage is the musical regurgitations of a rural Scottish boy force-fed a lifetime of Americana, angling for a star on the Holyrood Walk of Fame – if there ever was one.
3. Your new single, Sugar High #2 has some nice atmospheric pop inflections which mark a nice progression from your previous singles. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the song?
CM: “One overt inspiration for Sugar High #2 is Nancy Sinatra’s Sugar Town, I just love her and all of her work with Lee Hazelwood, their first album together was the first vinyl I ever bought for myself so it feels like I owe them a lot.
“One of my older songs, Ballerina has the lyric ‘life should be sweet, shouldn’t be this hard’ and listening to that now it feels a bit hopeless. Sugar High follows on from that in a happier way like – ‘okay, life can actually be good sometimes, you know?’ and explores enjoying the sweet moments even though they might not last forever. I guess it’s about accepting the lows, enjoying the highs, and finding ways of living in the middle.
“I’ve been looking more introspectively for this project and at my day to day life. The most blatant example is a song called Black Mould on the upcoming EP which is about the damp on my bedroom wall that no human on Earth has the power to get rid of and how I think it’s slowly killing me.
“Production-wise my musical partner in crime Slye plays a huge role, both in songwriting and recording. We’ve worked together a lot now and he’s somehow learned to transcribe my abstract concepts into actual tangible outputs. With Sugar High, I came to him with a horribly rough incoherent 6 minute voice note recording, to which he politely but firmly said it needed a bit of refinement. Grateful for both his musical talents and his honesty! That version is affectionately known as Sugar High #1.”
4. While you hail from Scotland, how much do you think Liverpool influences your music?
CM: “Most of my adult life has been spent in Liverpool so it’s definitely played a huge part in my music, it’s all I’ve known and I love it here. It’s a special place.”
5. As a current recording artist, are you constantly seeking out new music and artists, or are you more rooted to your past influences?
CM: “I would say my default setting is listening to the same things over and over. There’s something really comforting about music that you know every word to, or music that feels like it’s always existed in your life. I constantly come back to Lana Del Rey and Joni Mitchell – you know, all the happy ones! However there are times I really need something new to scratch an itch that familiarity can’t quite reach, it just takes more of an active effort on my part.”
6. There have been so many venues closing down around the city, and Jimmys was the latest just last week. How hard is it to get opportunity to play shows in the city?
CM: “Performing live isn’t something I’ve been focusing on recently so it’s hard for me to comment from that side, but I’ve definitely noticed it as a gig-goer. I think whenever access to live music is made harder it’s a huge loss for the city. It can feel like there’s a disconnect between Liverpool’s reputation as a music city and the reality of being artists and music businesses trying to operate here.
“It doesn’t always feel like there’s support for small venues from the powers that be, and in some cases it feels actively hostile – like when you think about the fight that 24 Kitchen Street had to stay open. It’s the same with losing Melodic Distraction, I think that will be a huge blow to the city that it’s probably too soon to fully feel the impact of.
“Saying that though, I do think there are still a lot of good things happening in and around the city thanks to people that really care about music. One example is Future Yard, I really love it there and they have a real knack for curating exciting gigs from local talent and internationally.”
7. Some fun questions now: do you have any hobbies outside of music?
CM: “I’m actually a bit of a hobby collector. Right now I’m bouldering a lot, I had a short-lived spell of learning embroidery, and now I’m looking to start tap dancing classes, if anyone has any recommendations! My friend also started a book club that I’ve joined. I love reading but I get quite easily distracted so the social pressure of a book club is going to be useful. Our first book is Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy but I’ve yet to begin… I’ll let you know!”
8. Your social media account (Twitter / X) is actually one of the few I look out for (you’re funny!) What’s your take on social media as a whole?
CM: “Thank you, I’m glad at least someone appreciates my humour! I could honestly scroll for hours and hours and hours (and I have!). I’m currently on a self-imposed tik tok ban because otherwise I could spend my entire life on there. It can’t be healthy but it makes my brain tingle in a way that I can’t resist. I will most likely break my tik tok ban soon though because I’ve been learning to play piano and I’d like to start keeping track of the progress somewhere.”
9. Speaking of humour, funniest band story?
CM: “I’d been privately considering the idea of live improv songwriting using lyrical prompts from the audience, letting the audience choose a few random words and then writing a song around them live on stage. I hadn’t mentioned anything about it to the band in advance so what transpired on stage was a complete mess of my own making. Absolutely not one single thing of merit was created in those painstakingly long four minutes. I will of course be attempting it again in the future though!”
10. Favourite records so far in 2023 so far?
CM: “Two albums that have been on constant rotation for me are the record by boygenius and Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard? by Lana Del Rey.
“I’ve really been reconnecting with pop music this year. I listened to Madison Rose for the first time. She has a song called GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS that’s been stuck in my head for the past week. I’m loving Troye Sivan’s recent singles and music videos. Finn Brodie’s Home Run was a big big highlight. I feel like the EP really shows off his songwriting prowess and feels really heartfelt.
“Thinking more locally two blinks, I love you ep 1 is gorgeous and intimate and just generally lovely – he has such a unique narrative voice that is always interesting to me, even at his most minimalist. I got really into Frimann’s How I Like It after seeing him live at Future Yard in the Summer, it’s a pop banger. Trout’s Colourpicker is effortlessly cool and grungy genius, I’m very excited to hear what they do next. Ni Maxine’s Dark Days are Done is spectacular. Also, I love Cooza’s music and he’s been teasing a new release for a while now, so if that comes out in 2023 it will most likely make the list! Is that too many?”
11. There is never too many! Vinyl, CD or streaming?
CM: “Not to sound overly diplomatic, but I think there’s a place for all of them. CDs are very nostalgic to me. When I had my first car, Fearless by Taylor Swift was stuck in the broken CD player so it was the only thing I could listen to. That’s a lot of rotations on drives from Liverpool to Scotland and back, and back again, and then back again. I’m not sure I would have connected with it as much in any other format. I know every word, I could probably sing it backwards if I wasn’t worried it might summon a demon.”
“Streaming is so convenient for finding new music, but there is something so beautiful about the act of putting on a record and letting it play out, it makes me feel like a beat poet or something and that maybe I should take up smoking? I also love vinyl for the visuals, I love the accompanying photography and lyric books, it gives a deeper insight into the record. I have a friend whose superpower is choosing the perfect record for someone as a gift – I wish I had that power.”
12. What are the plans for the rest of the year?
CM: “I’m manifesting a beach, some cocktails, and some handsome men, but that’s just a normal Tuesday! I’ve got three singles coming out that will be part of the upcoming EP and a return to performing live in the very near future. My cat Timothee is recovering from an operation so I think I’ll be spending a lot of time keeping him company until he’s allowed back out into the world, and hopefully I’ll manage to finish Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy.”
13. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Any last words?
CM: “Thanks for having me, I hope I haven’t rambled on too long! I’m looking forward to getting back up on the stage so keep an eye out for the live show announcements. I also think that we should all take a moment to remember Judy Garland and to appreciate Liza Minnelli. Lots of love.”
Sugar High #2 is out now. Listen below.
