Storms don’t last forever…

Storms don’t last forever…

Letterbox Music News

My first Penfriend album “Exotic Monsters” just turned TWO YEARS OLD forcryingoutloud, so I’m celebrating with some vinyl bargains and limited edition rarities INCLUDING this never-before-publicly-shared reworking of three album tracks on vinyl-effect CD, accompanied by a full colour story and photo zine.

Order by midnight on Tuesday 30th May and I will sign your vinyl / CD! Leave me a note at checkout if you’d like me to dedicate it to anyone: https://shop.penfriend.rocks/collections/exotic-monsters-birthday-sale

I’ll also include a FREE monster print in every order, as an extra gift!


3rd April 2020. Four weeks before I launched my new music project “Penfriend” on an unsuspecting world, life felt very different to today.

Do you remember how you felt on 3rd April 2020? It was just the start of it, but none of us could have predicted what would happen next.

That day, I was halfway through recording “Exotic Monsters” and one year into full-time music-making slash whatever-the-heck-this-job-is. With four weeks til liftoff, I was sharing secret weekly blog posts with my members, and I’m so glad to have these stories to look back on now.

As the weeks went by and the lockdowns continued, all logical signs pointed to calling the whole thing off. Who would care about new music at such a serious time, much less choose to support it financially?

With nothing else to do but keep on keeping on, I decided to stick to my deadlines. Half an album is no album, and I was grateful to have something to focus on amidst the uncertainty.

I launched Penfriend and The Correspondent’s Club in May 2020, completed “Exotic Monsters” in October 2020 and released it on May 21st 2021.

On May 28th the album I recorded all by myself in my attic home studio smashed into the Official UK Albums Charts at #24, rendering me speechless with gratitude for independently-minded music fans.

As I clear the decks to record the followup to “Exotic Monsters”, I’m grateful for the opportunity to reflect on its journey.

This collection of songs took me from freelance employment to full-time creativity, gave me a path through a pandemic and is an album I remain immensely proud of. 

I hope you’ll give it a listen.


3/4/20 – secret blog post

Midway through my morning run yesterday I saw the words “storms don’t last forever” pasted up in someone’s window. Linking two cheerful rainbows, the phrase both sobered and uplifted me, burrowing into my brain just at the point I would usually be starting to bargain with myself:

“Walking is nice, you should walk”. “Yeah, but you’re doing intervals anyway, and you get to walk soon – look, it’s only another 20 seconds.” “Sure, but it’s an achievement to do any sort of run, it’s not about speed, is it? You’re not training for anything.” “Shut up, only 10 seconds til you get to walk for a whole minute, what’s the problem?” “Nothing – OH LOOK A RAINBOW”.

I’ve always preferred running outside because of the tangible feeling of progress. Putting one foot in front of the other propels you forward in real time, in the real world. You leave the house, go somewhere else, and then return. In a life made up of numerous ethereal projects where I conjure sounds from my imagination in a completely self-propelled bid to make something that I hope will be of use to a small group of people, spending time on anything with a measurable outcome is a relief.

I’m proud to say I’ve taken myself out for a run twice a week for seven weeks in a row now, and not only do I get the pleasure of writing that down in my bullet journal so I can look at my exercise log and feel like I’m getting somewhere, but I can actually feel the progress I’ve made. I’ve started to increase my running intervals by one minute per week (currently 3 mins run, 1 min walk) and the nasty hill at the start of one of my regular routes isn’tbothering me nearly as much any more.

Another benefit to pavement running is getting to see snapshots of my neighbourhood. This is especially welcome at the moment; these two runs per week have become precious time alone with my thoughts outside the house. When I first started medium distance running in 2006 (training for 10Ks then half marathons before a trailing off of energy/interest and then a savagely broken foot) I always listened to music, but later I found I vastly preferred engaging with the sounds of wherever I was running. There’s a meditative quality to the rhythmic slap of trainers on pavement that makes me feel connected to my body and the earth I’m running on, and I don’t think I’d get the quality of contemplation I get on my sporty jaunts if I was distracting myself with music.

With spring springing at the moment, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying dashing past pretty front gardens, seeing nature bounce back after the grey weather and occasionally being surprised and delighted by the things people are sticking in their windows. The rainbows in windows theme may be aimed at kids, giving them something uplifting to spot around their neighbourhoods during this confusing, scary time – but it’s helping me, too.

I’ve been ploughing on with the many moving parts of my fast-approaching new music launch day by day: recording podcast episodes, liaising with my remote drummer on parts for the new song I’m recording, having Skype meetings with my illustrator, picking a WordPress theme for my new website and getting stuck into that, trying not to get too caught up in the news or feeds, trying to stay reasonably cheerful and pragmatic and feel lucky to have the things I have and not dwell on the scary parts (someone in my street has Covid, I’m not eligible for any government grants, I’m scared for my family and friends – you know, the new usual). But, on Tuesday, a storm hit.

I’ve written many songs in the past about feeling sad, and I’m sure I’ll write many more, and occasionally I am able to take my own advice and just give myself a break. So, for most of Tuesday, I lay prone on the sofa and felt my feelings, cuddled my dogs and made no apologies to anyone. Then on Wednesday, I got up and started again, feeling fortunate I was healthy and housed and in a happy relationship and had interesting creative projects to sink my teeth into, and a group of really great people to write an email to.

Yesterday, when I saw those four words connecting rainbows in a neighbour’s window, I felt grateful to whoever printed them out and taped them up. It’s very hard to reduce this big, messy, scary, painful time into short phrases, and not useful to dismiss everything people are feeling and say the equivalent of “cheer up, it might never happen”. It *is* happening, and whatever our situation and location, it’s happening to all of us.

I don’t know what’s next in all of this, and I’ll always be trying to figure out what my place and purpose is in the world, but I know I can believe in these four words: “storms don’t last forever”.

Thanks for visiting!

🎁 Get two free songs and stories here.

🤖 Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

🎹 Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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This home recording essential might surprise you…

This home recording essential might surprise you…

Creativity Letterbox Mindfulness Process Productivity

Welcome to episode 2 of my Creative Spaces series!

I met Ryan Hamilton online recently after his album release plan went very wrong…and I thought to balance out the industry kerfuffle we should have a deep chat about creativity, music recording and how your space can affect your work. So we did!

We talk about how easy it is to record your own music, which three things Ryan considers essential for recording, where songs come from and the magic word to use in your lyrics to bump up your streaming numbers 🤣.

Ryan also talks about Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, and the story behind “I Will Follow You Into The Dark”…and there’s even a cameo from Justin Hawkins!

Watch more “Creative Spaces” videos here, and subscribe to my channel for more xo

Thanks for visiting!

🎁 Get two free songs and stories here.

🤖 Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

🎹 Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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“I’m never trying to make someone *like* me”…

“I’m never trying to make someone *like* me”…

Letterbox

So, how do you get a completely independently made, released and marketed album into the Official UK Top 20? I could keep it all to myself, but that’s not very me now, is it?!

There’s a lot of lying in the music industry, so Joe Sparrow from Music Ally wanted to know if it was all too good to be true. I shared the reasons I do things my way, and the unsexy secrets behind the recent chart success of my new album “One In A Thousand” (a collaboration with Rat from Ned’s Atomic Dustbin).

➡️ Listen to my full conversation with Joe for Music:Ally here
➡️ Get your copy of the album direct from http://shop.penfriend.rocks

Thanks for visiting!

🎁 Get two free songs and stories here.

🤖 Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

🎹 Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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Do something different.

Do something different.

Creativity Letterbox Mindfulness

In September 2021 I was burned out and feeling super sad – so I decided I had to do something completely different. A one-off surf lesson led to my first outdoor swim…and in October 2022 I found myself in Marseille!

Subscribe to see future videos x


➡️ Places I mention in this video:

The Wave, Bristol – aka “man-made wave…place”

Swimming locations shown:

Clevedon Marine Lake
Cromhall Quarry (Gloucestershire)
Dosthill Quarry (Tamworth)
Lake 32 (Cotswold Water Park, Wiltshire)
Praia da Rainha, Cascais, Portugal
(I also swam in Estoril…more on that in a future video)

Vivienne Rickman runs regular wild swimming experiences in Snowdonia – I highly recommend!

In Marseille I swam at:

Calanque de Podestat
Calanque de Sormiou
Plage du Prado

And I stayed at L’Appartement in Sormiou which is where I met my gorgeous guard dog friend Oknit.

Thanks for visiting!

🎁 Get two free songs and stories here.

🤖 Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

🎹 Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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You NEED an email list (or need to join one!)

You NEED an email list (or need to join one!)

Creativity Letterbox Process Productivity

I’ve never understood why artists shy away from setting up an email list. Musicians, photographers, visual artists, writers – if you’re serious about sharing your work online, it’s WAY more effective to set up a website and an email list than posting on social media.

And if you’re a fan of people who do those things – please sign up to their lists!

If I hadn’t set up my mailing list in 2009 and invited people onto it regularly ever since, I simply wouldn’t have a full-time job making my own music. It’s that life-changing.

Seth Werkheiser and I met online a while ago, and I immediately knew we were on the same page with this stuff. His HEAVY METAL EMAIL is always useful and fun to read, so I invited him to nerd out / share exasperated facial expressions about email marketing with me.

Enjoy – and please ask any questions in the comments section. I’d be very happy to go deeper into how I do things in future videos so let me know what you’d like to see xo

Thanks for visiting!

🎁 Get two free songs and stories here.

🤖 Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

🎹 Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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What now?

What now?

Creativity Letterbox Mindfulness Process

My new album is OUT NOW – so I thought it was time for a chat about what happens in the weeks after a big success at work, plus what’s next for this channel and for my music-making.

Thanks for visiting!

🎁 Get two free songs and stories here.

🤖 Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

🎹 Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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Cat Cobain!!!

Cat Cobain!!!

Creativity Letterbox Music News

I went to Rough Trade Nottingham in search of our Obey Robots album and found this instead!

Art by Niaski.

With hat tips to ace records by Sleaford Mods, Public Service Broadcasting and Self Esteem – click the links for podcast episodes with the last two 😎



Get “One In A Thousand” here.

Thanks for visiting!

🎁 Get two free songs and stories here.

🤖 Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

🎹 Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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We did it! Our #1 Independent Chart Album “One In A Thousand”

We did it! Our #1 Independent Chart Album “One In A Thousand”

Creativity Letterbox Process


Obey Robots is a creative collaboration between myself – Laura Kidd (Penfriend / She Makes War) – and Rat (Ned’s Atomic Dustbin).

Our album “One In A Thousand” was released on 24th February 2023 and went into the Official UK Albums Chart at #14 and the Official Independent Chart at #1 the following week.

–> BUY YOUR COPY DIRECT and support independent music making!

This is fan power in action: we shared the album through emails, videos and social media. No press, no pluggers, no manager, label or agent.

Thank you for being part of this very exciting time!



Thanks for visiting!

🎁 Get two free songs and stories here.

🤖 Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

🎹 Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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“One In A Thousand” Running Punks Review!

“One In A Thousand” Running Punks Review!

Creativity Letterbox

“Albert Camus believed that the individual could change society.
Kafka believed that society was too strong for that.

The problem is, Kafka never listened to Obey Robots.”

This is the absolute pinnacle of album releasing for me – Jimmy Watkins is a poet. I’ve never felt my work so well understood as when he runs along shouting into the camera, bursting with love and enthusiasm.

“Vocals shoot overhead like fighter jets – it’s like the Red Arrows turning up to your birthday party!”


“This is music rich in the confidence of their own skill…it’s fearless…it’s great for running to!”

“It’s kind of like having a rainbow in your spare bedroom.”

“This album really feels like optimism in the face of oblivion.”



Thanks for visiting!

🎁 Get two free songs and stories here.

🤖 Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

🎹 Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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If that’s the price of being honest on the internet…

If that’s the price of being honest on the internet…

Letterbox

Read on to find out why we have a few more copies of “One In A Thousand” available on vinyl now – including 20 copies of the “clear with black smoke” variant!

➡️ OR head to the shop to grab yours now.


I wrote a few weeks ago about how poorly “One In A Thousand” fared with being stocked in record shops. After printing 500 special (let it) snow white vinyl copies for shops, only 150 were required by my distributor.

As I don’t participate in the trend of introducing new vinyl variants late in a pre-order, effectively asking collectors to buy again, I had a moral quandary on my hands: hope the white vinyl would be in demand from shops later on, or offer it to fans?

I opted for the latter, wrote this piece to explain, and offered all existing vinyl customers money off if they did choose to add white vinyl to their order.

After all the release week hubbub, I asked my distributor which record shops did stock “One In A Thousand”, and wanted to take this opportunity to send heartfelt thanks to those who took a chance on our album:

Record Culture, Stourbridge
Longwell Records, Keynsham
Banquet Records, Kingston
Norman Records, Leeds
Juno Records
Rough Trade
Diverse Records, Newport

Thank you for championing new music!



WHERE SHOULD I BUY YOUR ALBUM?

Record shops are havens – I have such fond memories of browsing Andy’s Records in Bury St Edmunds as a teenager, picking up life-changing Feline singles from the bargain bin, nervously asking for the new “Skunk And Nancy” album at the counter and not being laughed at… I know many music supporters have their own such stories, and these bastions of culture are doing their best to cling on just like the rest of us.

However, in the interests of showing a bit of what goes on under the hood: “One In A Thousand” is released on my own label My Big Sister Recordings, and distributed by SRD. This means that when it’s sold anywhere other than direct to fan through my shop or Bandcamp, I get paid a chunk less. The record shop needs to be paid for their work, and my distributor needs to be paid for their work.

This works out fine if the shop attracts new people to the music, those who haven’t heard about it through my mailing list, videos or social media…but if you have heard about my music from me I would love it if you’d buy direct.

When I wrote my piece a few weeks ago I was disappointed with the stocking situation, but was very careful not to point fingers. The system doesn’t work, in my opinion, but I don’t “hate the player”, and I only work with people I respect and trust.

So it was quite a shock to discover that someone from a certain Glasgow based record shop, upon reading my post, decided to call up my distributor and accuse me of slagging off them *and* record shops, when I did neither.

If that’s the price of being honest on the internet, bring it on – I’m not playing any games, and I won’t shut up to keep the peace with people who behave in this fashion.

Here’s what I actually said:

Because we’ve chosen (couldn’t afford) not to pay (waste?!) upwards of £10,000 on PR and radio plugging to try and get glowing reviews and quotes (that don’t sell records), most shops are unwilling to take the risk – even on sale or return.

They don’t have the space, they don’t know (or care) who we are, and it doesn’t matter how good (we think) our album is. (It’s excellent, by the way…)

I get it. It’s tough times for everyone – and I’m thankful for the shops who have decided to take a chance on us.

In the days since our chart success, it’s been interesting to note the plethora of record shops who suddenly have “One In A Thousand” in stock (well, “dispatched when received from distributor”). Again, shops can’t stock everything, but it’s eye-opening to see how these things work.

I’ve also been alerted to some shops selling vinyl for way over the odds – £30-£45. This is not cool!

In my shop I sell records for £22, with 100% of the profits going to us, the people who made the music (after manufacturing costs, transaction fees, warehouse packing fees, Shopify fees etc).

Shops pay £12.99 per unit for vinyl, so these shysters are potentially earning more than we are for a direct sale.

No thank you!

Today I’ve requested all remaining vinyl copies back from my distributor to sell in my own shop. Running my own label is a major faff, but one of the benefits is choosing which music industry nonsense to participate in. I choose none of it!

➡️ We have fewer than 100 snow white records left, along with 20 x clear with black smoke records and 1 x classic black.

Thank you for supporting Obey Robots, Penfriend and independent artists everywhere. You’re the best.

“One In A Thousand” is available here.


Thanks for visiting!

🎁 Get two free songs and stories here.

🤖 Order my new album “One In A Thousand” here.

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Browse my YouTube channel for adventures in sound & songwriting.

🎹 Get exclusive member perks in The Correspondent’s Club.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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