In February the young people from our weekly music project New Gen launched their EP ‘Mind Over Matter’ - a culmination of four months of hard work songwriting, recording and mixing.
"These songs were created under the topic of mental health and the struggles related to it, and trying to cope with life”
The project started last October in a session for World Mental Health Day, looking at songwriting and finding inspiration through themes of mental health. The young people formed three bands, each working collaboratively to create a song. In our weekly sessions they learned a whole range of skills that they could then put towards realising those songs. As the songs started to develop it became clear that there was a huge range in sound between them which feels really representative of our young people's diverse music tastes.
With the help of Punch Studios over several sessions the young people recorded all the instruments and vocals needed for their tracks. Then under the guidance of tutors Emile and Gil they were able to mix the songs themselves, and as the final step got them mastered by tutor Gil.
To finish the tracks off young person Woody created this amazing piece of artwork to use as the EP’s cover image, and they were ready to go!
Check out the three finished songs below:
‘Determination’ by OTFG (On The Flipping Ground)
‘Determination’ is a song made up of several people’s letters or prayers to the universe that include feelings of loneliness, feeling low and the struggles of life. It’s the determination you find to get through.
Members of OTFG (On The Flipping Ground):
Singer - Nathan
Rappers - Woody, Tako, Asher-Levi
Keys - J
Drums - Isaiah
‘Deep Breaths’ by Unicorns
‘Deep Breaths’ is about reassuring yourself that although things may be difficult, they’ll get better as long as you keep breathing and have faith in the process.
Members of Unicorns:
Singer/Bassist - E
Singer/Acoustic Guitar - Zamani
Electric Guitar - Evie
Drums - John
‘Infected’ by Flēm
‘Infected’ is about being emotionally manipulated by another person, but the victim is at a breaking/turning point where they realise how badly they’ve been treated.
Members of Flēm:
Singer - Sophie
Electric Guitar - Sonny
Drums - Eddie
Percussion - J
As the final element in this project the young people put on their very own EP launch event at The Smokehouse. They performed a set of both individual and group songs, alongside the brand new tracks for the EP. In addition to those on stage there were also young people behind the scenes with H shadowing on sound and N running lights.
"I'm sure everyone enjoyed it as much as I did" - S
They had an impressive turn-out, and most importantly they showed great talent and professionalism during the night, with nothing but support and respect for each other's performances. We couldn’t be more proud of them!
"It was mad lit" - J
You can keep up with the very latest from New Gen over at their very own instagram account @newgenofficial_uk
New Gen was set up in 2019 to offer young people the opportunity to explore and develop skills in music production, radio, performance and more by bringing together like-minded young people to develop their talents outside their comfort zone. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, and is now a partnership project delivered by Out Loud Music alongside ICM, and made possible thanks to generous funding by the National Lottery’s Reaching Communities Grant.