Getting To Know... Waterlog

Following on from his much-loved debut EP 'And So We Settle, Pt. 1' last year, Grammy-nominated engineer Dom Shaw returns to his Waterlog project with his vibrant new single 'Touchscreen'.

Bringing back more of that rich and irreverent indie-pop aesthetic he has quickly earned a reputation for, 'Touchscreen' makes for an incredibly fun and lively listen. With its bright and shimmering textures, lively atmosphere, and killer hooks layered throughout, he returns with one of his more impactful efforts to date here.

So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with him to find out more about his background and what has been inspiring him most over the years.

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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?

Either the saxophone or the piano, it’s hard to say. I started honking away on sax aged 7 and became very attached to the feeling of creating a melody over harmony, even in my young and primitive way. But with the piano I made the rules, learning chords and putting them one after the other – I used to just sit with headphones and bash out a chord progression I’d come up with for hours and hours.

What kind of music did you love when you were younger?

I grew up on the big indie of the time – Arctic Monkeys, Wombats, Wolf Alice… proper teen fuel. Anyone with distortion, drums, angst, I was there.

What was the first album you remember owning?

Ooh it must’ve been something like NOW 64, I would’ve been about 6 years old. I can still remember the cheap plastic CD cover. Black Eyed Peas, Razorlight, The Automatic… what’s not to love?

What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?

Hold On Magnolia by Songs: Ohia. I’ve obsessed over plenty of sadboy songs in my time but this quite simply takes the biscuit.

Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?

I wouldn’t say there’s any one thing I’ve done when writing different songs, I try and keep my antenna extended whenever possible to receive the goods. I think long walks or drives help to work ideas through, though. There’s something about physically moving that opens up the right brain bits.

Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?

I’ve been revisiting Feeble Little Horse and Wednesday recently, who I was really into in 2021. They're both nice and thrashy but get the soft stuff in too. I’ve been rinsing the new Laura Marling record which is simply beautiful. And some old stuff too; The Roches, Life Without Buildings and Broken Social Scene.

If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?

King Gizz. Been a fan for a long time and they seem like they’d been fun to have a beer with. From what I can tell they’ve got a ton of gear which would be great to have a proper look at as well.

What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?

Free therapy!

And what is the most frustrating part?

It’s not very confidential!

And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?

My first music teacher was on saxophone and she had such an amazing impact on my life. She taught me a lot of technical things over the years and suggested what other players might do, but at a fundamental level the lesson was to be true to myself and original whenever possible.

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Waterlog's new single 'Touchscreen' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.