Interview: Catching Up with A Permanent Shadow

It has been a little while since we checked in with dark electronic rock artist, A Permanent Shadow. In this interview, we catch up with them and find out what they’ve been up to since we last spoke.

1. Hello! Welcome back. It’s been a little while, so first things first, how are you and have there been any significant changes since we last spoke?

Hi, nice to be back! The major change is that I moved house, which took some of my energies away from music for a while. But I still managed to finish the recording of a new album which we started in mid-2024. The album’s now ready for release and will be out in early 2027, preceded y a couple of singles.

2. So, what’s new? What’s keeping you busy this time around? A new album/EP/single release? A new video? Playing live, or planning ahead?

We’ll have a new single out on June 5th. It’s called “We’ll Be One” and it’s a stalker song. We shot a fantastic video at a Barcelona penitentiary centre which I look forward to sharing with you lot.

3. Describe what fans/listeners can expect.

This song is quite mellow in sound, not so much in lyrics. There are no electric guitars on it, it’s based on acoustic guitars. It’s as close to Yacht Rock as I can manage to get. I was inspired by the excellent Yacht Rock documentary that I saw last year. I thought it would be fun to release something a bit different and unexpected, so there…

4. Tell me about the work that has gone into making it a reality and what it means to you to see it come to fruition?

Writing songs is always intense, and I must force myself to get into the mood. I’m not the kind of person that writes songs every day. The moment needs to feel right. With this new single and album, the writing took a long time, especially the fine-tuning and rewriting process, but I think it was worth the effort. It’s always exciting to listen to your own new music for the first time. For me, that’s the highlight of any recording,

5. Sum up what this latest development says about you and where you find yourself at this moment in time?

The new album will be called “Half-Century Dead End”. It’s basically an assessment of where I’m at now, half a century old with no family, whatever that implies, both good and bad. The album also looks at past lives I am supposed to have had, according to a psychist I frequented once. The session inspired me to write a few of the songs.

6. Has the time since we last spoke been a mostly positive period and has there been any one thing that stands out as being good?

The last few years were a bit hectic outside of music. There have been some changes in my private life, and I’m sure they will have an impact on the lyrics of our next album. On the positive side, I joined a covers project of Bowie, Iggy and Lou Reed songs, and though I’ve loved these songs all my life, it’s interesting to be singing them. My singing has evolved considerably thanks to this experience.

7. How about something that has challenged you since we last spoke? Has there been any particular thing that tested you, and if so, how did you overcome it?

I was without a home for a while, because my lease was up before I could move into the new place. It’s in those moments when you learn who your real friends are. I shed quite a few “friendships” in this period.

8. What is a realistic goal you’d like to achieve over the next 12 months?

Release the album, grow the fanbase and play live. I’d love to tour the new record, I hope it’s going to be feasible.

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