THE SOUND THAT JACK BUILT

MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST JACK GARRATT’S SOUND IS A KALEIDOSCOPIC SOUNDSCAPE OF SYNTH PATTERNS AND POP HOOKS WITH A GNARLY STRAT TONE AT THE HEART OF IT. HERE, HE EXPLAINS HOW HE PUTS IT ALL TOGETHER

- Jonathan Horsley

Jack Garratt might have been weaned on Stevie Ray Vaughan’s heroic blues, but he is the sort of player who eschews fretboard pyrotechnics. Maybe that’s because with synth and drums, trombone and piano, Garratt has enough going on, but it makes him an unconventional guitar hero. He would probably resist the term, but he’s surely okay with being unconventional; it is what makes his sound his. After a hiatus, Garratt is returning with his much-anticipated sophomore record, Love, Death & Dancing, a record that sees his one-man polymath approach to songwriting write large across two volumes of music. While he was in Bristol for an intimate set at Thekla, he took a bit of time out to talk songwriting and where his guitar fits in. He’s worth listening to, because his control over his sound seems so assured. If he finds he is over-playing when trying to write a song, he’s not afraid to switch it up and write on piano instead. Having recorded his debut, Phase, in 15 days, DI’ing his guitar, creating drum patterns on synth keys, creating the illusion of room space digitally, Love, Death & Dancing was afforded the luxury of a more organic recording environment. And it sees him fall back in love with his guitar after a period in which it felt more an adversary than friend.

What draws you to the Fender Stratocaster?

“Stevie Ray Vaughan, without a shadow of doubt. I first fell in love with the guitar watching him play. I remember my dad had an old VHS of Stevie Ray Vaughan,