Will Joseph Cook: "In many ways, it feels like my first proper album"

Will Joseph Cook is ‘back’ in ‘action’ with a brand new single and a second album on the way. We dropped him a line to catch up.

Hey Will, how’s it going? Enjoying summer?
Hello Dork, I am indeed. It’s pretty miserable outside of my window right now, but prior to that, it has been a really exciting few weeks of sweaty creativity.

What have you been up to since we last heard from you, writing lots of new songs and stuff?
Of course, especially since September, that was when I properly started writing again. I went travelling in Vietnam for a minute and then spent a lot of time in LA recording and hanging out. I also started the Bad Hotel podcast and as of the ‘Hey Brother’ release, the Bad Hotel label imprint.

What’s ‘Hey Brother’ about?
For me, the song is about the early stages of a big creative process and all of the confusion and turbulence that comes with that. In a wider sense, though, the message is to find excitement and optimism, even when the future seems so uncertain.

It sounds like you’ve been feeling a bit glum?
Maybe, but then again who hasn’t? The new songs definitely process a lot of difficult feelings, but I wasn’t writing just about myself. I think anyone, especially young people, can relate to that search for purpose and motivation.

Do you have a new album all done and dusted then? When can we hear it?
Almost! It exists, and it’s awesome… but it’s not a closed book. I recently wrote a new song that I’m finishing this week, so I’m sure other little things will keep coming to me. In terms of when, you’ll have to stay tuned.

In what ways is this new record a progression from your first?
A lot more honest and upfront lyrically, more refined musically, and a deeper expression of me as a person in general. In many ways, it feels like my first proper album, as it’s a lot more conceptual than 'Sweet Dreamer', and created over a much smaller space of time. I also came back to my guitar in a big way. A lot of the songs were born out of just writing in my room again, instead of starting everything in a music programme.

Did you come up against any unexpected challenges during the record’s creation?
The biggest challenge for me was stopping writing in the first place. It felt very strange when I finished touring at the beginning of 2018, and my initial reaction was to just start writing again. I soon realised that I needed to go and live some life for a while, before anything of worth was going to be written.

Can you tell us any secrets about it?
One of the songs is about A.I transportation.

What else do you have coming up?
I have a small run of UK shows in September. Special shows through London, Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester. I’m super excited to share this project with everyone, lots more to come.