Praise for debut album from The Dress Rehearsal

David’s debut self-titled album released December 13, and received praise from critics like Suzanne Oswald, of Tenement TV, who said: “The album makes for a compelling and rewarding listen.”

I met David at a café on Sauchiehall Street, desperate to understand more about him, his album, and his aspirations going forward.

First, I asked about how old he was when he first got into music, and how that passion developed over time.

David said: “It’s always been with me since a young age. My mum used to say that I would sit in the pram when she took me to the shopping centre, and I’d be singing Oasis songs in the pram, so even from that age it was there. My gran, who’s passed now, she bought me my first ever guitar. I’m left-handed but at the time she didn’t know the difference, so it was a right-handed guitar that I had to get restrung. It kinda sent me on my way really.

“I was probably around 14, 15, when I started writing my own stuff, maybe even a bit before that. I started taking it more seriously when I was around 17. I was in a band and stuff like that from a pretty young age, so I’ve always done it.”

Upon the first listen to The Dress Rehearsal, I was immediately reminded of the melodies so often used by The Beatles. I raised this point to David, curious of the artists that influenced his writing.

David said: “Always The Beatles, The Beach Boys with Pet Sounds, that album in particular had a big influence on the record. A lot of stuff from the 60’s, Harry Nillson. I love movies just as much as I love music, so a lot of it is inspired by Ennio Morricone spaghetti western music.”

I asked David how long he has worked under The Dress Rehearsal pseudonym, and how he came up with the name.

David said: “I’ve been making music under The Dress Rehearsal since around 2022. It took me a long time actually. At first, I was just recording singles and putting one out each month. Didn’t really think a lot of it, then people started getting a bit of interest and I thought let's just continue this and see where it goes.

“The name is actually a Leonard Coen song, ‘The Dress Rehearsal Rag’. I just thought it suited it. I’m always evolving and trying out different sounds or whatever so I’m not pigeonholed into one particular sound, so it can mean anything.”

I asked how David’s writing process has developed over time, and how it differs from when he was 15, writing songs in his room.

David said: “My writing process is completely different, just because of the influences I’ve got now, and how much experience I’ve had. Back when I was 15 I was just trying to imitate. It probably sounds like I’m still trying to imitate now (he laughs) but back then I was forcefully trying to imitate.

"It was when the Artic Monkeys first came out, I was at just the right age for that first record. That first album is all about going out, nights out, all that, so I was like I wanna go out, have a night out and try and write about it, but then over time it’s just sorta matured from my own personal experiences.

“The melody seems to always come first for me, and then the lyrics come later. I started writing songs to kinda fit the theme. A few songs deal with a bit of heartbreak and stuff like that. Once I had the idea in my head, I thought let’s just write a whole record.”

When listening to the album, I was struck by the upbeat instrumentals on songs like “I don’t want to do this anymore”, but when paying closer attention to the lyrics I noticed they often contrast to the melodies, conveying quite deep emotions.

David said: “That was an idea I got from The Beatles. They released a song called ‘I’m down’ and it was exactly the same. The melody is so upbeat and fast and happy, but the lyrics are quite depressing, so I was trying to get that medium and that balance. It works and it makes people listen as well because if it was a slow ballad with those lyrics I think it would have turned folk off.”

I asked David who he writes his music for.

David said: “Before anything else I’m always writing for me. It’s evident in the songs as well. They are all very personal. I’m quite a reserved person, I’m quite quiet, but when I write it’s all there to see. You can’t really hide. I think that’s the best way for me to explain myself to people.

“To be honest, I thought one half was going to be about me and one half about my ex-girlfriend, which it kinda is in a sense, but the majority is all about me. I’m narrating the whole album, since it’s supposed to be me, on the stage, telling the story from start to finish.”

David was also clear that this kind of songwriting presents its own challenges.

“Letting someone else hear the songs for the first time and they can hear the lyrics, and I know what they’re about, I’m like f*ck, they’re gonna know what I’m going through.”

‘The Dress Rehearsal’ LP is also available on vinyl. I had seen pictures of David holding the record and felt that it had to be a special moment, holding his own debut album on wax. I posed this question to David.

David said: “That’s what it was all for. That was the crowing point. Just being able to hold it. It was pretty hard obviously because I’m doing everything by myself, so I’ve got no management, no label, no nothing, so I’m just funding all this by myself. Knowing the fact that I’d made an actual album by myself is even more special. It was the best feeling in the world.”

Production

I asked who helped in the production of the album.

David said: “I work with a guy called Jamie Holmes, he’s probably the best producers in Glasgow if not the world. Jamie is well known in Glasgow. He used to be in a band called The Lapelles. He’s worked with guys like Gerry Cinnamon, he’s worked with Declan Welsh. I couldn’t have done the album without him.”

I knew that David himself played most of the instruments heard on the LP. Few artists choose to take this route due to the challenges it can present. I asked David therefore, why he wanted to do his album this way.

David said: “From being in bands previously I always found it hard telling people what I like. So I thought, know what I’m just going to learn all these instruments by myself and then I know how to do it. It felt better just me doing by myself, after all it’s my thing, it my baby! I also like to try and do a different process for each song if I can. It keeps me interested. I get bored dead easy and like to be out my comfort zone a wee bit so, I dunno, maybe I’ll write the next record on something else.”

For the release of the album, David performed the full LP live with a full band. I asked David how it felt, being dressed in black-tie, being able to finally put his vision on-stage for an audience.

David said: “We launched on December 10 at Cottiers Theatre. It was fantastic! It was bloody fantastic! You can imagine all the instruments being there, and it was hard to do that, with the strings players, the brass players, in total it was an 11 piece band I had on stage. The feedback I’ve had from it has been great. People want me to play the show again, so I’m considering maybe doing it in 2025. It was only supposed to be one and done and then on to the next, but I’m considering putting it on again.”

I wanted to know if Davids’ thoughts on the album have changed at all since its release.

“I’ve not listened to it since it came out. So I’ll maybe sit, have a listen, and just see where my mind is at with it… It’s good to get the subject matter out there. It’s a good album. I’m proud of it so I think with time I will go back and listen to it.

“To be honest, I’m already thinking about the next one. I’m actually gonna record it at the end of January, so my mind is already on that.”

My time with David was coming to an end. It was clear to me after talking with David that, in an industry that so often caters to the lowest common denominator, David stands apart through his original vision and, more importantly, his genuine passion for making music.

David said: “I just wanna keep doing it. Years ago I had these sorta grand schemes, saying ‘I wanna be at this stage, at this festival, by the year whatever’. Now I’m just happy doing my thing, putting my music out whenever I want. I’m not doing it for anyone else other than me, so if I’m happy then that’s the main thing, and whatever else that happens, happens.”