Track By Track: Cut Glass Kings walks us through their latest album, From A Distant Place
As Cut Glass Kings unveils their sophomore album, From A Distant Place, the Birmingham duo takes us inside their creative process with a track-by-track guide. Known for their fuzzy, psych-infused sound, Greg McMurray and Paul Cross embrace their love for analog recording—a passion sparked by an old tape machine they stumbled upon in a deserted car park.
Drawing inspiration from Eels, John Grant, and Ty Segall, as well as longtime collaborators The Coral, the band delivers 11 tracks showcasing their artistic evolution and deep-rooted musical chemistry. Mixed by James Skelly and Chris Taylor at Liverpool’s Kempston Street Studios, From A Distant Place arrives via Run On Records, offering a raw yet refined take on their signature style.
Read on as Cut Glass Kings breaks down each track from their latest album.
1. ‘Big Dreams’
(Paul) This was a kind of a happy accident. The way my guitar had been leaning on the wall tuned the high E string down so, when I played a normal chord, it sounded amazing. I just had a burst of inspiration and Track One was finished in five minutes.
2. ‘At the Borderline’
(Greg) This song is almost like the bridge from our first record to this one. It shares some of its DNA. I remember Paul sending me the voice note of the chorus and think it’s one of our best. “we’re the fuse to a fire we’ve never understood” is about the two of us making music. A lot of the lyrics on the album are about that.
3. ‘Gift Horse’
(Greg) The working title was Kiwanuka, even though it doesn’t really sound like him to me now. I can hear In Rainbows-era Radiohead in there and Neil Young. Lyrically it’s about the kind of mad curse of being hooked on making music. That sort of weird and sometimes unhealthy trance like state you spend a lot of time in. Daydreaming about what songs could be. But at the same time wondering – what else is there to think about?
4. ‘Flying Saucer’
(Paul) This started off as just messing around, making up stupid songs, trying to make my girlfriend laugh. I thought it was actually quite good, so decided to finish it. The chorus came to me when someone was talking to me and all I was thinking was: Can you please shut up so I can sneak off and record this into my phone before I forget it?
5. ‘Fever Dreamin’’
(Greg) This one was put down all in one live take. It’s about a series of panic attacks/nightmares I’d had and we wanted the whole song to sound like that. Paul would never be able to play the solo again if he tried.
6. ‘Thick as Thieves’
(Paul) This one’s got a glam rock kind of vibe. After initially writing it, I was wary of it not being moody enough, being in a major key. There’s a thin line between cheesy major key and pulling it off, but it turned out cool in the end. We put this drone note under the chords which made it come together.
7. ‘The Crossing’
(Greg) It’s Timber Timbre crossed with Ennio Morricone. Again, we recorded the bass and drums in one take. I was reading a Western book at the time and stole the title. It’s at this point in the album that it feels like we cross over into a moodier place.
8. ‘Seven Signs’
(Paul) This was basically a demo that I made when Greg was away for a few days. I just had a drum machine going and laid the guitars, bass and vocals down. Sometimes keep it to the essentials, right? It’s about being drawn to those people that you know aren’t good for you. Greg came and put a load of percussion and drums on it to finish it off.”
9. ‘Streetlight’
(Greg) James (Skelly) helpfully suggested the album needed a fast tune, so we just wrote this in the studio one night. Sounds like The Strokes doing The La’s via Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The songs about that idea of committing to something regardless of how bad it might be for you.
10. ‘Only the Fire’
(Greg) Paul saw someone playing this kind of drum beat online. He got me to play it and he wrote the idea over the top. I remember writing most of the words in one go on a really hot day in my garden. It’s about the idea of being really close to someone but miles apart at the same time. That kind of distance is a theme through the album. Vocally, Paul is channeling Nick Cave or someone and the outro was inspired by the famous Guinness surfing/white horses advert.
11. ‘Telephone Song’
(Paul) We wrote this off the back of getting a Fostex cassette recorder. We’d never had any analog gear before and we’d always wanted to record to tape. It blew my mind how good it sounded.
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