Quinn Oulton 'Alexithymia' has arrived
South London based multi-instrumentalist, vocalist & producer Quinn Oulton delivers his debut album, ‘Alexithymia’.
Following on from his recent singles, 'Far Away', 'Clashing Colours ft Moses Boyd', 'Better', 'Royalty' and 'Sober', lead single 'Next Time' forms an arresting body of work, with its subtle delicate touches and Quinn's soulful, heartfelt delivery. He continues to carve out a unique musical style, one that refuses to be pigeonholed or categorised.
Quinn Says: "I think Next Time was the only time I’ve written a complete song in one sitting. I wrote it in about 15 minutes, sitting on the Northern Line. I heard the chords and the production in my head, and typed it all out on my phone. It was an immediate reaction to what was going on in that moment, and it seemed to just spill out in a very natural way. I decided not to change any of the words, to keep it as true as possible to how I was processing my feelings at the time."
He goes on to add: 'My album ‘Alexithymia’ dissects events from different relationships, whether family, friends, or romantic, presented as a single story from start to finish. Obsession, frustration, passion, false hope, grief, self-pity, helplessness, and acceptance are all part of this story. I wrote it in this way because I was trying to work out why I connect so much with sad or melancholic music, and I realised that maybe listening to that music was filling a hole that I didn’t know I had. It was comforting to hear somebody process their own troubles outwardly when I didn't feel I had a way, or even a reason, to do so myself. Writing the album has been an extremely therapeutic process as I've been able to seek out difficult parts of my life that I'd buried because I couldn't process them at the time."
Quinn Oulton exhibits a raw sound, melding soaring vocals and tangled acoustic textures with complex electronics. The sound is deeply unique, which is understandable when you consider the journey that he has taken to reach this point in his career.
He adds: "I think a lot of people, particularly men, struggle to recognise and process their own emotions. It makes it very hard to share them with others, and it’s something that needs addressing to allow for healthier relationships with other people and yourself."
Quinn picked up the saxophone at a very young age. His thirst for music was nurtured by mentors Julian Joseph and Soweto Kinch - two heavyweights of the UK jazz scene. Although jazz was his focus, he was also surrounded by blues, folk and rock music at home thanks to his dad’s diverse record collection.
His first leap into the world as a solo artist was a self-produced EP in 2017, when he began exploring his own voice and how to manipulate his skills as an instrumentalist to tell a story. These releases earned him a place on the 2018 Red Bull Music Academy. The two-week course entirely changed his scope and ambitions, as his eyes were opened to the world of electronic music culture - working alongside legends such as Just Blaze and father of techno Mike Banks (Underground Resistance).
