Newcomer Alex Gough takes you on a smooth car journey; drawing you in with catchy beats, jazzy rhythms and cleverly thought-out wordplay.

Imagine your hair blowing in the wind, your coolest sunglasses on and simply taking it in

and enjoying the feeling. An energetic trip of hard-hitting sounds mixed with introspective

lyrics takes us through the motions as we stop off at bars, hit bumps and meet crossroads

along the way. This musical road trip is truly an experience that will stay with you long after

it is over.

 

Alex Gough is a young, unique, and fresh voice in the music industry. A creative mind from

Waterford, Ireland, he takes on the role of producer, drummer and rapper. From receiving his first drum kit as a birthday present and starting a band with his friends, the drums have always remained a consistent part of Alex’s early musical life.

 

Whilst also absorbing the inspiration and influence of a variety of artists, such as Kendrick

Lamar, J Dilla, Anderson Paak, D’Angelo and Yussef Kamaal – Alex forms his own unique sound. It’s one that’s already garnering him attention – Gough has become one of Spotify’s RADAR artists for 2020.

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From attending an all-boys school to joining the CIT Cork School of Music, the real defining moment of Alex Gough’s career came when decided to release his first song, “Breakfast” during his first year at college. Despite his inner doubts about how his voice would be perceived, the release allowed Alex to overcome his reservations about putting himself out there for others to hear.

 

The quality of music that has been released since shows us how far Alex has evolved since his

initial barrier of self-doubt – continuing to put out singles, such as “Amnesia” (featuring

Ghostking Is Dead) and “Afraidofmoney”, followed by “FOOL”, which came out at the

beginning of this year. Not forgetting his first two full EP projects – ‘The Infomercial Tape’ and

‘80%’. However, the music only tells a part of the story.

 

We managed to catch up with Alex and discuss his process, his ambitions for the future, and what to expect from his new mixtape, ‘FOREVER CLASSIC’.

alex gough

You seem like a person who draws a lot of inspiration from going out, experiencing the world and reflecting on it. Has the effect of COVID-19 pushed you to draw inspiration from different areas?

Yeah, I suppose, in the broader sense of things, I gain inspiration from my surroundings. Which obviously with the pandemic, has changed quite drastically. It’s forced me to gain inspiration from inside. It sounds so cringe but I’ve written a more meaningful record with this new one, even if it’s not instantly recognisable. There’s some deep realising cuts in ‘FOREVER CLASSIC’, hidden amongst the nonchalant noise.
A lot of your lyrics are very personal; is there a particular song that was difficult to create when you made it?

I think “PLASTIC (DBS)” is definitely a “pour-my-mind” out kind of song. It all came out at once one quarantined evening and I had to actually sit down after it haha. There was a lot of self-reflection and some questions I never really gave myself time to ask and answer. It really made me think about everything going on personally so I guess I was forced to look at myself and my health. That, and Dear SJ, from 80% was quite a big one in terms of personal realisation.

Growing up, who were your musical influences? Does this differ from now?
Aw man, the difference is a bit mad. Growing up I was a huge Rock/punk fan. My first ever gig was Bon Jovi with my dad and brother, hardcore I know. I was absolutely mad for Green Day, AC/DC and all that stuff. The first record I ever bought was American Idiot. It makes sense though, I was just after picking up the drums and what better music to smash away on the drums to at 6 or 7. As I grew up though I kinda wavered the paths of music, I had a metal phase and an Electronic phase, all while Hip Hop and rap crept up in the background, mostly from my brother. My taste is really broad now, I listen to a lot of Jazz and Hip Hop but ill never turn down some System Of A Down.
alex gough

“HEART ATTACK” and “BACKSEAT” are the first two singles released for your upcoming EP ‘FOREVER CLASSIC’. What was it about these songs that made you want to share them first?

I like approaching long form projects as a full piece. For that reason, a lot of the tracks exist within context, among the other tracks. “HEART ATTACK” could exist on its own, as could “BACKSEAT”. But the latter definitely starts to hint at the direction of the mixtape both musically and conceptually so I felt it was a good natural progression to the release.

Would you say this project shows how your music has developed from your previous work?

100%. I’ve even noticed it myself. I think I’ve grown in ability and confidence since I released 80% and it definitely shines through on ‘FOREVER CLASSIC’. At least I think it does hahaha. It’s hard to see minor progressions, but once you put things on a larger scale, like project to project, it becomes pretty clear where you have improved.

What is it about the drums that drew you in and made you elevate towards that style of sound? Of course, you can play other instruments too, so why are the drums in particular so special to you?

Drums was the first instrument I learned and I fell in love with them I guess. Drums are what can change a song, and I guess having the power to do that is cool. I also just always had a love and was drawn to rhythm. Drumming is my first and main passion so that’ll always be my focus.

As well as the heavy drum sounds, there is also a hint of jazz in your music. Where did that inspiration come from?

My discovery of jazz came quite late. I never really understood the musical intricacies and the skill it takes to actually play jazz when I was young. Once I started to understand more about music, both theory-wise and creatively, I was naturally more drawn to the extremes of the genre, and I suppose it bled into my music from there. I’d say it was the start of college that really sent me down the path of jazz and learning what it took to play. I’m still at it and probably will be forever. It’s a very deep genre so I could spend my life exploring it. At the moment I’m listening to a lot of Chet Baker, Miguel Zenón, all the way to the new UK stuff like Alfa Mist and Yussef Kamaal. I enjoy it, it’s cool.

For any new listeners, what do you want people to take from your music?

I want people the listen to my music the way I listen to some of my favourite artists. Obviously, I hope they enjoy it first and foremost but I want people to pick my records apart, learn the story, figure out where and why things exist and where the references come from. I try to create a world with my projects and I want people to consume it in that way. On top of that, I hope people form some sort of emotional connection to the music, whatever that emotion may be. I would hope that through the music, people who have had similar feelings would feel comfort in knowing they aren’t the only ones.

When you think of the future, how far do you see yourself taking music? What are your hopes and ambitions?

To the grave. From a very young age, I’ve seen myself having a career in music in some shape or form. I never really thought about anything else. I feel like if I had an alternative, backing out would be an option. I hope to have a long, healthy life of creating and playing music, hopefully all over the world. I suppose I have some other artistic interests too, like fashion and stuff so maybe I’ll pursue those someday too.

If you could collaborate with any person who would make you hold your hands up and say, ‘That’s it, I’ve officially achieved everything!”, who would it be and why?

Pharrell. Hands down. He’s made or had hands in making some of my favourite records of all time. I have huge respect for him as a creative and an individual. I also think the record we’d make would go hard.

Listen to Alex Gough's 'FOREVER CLASSIC' mixtape below: