David M. Western’s On, On & On: ‘I just wanted to party and dance and play cool songs live’
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16.10.2023

David M. Western’s On, On & On: ‘I just wanted to party and dance and play cool songs live’

Words by Kaya Martin

“We’re going to feel heartbreak again, we’re going to make new friends, we’re going to have all of these amazing new experiences and I think there’s songs on this album that accompany all of those times. It’s a bit of a celebration.”

The first time David M. Western met a musician, he was 13 years old. In Heywood Victoria, population 1793, they were hard to come by. “It blew my mind. I just thought they were the coolest person ever – listening to all these amazing songs, doing things with their hands that I had never seen anyone do before. Which was good. It gave me something to chase.”

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Now, with his sophomore album On, On & On set to drop October 20th, Western is grateful for his lack of early musical influences. It ignited his curiosity as an artist and set him down a singular path where his tastes are distinctly his own.

Coming on the heels of 2022’s Child Mind, On, On & On was written in a post-lockdown frenzy. “I just wanted to party and dance and play cool songs live,” says Western. “I have this little shack in my backyard and I just wandered out there every night straight from work and would come out a few hours later with a song.”

Written within three months, recorded almost entirely live over the course of two weeks with co-producer Alex O’Gorman (“We’re just musical kindred spirits”), the album emanates an organic, old school feeling.“I think I rehearsed with my band like twice. I told them to not write anything down, just know the demos and just go in there and let’s see what happens.”

Western hopes listeners find a companion in the album through the good times and the bed. “There are lots of songs about sad things like breakups and feeling lonely, but there are just as many songs about how much you love your friends,” he says.

“That’s why I called it On, On & On, because these things will continue to happen to all of us as we keep growing and living our lives.”

Pre-order On, On & On here and get tickets for his headline tour here.