'Boycotts are always difficult': Whozyerman’s Paul Savage on why he’s pulling his discography from Spotify
Whozyerman? Paul Savage: 'Even with O Emperor, we always had a bit of a gripe about Spotify'
For an independent artist, intentionally severing ties with the world’s largest streaming platform looks less like a strategy move and more like self-sabotage. And yet, that is exactly what Paul Savage – the Waterford musician behind the Whozyerman? – has done.
Irish music fans will recognise Savage as the frontman of O Emperor, the acclaimed psychedelic rock outfit that established themselves as one of the island’s most inventive and alternative bands throughout the late aughts. Over an eight-year tenure, and based largely from Togher and Ballyphehane, the group earned critical plaudits and multiple Choice Music Prize nominations, before ultimately bowing out at the peak of their powers with a Choice Prize for Album of the Year for their 2018 swansong,
“We were very proud of the stuff we put out,” Savage says of a grey Wednesday morning. “You don’t really realise how much you learn from just bumbling around with your friends in a band.”
They’re all still friends, he insists. “It was purely because people were moving in different directions [that we went on hiatus]. So to win the Choice for Jason was a nice sort of conclusion. And even though people were saying we should keep going, I was happy we stuck to our decision.”
Savage spent the aftermath of O Emperor not licking his wounds, but holed up in a home studio, leaning heavily into electronic and lo-fi minimalism, as well as teaching himself how to play the piano. Emerging under the new moniker of Whozyerman?, Savage's 2022 debut album, was a kaleidoscope of textures, blending lush electronica with pulsing kosmische beats. It proved to us, and to him, that Savage’s lyricism and sharp observations could thrive without the backup of a group.
“It’s been a refreshing learning experience,” he says of his current project. “After being with the band, I’ve come to enjoy the experience of recording on my own and getting to grips with the software and recording and experimenting. And because everything first kicked off around the time of the pandemic, it was very much a solo activity that I had to jump in the deep end with.”
Despite critical acclaim with Whozyerman?, it is Savage’s latest wave of decision-making that has sparked the most industry conversations. With the rollout of his sophomore material, he has announced a total boycott of Spotify, pulling his discography from the platform entirely. For Savage, the decision was multifaceted.
“Boycotts are always difficult,” he says. “But for a long time, even with O Emperor, we always had a bit of a gripe about Spotify. How it was stealing from people, and how it’s diluting the process of engaging with art and music. It's making it too accessible, and as such, essentially just devaluing the art form. Back in the day, you passed around a mixtape, or had to go to a gig… There was more of a human connection that I think Spotify and streaming is taking away.”
In a landscape dictated by algorithms, as well as a race to the bottom for artistic appreciation, Savage has chosen a different path, one uncompromising on basic human and creative ethics.
“The list is long regarding things I don’t agree with,” he continues. “Like the CEO investing in war tech and the way Big Tech is just siphoning money and data in order to do something a lot worse. Then there’s how people are now changing the music they write in order to fit into a Spotify playlist. So yeah, it’s just no longer a trade-off that works for me.”
This stance mirrors something of a creative shift in his recent material. “Or I’m just getting older,” he laughs. “And more of a curmudgeon.”
After the isolating, digital framework of Savage deliberately returned to a collaborative band format, gathering a tight ensemble at Dundalk’s Black Mountain Studios to completely reimagine his workflow. The first taste of this arrives with an alternative rock single soaked in adolescent nostalgia.
“It's kind of inspired by where I grew up in Waterford,” he says. “That sudden burst of nostalgia when you see a place like a car park or a petrol station you used to hang out in, and the thing you take from it, which often has a bittersweet quality.”
The entire record bleeds with this kind of appreciation for the human experience, and showcases a songwriter completely re-energised by creative discovery. Recorded over a weekend, and “tinkered around with” for about 18 months, Savage’s latest offering is rich with colour and perspective, and aims to push the boat out a little further than he did before.
“I’ve wanted to try to strengthen my lyric writing, so I’ve been coming up with little characters – some are real, and don’t know they’ve been written about – and locations to kind of storyboard the whole thing. I also had a bit more confidence to kind of go and meet other musicians to jam again, this time around.”
What does he want people to get from it, then? As you might imagine, human connection.
“I always want people to enjoy themselves, and there is kind of a fun satirical aspect to the record, but I also think there’s a good spirit to the album, a good dynamic. I think the songs are going to translate well live, so ultimately, I want this to be a nice catalyst to get people off the internet and back to gigs. I think we all need to feel that connection, particularly now.”
- releases on vinyl and digital platforms on Friday, October 23, with an album launch show at Bank Lane, Waterford.
