Orla Gartland
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middle farm sessions, vol. 3
🕑 Added 2025-09-20 19:03:44 +0000 UTChey SDC : ) so I had one of the best musical experiences of my little life in july making ‘middle farm sessions, vol. 3’, a unique collaborative record that came out yesterday
the format for the session was simple: 11 songwriters brought down 1 song each and got 3 hours to record it with the group, live to tape with my friend Pete Miles (producer of the FIZZ record, co-producer of ENAHero). the group ranged in age from 22 - 65 and we all had wildly varied musical journeys
it was like a big musical summer camp, surreal & intense in the best way. working at speed with a group this big was new for me and yet.. so powerful? once hearing the song we’d briefly discuss it as a group and then all branch off; pick up an instrument we felt drawn to, assemble a backing vocal choir.. often we wouldn’t hear anyone else’s parts until we hit record. Pete encouraged us to play instruments we usually wouldn’t (you’ll hear some OG bass on tracks 2 & 10 and some OG drums on track 8). seeing how quickly a group of strangers formed complete trust for one another made me super emotional - the vulnerability was potent ! the community spirit was strong !
my song ‘parallel lines’ is track 6 of 11, I wrote it the week before the session in july (not to be confused with the demo of the same name I put up on here a few years ago - apologies for disappointing fans of that song lol). I always loved the metaphor and was curious to see if I could give it new life: the same event, experienced by 2 people and remembered retrospectively in a totally different way. the first 'parallel lines’ demo a few years ago played with this metaphor with relation to a traumatic event (the same I wrote ‘mine’ about) and this time it took a slightly lighter form (well.. heavy too, but in a different way): two exes looking back on their breakup. I wanted to channel the breakdown of communication, the stories we tell ourselves, regret and the idea that things may have played out differently if each side better understood the other (something I find fascinating + frustrating to sometimes witness in friends' lives! I’d also been rewatching ‘Normal People’ at the time so.. yeah. that).
I absolutely love the backing vocals in this song - we tracked the core elements (vocals, drums, bass & guitar) in the live room whilst the rest of the group got together in the control room, working out the BVs. once we had the band take down the 6 or 7 singers then came back in and performed the entire backing vocal part for me, start to finish and it was perfect. I was IN BITS. to have such a big group of people all working together with the common goal of serving your song as best they can.. it was such a privilege. I felt so seen/heard/held in that moment.
listen to the whole record here !
love! OG xxx
lyrics for 'parallel lines' if you'd like to read as you listen along:
I assumed how you would feel (I assumed how you would feel)
you assumed how I would feel (you assumed how I would feel)
funny that now we
have 2 separate
memories
I assumed how you would feel (I assumed how you would feel)
it was absolutely real
painted the whole scene
coloured it in
blue and green
how do you remember that?
I close my eyes and run it back
that look on your face
when you knew you couldn’t save it
caught in the blindside
ran with the plot line
all of the while
we lived on parallel lines
see none of that was ever true
I was so in love with you
but when I say it now
feels like it’s about
strangers
what I would give to be your friend
and see what happens in the end
dead stop, no fade
skip to the last page
caught in the blindside
ran with the plot line
give those scriptwriters a raise!!!
man I regret it
that I never said it
and all of the while
we lived on parallel lines
Comments
Orla Gartland
thank you so much Caroline!!!!!
Orla Gartland
Aw thanks Jen :) you absolute heroes
Caroline Schwartzbeck
ive been listening to this on repeat all evening, love the melody and the lyrics!!!!
Jen and Baxter Holmes
Absolutely love this song, it's on my Qobuz Orla, so well written and so relatable. Will listen to other songs soon, of course as we skip straight to yours first lol. Promise to play the whole album soon. Sounds like an incredibly fun enriching and learning for all. What a generous gift. Love Jen
