Aidan Gallagher, the actor known for playing Number Five in Netflix‘s The Umbrella Academy, released his new single “Dream” today. The Seattle-based, self-produced singer-songwriter is preparing his debut full-length album for release this fall.
Gallagher makes cinematic pop, introspective songs about working through heartbreak. He has been writing, producing, and performing his own material for years.
- New single: “Dream”
- Debut album due this fall
- Self-produced and home-recorded
Recording the album
Asked about the home-recorded process, Gallagher said the challenge was translating what he heard in his head into a final mix.
“First off, thank you! In terms of the process, it was a matter of translating what I had in my head. The whole time I could feel what it wanted to be, and it was difficult to translate an acoustic demo into a final mix that represented the emotional core of each song. But I’m making it sound less fun than it was.”
“I don’t think anyone would put this much effort into something creative without that joy being a part of it,” he added.
Why music matters now
Gallagher said music has always been central to his life, even as acting brought him wider recognition.
“It’s always been important to me. I’m endlessly surprised by anyone who says music is not a major role in their life. For me it’s been an ongoing and powerful part of my everyday. It’s the quickest way to my heart.”
Songwriting influences and Thom Yorke
On influences, Gallagher said his taste blends many sources and that he does not try to recreate what he admires.
“My taste is a blend of many different influences, so it’s hard to explain how that shows up in the music. Besides, I don’t think you can recreate something you idolize, part of that obsession doesn’t exist in reality. The feeling is what’s important, and there’s different ways to get there.”
“My goal is to support the songs rather than try and emulate something. Everything is a tool towards accessing emotion, and the song is in charge.”
Gallagher also discussed the influence of Thom Yorke, particularly his use of common phraseology and colloquial language to reach deeper emotional sensibilities.
“You might write a song and ten years later, be a completely different person. If you’ve made the emotional truth powerful, but the specifics abstract, then the song can grow with you over those ten years. And it becomes accessible to everyone who hasn’t had the exact experience which created the emotion you’re feeling.”
“Furthermore, when I play a strange group of notes on an instrument, I’ll feel something, and it might not have anything to do with my personal life. Sometimes it does. But you’re trying to access emotion, and every now and then the clouds part and you get a gift. But you have to follow it. You can’t lead it. It’s like digging up a fossil. It’s discovery. It’s not creation in the way that people might think.”
No favorites
Asked which song on the collection is most meaningful, Gallagher declined to choose.
“They all mean different things. And because of that, they’re powerful from different angles. I can’t say one is better than another. And to be completely honest, I’ve never dealt with a question of favorites in a suitable way. I don’t have a favorite in anything. It’s constantly changing depending on what my last favorite was.”
“I hate the question of favorites. I don’t think that’s how humans exist, really. I think people should be allowed to grow. Maybe I change more often than most people. But I have never really had a favorite. There’s too much good stuff.”
Inside “Dream”
Asked about what sounded like police sirens in the background of “Dream,” Gallagher described the track’s layered construction.
“That song has hundreds of layers. I built an entire city. If you listen in headphones, you can hear it in the intro and the outro. That song exists halfway between reality and a dream, and certain things are inside the narrator’s head and other things are echoes of the external world.”
Tour plans and live adaptation
Gallagher said tour plans are still being worked out, but he would like to tour in the near future.
“We’re still working that stuff out. I would like to go on tour at some point in the near future.”
He said the album was not recorded with live reproduction in mind.
“When I recorded the album, I wasn’t concerned with recreating the songs live. I just wanted to make something that someone could put on headphones and melt into.”
For live shows, he described several possible formats.
“For a live show, there’s a few ways I’d approach it. There’s a version of these songs acoustically, and there’s a version of them with a 3 piece band or a 5 piece band, and I’ll do what makes sense logistically for a tour.”
He added that the songs will have to change for a live show, but that can be interesting.
“I look at music from the perspective of rhythm, melody, texture, and lyrics. If you present those elements in an interesting way it doesn’t matter if it’s two tracks or two hundred. The songs will have to change for a live show, but I think that can be really interesting.”
Prepared and present
Gallagher said the best live shows balance preparation with presence.
“I think the best shows are somewhere between being prepared and being present. You can’t ignore the energy in the room.”
