Back Down To Earth
The spacesuit is now stowed away as Lonely Robot embark on a completely different kind of musical voyage. Having tackled big themes about the human condition in a galactic trilogy, John Mitchell tells Prog why he decided to make Feelings Are Good his most personal and outspoken album so far.
Words: Alison Reijman Portrait: Miles Skarin
These last five years have been extremely productive for prog workaholic John Mitchell, who’s using the present pandemic period to relax and reflect. At the helm of his Lonely Robot project, singer and guitarist Mitchell has successfully conquered the musical galaxy with the so-called Astronaut Trilogy. This culminated in a headline slot at the inaugural Space Rocks event in 2018 and in last year’s final instalment, Under Stars, which was accompanied by its own fully animated film.
In between his interplanetary adventures came the 2018 release of Radio Voltaire by Kino, another of his musical projects, before he completed writing and recording his new album during the winter of 2019. He then started composing new Frost* songs with Jem Godfrey earlier this year.
Since lockdown, Mitchell’s been taking it easy - his most arduous task has been learning how to use a sewing machine to mend his sail covers. It was in July that Feelings Are Good was released via InsideOut, but - and here’s where it gets a little complicated - although it’s released under the Lonely Robot banner, Mitchell quickly stymies any banter about it being the fourth in the trilogy.
“That period covered in the three albums had run its course,” he explains. “It was great fun to do Space Rocks and it’s not as though I’ve gone off space or anything. I had exhausted the themes and the things I wanted to write about.”