there was sun vs. soda

There Was Sun, to me, is a very special track on Nothing But Thieves’ third album Moral Panic. The album is full of tracks that feel daring, exploring different themes, and this one is particularly different from the band’s usual style. Listening to it for the first time was a thrilling experience, shockingly different from anything I would have expected. I loved it instantly.

Whether my feelings are influenced by the title or the lyrics I cannot say, but the song feels especially bright amongst the other tracks of Moral Panic. It makes me want to dance; it makes me want to bathe in sunlight and enjoy the present. It’s uplifting.

A song like this needs bright colours, warm colours, matching the title and lyrics perfectly. To capture the song in art I needed to keep things simple, free of effort. I experimented with the art programme for a bit, but mostly just put down different brushes to capture the basic idea I had in mind.

the light comes flooding in

there was sun – nothing but thieves

Albeit having different colour schemes, my painting of There Was Sun is incredibly similar to an older painting of mine, for Soda. Soda is a different song by Nothing But Thieves – very different indeed.

Soda is dark, fragile, and very turquoise. It was my most memorable oil painting to date. Still getting to know the medium I spent hours on putting the first background layer down. I listened to Soda over and over during the painting process, staring at the turquoise colour. The connection between the song and the colour became so strong that any other colour being used for stage lights felt incredibly wrong.

i don’t want to be myself

just want to be someone else

soda – nothing but thieves

Soda’s lyrics are among the very rare ones that I actually relate to. I usually care very little about lyrics, more about melodies and emotions in songs. But Soda is a special one. It captures, in music and words, feelings of fear and doubt, and it can be comforting to hear someone else sing about what’s inside your head.

This painting had an impact on me, so much that I still know exactly what month I finished it in. I worked on it for several weekends, in a time that was quite rough. But it was also the time I met the man who is now making every day a little brighter for me.

I didn’t fully realize how well I can connect Soda and There Was Sun before I starting painting the latter, but the two songs describe two ends of an emotional spectrum: despair and bliss. They work together quite well, and seeing the two pieces side by side makes me happy.