Armed with what could well be his most established and impressive, heartfelt yet pristine album yet – John Consalvo kindly stopped by to talk all things Voyage On Soulmate Seas.
The 2025 album is a stunning project, conceptually rooted in a clear sense of story and intention, and loaded with musical ability and moving peaks both acoustic and of a full-band weight and warmth.
It was a pleasure to dig into the making of these songs and the recording process that led to such a hugely enveloping sound. Stream the music at volume, and while you do – Here’s the interview in full.
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Hi John – great to catch up, how are things?
Things are hectic in a good way – lots going on!
The new album is fascinating, instantly gripping and ultimately quite stunning. Tell me about the initial idea – what inspired this?
Wow, that’s high praise! Thank you for checking it out. As you know, I love to write story albums.
Honestly in many of my conversations with folks over the years, I hear so many talk about loneliness and the kind of journey it is these days to find the right person to walk with. I just knew this was a topic I wanted to explore through songs in detail. The idea was to put together a song catalogue in this story that many could identify with.
Where did the spoken reflections that introduce Passing The Torch come from?
Unlike the past two albums, where we just come right in with the song itself, I wanted something that started the album to make it clear we were going on a journey of sorts. This seemed like a fun and unique way of bringing that element in.
The production is beautiful throughout, a warm and immersive style but not taking anything away from your organic piano and guitar songwriting base. How did you hone the mix for this project, was it a solo endeavour, and how did you decide how big or minimalist to keep any given track?
Tyler Mays is the genius production wise. Initially we had discussed an acoustic only album but as we were laying everything down, it just felt right to add in what the songs demanded. So, as you heard, there still is a ton of acoustic in there (6 string, 12 string, steel string, banjo even etc) – But also full band with electrics as well.
Some songs commanded an emptiness, like Show me how to live in order to match the emotion. Others like Get my million seemed better with that ‘kick in the face’ sound. There’s a quartet of songs from Every Second through The Miss that required a bit of haunt as well.
Where Do I Find Her is beautiful, an anthemic alternative story, with a satisfying melodic progression, and your recognisable vocals highlighted perfectly well. What was the writing and recording process like for this song?
This one I wasn’t sure initially if we were going to do it, but the more we worked on it, the stronger it got. We started with acoustics and then built from there. What I remember the most about recording this, was Tyler hearing these masterful harmonies during the back third of the song, which to me really catapults the climax. Nailing those was critical.
Alone is sensational, with the feel of an old school pop-rock epic. Was the song written about anyone in particular?
I certainly drew inspiration from past experiences but once I had come up with the line “I feel so alone when I’m with you” – I was like “Yes! This is something that everyone could identify with.”
Whether it’s relational or other social situations. I think we all have had experiences when, if not alone physically, we still feel alone. And I thought it was pretty neat to change up the pace with the “Bye byes” – almost like two different songs – but to me it still fits.
You also weave in a heavier sound and faster pace for songs like Get My Million. What defines the style or tempo of a song?
I wrote that on acoustic – like most of my songs. But we were really inspired by ‘Black Keys’ and ‘Social Distortion’ type sounds as we were recording it and ultimately, we took some inspiration from there and crafted it around what we already laid down.
The story of the song itself to me is another example of making a good decision for the wrong reasons. I love the idea of saving money and building a foundation with a future mate in mind. But our character seems to think that getting his million will get him a soulmate. Obviously, that isn’t often the case.
Then there’s the nostalgia and nineties-like vibe of IMY. Who are the bands and artists you still listen to that inspire you, and how would you describe your own style?
IMY, I literally wrote the versus and chorus in 5 minutes. I think the solo took me longer to finalize. I was in the shower humming a melody and literally ran out to lay down the lyrics, as water from my hair dripped on the page. Sometimes you gotta get it down quickly before it leaves – then I hummed that melody into my phone (A trick I learned from watching Tommy Lee years back).
There are so many bands I listened to and am inspired by. You might hear a blend of James Taylor, Bon Jovi, Crowder, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Rush, U2, Third Day and others in my stuff. It’s not intentional but of course, how could much of what I’ve listened to throughout my life not influence me, ya know?
Last time we spoke your goals were to finish this album and your latest novel, as well as to get performing more. Did you also complete the novel, and will it be published?
The focus has definitely been on this record – so nothing new yet on the novel but we are getting closer there too. Hope to have something exciting to announce on that front later this year.
What’s in the pipeline on the performance front?
Working on something for the summer. Should be a fun year.
The closing song Now We’re Off wraps up the Voyage on Soulmate Seas theme, and touches on Faith. How easy or difficult was it to maintain a sense of conceptual relevance throughout all the songs on the project?
That’s the beauty of a story album to me. Can we put something together where most of the songs can stand alone but still tell a cohesive story. For me, it’s about each song. I don’t like to write for the sake of the story. I like to write for the sake of the song and for the larger story to come together organically. And if there are songs that tell a story together then that’s beautiful.
Now We’re off, takes a lot from Saul’s transformation to Paul in scripture – but through the lens of our main character. He gives a microcosm of his life in this song, and ultimately no matter what, trusting that there is ‘future and hope’ for him. There’s a special ending there that – to me – pays off, if you listen to it cover to cover.
Is there anything else we should know about this album or your plans for the year ahead?
Thank you to anyone that goes out and listens to it. I would absolutely love to hear from you – whether you love it or hate it. Honoured either way.
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Download or stream Voyage on Soulmate Seas. Album out on all platforms February 14th.
