It’s been two weeks since the release of Ben Calvert’s EP The Letters To Sarah. It’s been the best received of any of his releases, with a stack of streams already on Spotify and Apple Music. Here we delve into the cogs behind the machinery with some FAQs.

Q: What does The Letters To Sarah sound like?
A: It’s the sound of someone trying to work out the heart, mind and actions of another when in a relationship, and when the conversation has ended, trying to solve a hundred questions left unanswered. I was watching The Beatles Get Back when I was writing the EP, and I was trying to channel George Harrison for the opening track, Waiting Around for Your Love. If anyone described A Showsong For Sarah, as ‘a kind of Indie Adele song’, I’d die a happy man. So if any reviewers want to nick that line, feel free. Whereas once upon a time I ended up sounding a bit like Morrisey without intending to, I’ve fully embraced his vibe for The Only Way.

Q: How did you record the EP?
A: On a Boss BR-900CD. It’s a digital portasudio that I used for my 2005 EP love;defenestrated. It’s tempremental AF, though it has a unique sound to it. It’s digital, but an analoguey, warm digital. You can’t edit tracks on it, so every track was recorded in a single take, with no cutting and pasting. So what you hear is each performance exactly how it was sung or played.

Q: Is that a bass you’re playing on some of the tracks?
A: It’s an Fender Telecaster electric guitar run through a Boss Poly Shifter. After experimenting with it for a couple of hours, I managed to get the settings so my guitar sounded simultaneously like a bass guitar and a flute. Though that particular sound wasn’t needed for the tracks.

Q: Can I listen to the tracks individually?
A: I think that’s how the streaming platforms will serve it. For the whole story, listen to them all, in order, and follow the words.

Q: You’re a middle aged man. Shouldn’t you be releasing a collection of songs by other people, called Under The Covers with a selfie of you in bed as the artwork, rather than an EP about unrequited love?
A: That’ll come when I’m in my sixties. I need more greys in my hair for the full-on silver fox look.