Why Gravity Machine Let ‘Ally The Truth’ Breathe
Punk Head: ”Ally The Truth" took several years to finish. At what point did you know waiting was making the song better rather than simply delaying it?
NIALL: “Some of the delay was down to a lot of life stuff happening in the interim, for all of us. The other aspect was that the ending caused a certain amount of doubt in my mind- I’d created it- well, actually it kind of evolved- to give the song a happier ending than it originally had. My thinking was “ok, band releases song about a relationship gone south….well….hmm….*thats* never been done before...hmmm...needs some more” and so that whole coda came about, with the strings and all that, which lifted the whole thing into another realm, especially once Ben (Roberts, cello) and Flo (Fields, violin) had done their amazing thing on it. The beauty of how that turned out felt in turn - initially- edgy, somewhat vulnerable and uncomfortable, which is a bit of a theme with our music and definitely something we aim for, but it also means a bit of living with the song for a while to let that land. Releasing something that edgy though also feels like an act of profound defiance in the world as it stands today”.
YUNALA: Niall started writing the song before Flo and I came on the scene… perhaps it was waiting for each of us to bring our flavours to the mix…who knows?
Punk Head: Why was Bandcamp the only platform that made sense for this release?
NIALL: I think I lost faith that any of the streaming platforms were a good idea. Spotify has some extremely questionable business practices that have emerged in the last few years- the investment in war technology, the non-payment of artists with tracks with less than a thousand streams, the acceptance of AI “music”... .but I also just lost faith in streaming generally- reducing creative integrity down to metrics, or breaking up a body of work for playlisting…that’s not appealing. We have a fanbase on Bandcamp- a very loyal and engaged fanbase and the seeming premise of streaming “you might get more fans” just seems pointless. The only place where we chose to make an exception for that is Youtube- and that’s only because there is a long-standing international audience there- also, Youtube doesn’t have quite the same problems as the other streaming platforms.
YUNALA: Agreed. The time and care that goes into the process of writing music with a solid intention to bring forward a message of hope in these trying times; why on earth would we adhere to a platform that funds war technology? No thanks.
Punk Head: Dartmoor feels like more than a backdrop in your story. How much does that landscape shape Gravity Machine's music?
NIALL: A lot, and in intangible ways. I grew up here and there is something about the landscape that infuses itself into the music. I was always fascinated by the Palm Springs Desert scene that Kyuss came from- not least because I could absolutely relate to that sense of being the product of a very different landscape to the urban setting of most genres. Dartmoor can be quite a brutal environment but also a place of staggering beauty. I’d also say that because its an environment that carries risks (it’s perfectly possible to die of exposure up there in winter, for example) it’s very grounding. Being able to inhabit the esoteric whilst being very much grounded makes for a more profound awareness of the act of creation.
FLO: “We're all enriched by the land- the ancient trees, the invigorating, cleansing waters. It's not just something we go to look at but is a necessary part of our existence. It keeps us the right amount of sane and insane”.
YUNALA: Dartmoor is a vast and expansive landscape. A body of land brazen with the textures of stone, heather and hawthorn. There are parts which can feel desolate and unforgiving; yet there are also parts which are inviting and containing…..I suppose you could say this kind of dynamic naturally finds its way into the songs we create as a collective.
Punk Head: The harmonic outro sounds like it's designed as a destination rather than simply an ending. Was that always the emotional goal of the composition?
NIALL: I suspect subconsciously, yes. When I wrote the song I’d added this very Edge/U2 type echo guitar figure and some synths- I wasn’t really sure why and I was pretty certain I’d drop it later on. However, when we recorded the drums up at Middle Farm Studios, Pete (Miles, producer of the first GM album, “Red”) said “this bit’s really great, you should develop it” and so- after several false starts- I did. The vocals came later, and Yunala and I both spent considerable time over that part, both using different singing styles to capture the right mood. Ben and Flo really brought this section to life with the strings though.
FLO: “I had no idea it was going to be as emotional and vulnerable as it is. I was inspired by the delayed piano part- I just loved that line and the violins wanted to sing that way in response to it. What happened as a result was the layers that were created gave this feeling of homecoming. The last line is really touching.”
YUNALA: The outro is a good example of the often unexpected turns that life can take. Transitioning from the drama fuelled solo’s and heavy cathartic drums into…
‘As our trust awakens, from survival’s sleep’ Conceptually, it feels like landing into a place of acceptance and healing after a rough ride. The string section beautifully elevates this, along with the solemn harmonies. It’s almost like a soft promise we all want to hear “it’s going to be ok, I promise.”
Punk Head: You're now returning to complete your second album after releasing a standalone single. Does "Ally The Truth" represent where the album is headed, or is it more of a bridge between two chapters of the band?
NIALL: To some extent, yes- using 3 and 4 part harmonies and dual-lead vocals has become part of what we do, very much and that’s reflected in the new material that’s on the album- this song was where we first established that way of working. Alongside that, the idea that whoever is the right vocalist for a particular song, or part of a song, fits really well. All our voices gel well together and making the most of that is an easy choice. And it’s definitely a bridge in the sense of opening out how we shape the sound as a collective. The first Gravity Machine album was primarily me, particularly vocally but also instrumentally, and this single, and the two that preceded it (“Nine”, released in 2022 and “Find The Healer” released in 2025) are clearly a part of that bridge to this new album.
The new tracks (for the album) are definitely a continuation and expansion of what we’ve learned together- we have one track left to record and Bob (Shoesmith; drummer on the first album and a member of the collective) is coming down in July to lay down drums for that; once that track is mixed the album is complete and off to pressing. It’s going to be a limited edition vinyl release, with special artwork, photography and special additions.
FLO: “It feels like a bridge- some of us were still quite new to the project at that point and now have more confidence and influence in how we shape the sound collectively. It's just getting bigger and better: more creative and more cohesive”.
YUNALA: For me, it was one of the first songs I worked on in the studio with Niall. It felt exploratory in many ways.. It helped us to understand what our individual elements would bring as a whole. I would say yes; it’s a bridge... To off-road journeys and expansive soundscapes on the horizon. You may encounter a banshee or two..perhaps even a howling wolf..!
