ENOUGH - Making an album with meaning
- EQ Music
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
There’s a big difference between a producer and a beatmaker. I make beats, but I’m a producer. I take every release I’m involved in seriously (although at times it would be simpler to just hand off beats 😂). A big part of this is finding vocalists who genuinely care about the music they’re creating. Over time I’ve had the opportunity to work with some incredible vocalists, be that singers, MCs or spoken word artists.
A Chance Meeting in Cardiff
Back in 2023 I took my wife to Cardiff for her birthday, and after our meal we had an incredible busker singing on the sleepy streets of a cold winter’s evening in the city centre. That singer was Rightkeysonly. I waited for her to finish singing and had a chat. Initially she seemed a bit baffled! 😂 we had a chat not longer after meeting and I sent over some beats. Within a few weeks she wrote and recorded a song which has now become “winning ticket” it sounded amazing! The song on the surface sounds like a moment of being attracted to a stranger in the club, but it’s actually a commentary on anxiety and being unable to talk to people, instead over/thinking the situation.
Building “Enough”
The more we spoke, the clearer it became the we both wanted to make something with meaning. We met frequently, talking through topics, getting to know each other through the topics of the songs. Keys is an incredible person, who has led a complex life, overcoming barriers and challenges. Over time we formed the concept of “Enough”. The title having a dual meaning of both “you are enough” and “enough is enough”. The songs began mapping around the theme.
The Themes Behind the Album
After about 18 months, we had the 5 core songs, exploring the themes of:
grief
Addiction
Anxiety
Toxic masculinity
Harassment
Healing
With a cyclical feel to the record beginning to form, leaning into the human experience, Enough began to really take shape.
Conversations About Masculinity
For me, one of the most impactful moments whilst making the album was talking to Keys about what it means to be a man. We must have spoken for a couple of hours about our experiences from both a male and female perspective. It was judgement free and natural, and at that point I knew this album would be something special. That was the day that “BBKB” was brought to life. A somber, reflective and reflective song about toxic masculinity, featuring a beautiful violin section by Berlioz Strings, and the voices of some of keys male friends giving their take on being a man.
(shots by Jake Weller)
Bringing the Documentary to Life
We (mainly keys!) applied for funding from Help Musicians to help us activate our vision of creating a short documentary to accompany the album. The intention was to interview people we knew about the topics raised in the album to gain their perspective. We ended up having an incredibly powerful and intense shoot with 6 amazing people across Bristol and Cardiff with a videographer (Jake Weller), and captured some raw and honest moments that we’ll be sharing over the coming months.
This is a short excerpt from one of the interviews that took place in Cardiff in November 2025. Short by Jake Weller and edited by Chillee Noir. This piece has become an interlude of the album called "A Different Hue".
Creating the Visual World
Around this time I began to design the graphics. My son Eben was a really enjoying reading Charlie Mackay’s books. I love his illustrative style, and wanted to emulate that imperfect and natural approach, bringing earth and a sense of curiosity. With the songs creating their own worlds I began creating characters who could respect different locations and emotions. Keys wanted to ensure that the characters represented a wide variety of people, and after a couple of months, the cover and visual approach was complete.
Extending the World of “Enough”
As the project continued to grow, we also wanted to create something physical that people could connect with beyond the music itself. In collaboration with Supa Dupa Goods, we’ve been developing a limited run of “Positive Socks”, inspired by the themes and visual world of the album. The socks will be available as a pre-order through Bandcamp, with every pair including a digital download of “Enough”. It felt important for the release to have something tangible and wearable connected to it, extending the message of the project into everyday life.
Why This Album Matters
Both of us have had mental health challenges, so we felt that we wanted to support the incredible work of Music Minds Matter, a charity established by Help Musicians, helping musicians to navigate the complexities of creative careers through free counselling, advice and tools.
Enough
We want this album to be something that can help people. We’re incredibly proud of the music we’ve made, and can’t wait to share it with you on the 15th July 2026! The album is available for pre-order on Bandcamp HERE.
Enough is coming soon ❤️ "Are You Listening" the first single from the album is out now...
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