James Gillen’s Letterkenny-based musical venture, Constant Supply, has put out its third full-length record, titled The Gist of the Plot. The project began as a four-piece group before evolving.
Musical Evolution and Production Gear
The creation of The Gist of the Plot stemmed from Gillen’s decision to learn how to play the piano, which now serves as the main instrument on the new record. Despite the shift in instrumentation, the production relies heavily on the artist’s long-standing drum machine. According to James Gillen, his Boss DR-880 drum machine remains the most important piece of gear he owns, noting that without it, there wouldn’t have been one album, let alone five.
Gillen’s recording history spans over a decade, beginning with the band’s 2013 debut album, The Coast Ain’t Clear. That release was followed by Ex Nihilo in 2015 and Isn’t Life Great in 2019. In 2022, Gillen released his debut solo outing, Lobotomy, which was recorded with producer Tommy McLaughlin at Attica Audio in Donegal and featured string arrangements by the Errigal Ensemble.
Background and Influences
Gillen’s musical journey began when he started playing the guitar at age 12. He briefly paused playing for three years to work as a DJ—winning a local mixing competition—before returning to guitar-driven music after watching Radiohead perform live on Jools Holland in 2001. Describing his own output as underrated, Gillen cites his primary musical inspirations as guitar players who utilize weird chords and lyricists who don’t state the obvious.
Reflecting on early formative experiences with music, Gillen notes that his first live concert was Blur at The Point in November 1995. His earliest music purchase was Scatman John’s “Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)”. He lists The Waeve’s “I Belong to…” among his current favorite songs alongside classic tracks, while pointing to Nirvana’s “Dumb” as containing his favorite lyric of all time: “My heart is broke, but I have some glue, help me inhale and mend it with you, we’ll float around, hang out on clouds, then we’ll come down and have a hangover.” If restricted to a single track for the rest of his life, he would choose Massive Attack’s “Paradise Circus.”
Album Availability
Listeners and followers can track further updates through the project’s official Instagram handle, @constantsupplydonegal.