Arbroath to California: VULIN on his new EP with Silibil
VULIN discusses his new collaboration with Billy Boyd, aka Silibil, inspired by Billy's role in the true story behind James McAvoy's new film California Schemin'
For the Fowlis-based singer, songwriter and producer VULIN (aka Craig MacLeod), folk and indie have been the main exponents of his music to date. His 2020 debut EP Tethered to Sleep showcased the refined brand of songwriting from the former music lecturer and member of indie-folk outfit Dante through his own existential lens.
Six years on, his debut album coming this summer straddles similar soundscapes – but amongst making this, he’s also delved into something a little more experimental via Silibil N’ Brains, and James McAvoy. “I grew up in Arbroath and have been friends since childhood with Gary Boyd, as well as his brother Billy (aka Silibil),” VULIN explains. “We made music together when I was at uni, we’d party together as well. Then one day he phoned me saying that James McAvoy was putting a film together called California Schemin’ and was wondering if I’d be interested in working on some music for it.”
The infamous true story of rappers Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, who met whilst studying in the East Coast (of Tayside) and later pretended to be from the West Coast (of America) to land a record deal in the early 00s, will be coming to light for new generations in the McAvoy-directed biopic. For VULIN, watching the real-life events unfold at the time was almost unfathomable. “I knew it was a hoax!” he laughs. “I couldn’t believe it. Billy and I would be hanging out in Arbroath as teenagers, skating and enjoying life, then the next thing I was watching them on MTV. It took some balls to do what they did!”
When it came to ideas for the film, the pair fused their folk/indie and hip-hop backgrounds together. Arc, their latest single, displays this to great effect – with VULIN’s own version out now, and a remix featuring a verse from Silibil due on 17 April. “Billy felt so strongly that the lyrics I’d written related to his relationship with his now-wife Mary, who’s central in the film,” says VULIN. “For me, it’s totally not about relationships! But it was cool to explore these interpretations when it came to making music together.”
One of VULIN’s previously released tracks, Distorted Silence, also stuck out for Silibil. “Because we knew we weren’t making a ‘hip-hop album’, we thought, why not make a verse on this that ties in with the film?” says VULIN. “The original lyrics focus on mental health, and I feel like Billy’s verse describes the toll it took on him trying to be American for three whole years.”
The culmination of the pair’s efforts is showcased on their collaborative EP Lost Soul, out on 22 May, which opens with a monologue from Silibil that’s used for the closing scenes of California Schemin’.
Silibil’s own album (Everyone Has a Story To Tell) also landed this week, with a memoir to follow in May. For VULIN, the biopic portraying his close friends is worth the hype. “I went to the premiere at the DCA in Dundee, it was amazing,” he smiles. “It must’ve been so surreal for Billy sitting there with his family, looking back at it all. It’s pretty emotional.”
On the topic of his own ventures, VULIN’s forthcoming new album Kirk Road carries similar emotional depth. Its wide-spanning themes of fatherhood, existentialism, grief and his own upbringing make for a record that’s intelligently written and poignantly intimate. “A lot has changed for me since my last EP,” says VULIN. “I’ve become a dad, so my lyrical focus and time management has changed. A lot of the tracks were written at various points over the last six years. It’s been interesting collating them together, whilst questioning what it is that I really want from making a record. Mainly, it’s made me realise just how much I love songwriting.”
The album’s sense of place is also crucial, with VULIN recording the tracks in St Marnock’s Church in Fowlis, just across the road from his family home. “Some of the parts were recorded during storm Arwen, so we had trees hitting the Kirk and all sorts of things. I thought about editing the sounds out, but I really wanted the church to come through with everything the space had to offer, which makes the album feel even closer to home for me.”
Kirk Road is out on 31 July; in the meantime, VULIN and Silibil are preparing for their Lost Soul EP release, plus some other ideas they have up their sleeves. “We’ve been chatting about getting together again in the studio for some more alternative type of stuff, which would be ace,” says VULIN. “We’re planning on playing some stripped back songs on Billy’s upcoming book tour as well, which I’m looking forward to.”
Lost Soul by VULIN x Silibil is out on 22 May; Kirk Road by VULIN is out on 31 Jul
California Schemin’ is out in cinemas on 10 Apr
Follow VULIN on Instagram @vulinmusic