Paul Weller does not want to make another lockdown album. Let’s get that out of the way. “It’d be too fucking depressing,” he says, and honestly, fair enough.
Instead, on Fat Pop (Volume 1), Weller opts to write beyond the pandemic—a defiant act in itself, given the state of the world when it was made. “I was looking around me, seeing what the good things are, what’s really important,” he says. That includes family, clarity, and, apparently, Iggy Pop.
Yes, Iggy Pop gets a full-blown Weller tribute in “Moving Canvas.” “He’s one of the greatest performers ever,” Weller says. “His body is his canvas.” He didn’t see The Stooges back in the day but caught up at festivals later. “He’s probably more popular now than ever,” Weller adds. “And he deserves that.”
Fat Pop is Weller doing what Weller does: treating pop music like an experimental playground. It’s sleek, sharp, genre-jumping—but never shallow. “I wanted every song to stand alone, like a single,” he explains. “Short, concise tunes. No filler.” Mission accomplished. Even the title track feels like a detour into Damon Albarn territory, and Weller’s fine with that. “It might not seem like it, but it’s got structure. It’s got hooks.”
That constant reinvention comes with a toll—or at least a compulsion to stay restless. He resists repetition like most people resist their taxes. “I’ve never wanted to do a part two,” he says. “Even when people wanted Stanley Road part two—I couldn’t do it.”
There are emotional anchors, too. “The Pleasure” was sparked by George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter protests. “That was a reaction,” Weller says. “We need unity, not division.” He’s watched his own country split apart by Brexit, lockdowns, and now vaccines. “We could really do without all that,” he says. “We need equanimity.”
The word isn’t just a song on the record. It’s a philosophy. “Life is so short, and death is a certainty. We should really try to get on,” he says. The song itself is equal parts cabaret strut and pacifist call to arms.
Even Weller’s daughter gets involved—literally. She co-wrote “True,” a duet with Leah Metcalf from The Mysterines. “It felt very natural,” Weller says. “She just started singing the chorus, and that was that.” When asked who wins a musical argument between father and daughter, he laughs. “She would. She’d hold out.”
Weller doesn’t know what’s next, but he’s got albums he still hasn’t toured: On Sunset, True Meanings, and now Fat Pop. “My next mission is to play these songs live,” he says. Touring the UK starts soon, with hopes for the U.S. in 2022. As for another album? “I’m writing,” he shrugs. “But I’m not writing toward anything.”
Translation: Don’t expect Fat Pop Volume 2. Expect whatever the hell he feels like next.
Listen to the interview above and then check out the videos below.
