What is at the Centre of Your World? #8

By Elska Leeloo / May 2025

A Conversation with Albert Mud

Vocalist and guitarist of Sicilian band ‘The Whistling Heads’. A songwriter since 15, he approaches lyrics with the sensitivity and precision of a poet. And while the band remains his focus, Albert continues to explore new territory through his solo work. Jack of all trades, DJ, Producer, Lyricist. Cutting through artifice, Albert Mud is a sculptor of sound. An honest, outright and emotive talent.

(Interviewed in Midnight Studio, hands occupied with clay creatures whilst questions and answers were a drift. Note that Albert’s first language is Italian, he was kind enough to interview in English)

Elska: What is at the centre of your world?

Albert: It’s gonna be an easy answer I guess because I think it’s music, it’s probably the centre of my world, yeah. I mean, I figured it out later in my life, probably in high school, but I think it’s always been at the centre of my world, yeah.

Elska: But like a certain aspect of it? Or as in like what do you think it is that’s in the music that draws it into the centre of your world?

Albert: It’s not just making it, but more feelings you get with music, you know.

Elska: How would you describe that?

Albert: I mean, I always have songs in my head, constantly. It must mean something? For me, there is always a song for every moment, you know? If you say something to me, it would probably pop up a song in my head.

Elska: Okay.

Albert: You know, or just something I have listened to.

Elska: So it’s almost like a correlation to emotions?

Albert: Yeah.

Elska: Do you feel like it goes beyond the simplicity of felt emotions and makes it something more complicated?

Albert: Yeah, probably. I think music is more like connected to everything, you know every art, every emotion, even love I guess is music. I think, I see everything as music you know, like everything that I experience is in a musical way, okay not like a shitty musical where people start to sing it yeah but then do.

Elska: You feel like that writing feeds into that or do you think that you don’t need words to be a part of… like when you’re saying that it encapsulates everything, is that with words on top or without?

Albert: Words, I guess, they’re plus, but I think for me, music goes very well with words, but you can have a lot of feelings with just instruments and just, even noise, it’s music, so.

Elska: Yeah, well then what’s the thought process when it comes to writing?

Albert: Thought process…

Elska: As in, like, why are you adding words on top, personally, with your work?

Albert: I don’t know, because sometimes I write lyrics, but they’re just thoughts, and thoughts with rhymes, or not rhymes, just, like, I don’t know how to say it in English, when you have, like, flux, like a caution.

Elska: Cacophony.

Alber: No, like with your inner thoughts, but random, random inner thoughts, you know.

Elska: You can say it in Italian and we can try and write the translation.

Albert: Like, let me think about it… Flusso di coscienza. It’s like you have random thoughts in your mind and you just…

Elska: And so that’s how you go about writing?

Albert: Not always. Sometimes I write about things that, you know, inspired me, like something that happened, or a feeling I get from something, or just I’m angry about something.

Elska: OK, and what do you think you’re looking for when you’re writing about things rather than the stream of consciousness?

Albert: Sorry, say it again.

Elska: As in, I think what you’re talking about with the writing when it’s more these random thoughts, that’s kind of stream of consciousness. But then when you’re writing about… specific things that have happened or specific feelings, my question is what is it you’re trying to transmute or transform or what is it you’re trying to find by putting those words out there?

Albert: I think I’m trying to find me, myself, like the more I always write something and I don’t know the meaning of it… like I write some words and stuff and they’re like, I have no idea what I mean about that but then something happened and I’m like, oh now I get what I meant, like sort of feelings just you, you gave you give yourself the answer you know.

Elska: Through the action?

Albert: Yeah to the lyrics, They have meaning because you just give yourself the answer.

Elska: Okay, so do you feel like your subconscious can speak more freely through your music than perhaps…

Albert: Of course.

Elska: And so that’s essentially what you’re doing. I can’t remember who said it, but you’re throwing things out.

Albert: You know when you have feelings that you can’t actually describe. Like you’re in a big room with a lot of people, and you feel like, I need to express something, but I have no idea how to say it in two words. But then you just have in your head random words, and then at some point, everything makes sense.

Elska: Okay, it’s a working backwards while working forwards kind of situation. Okay, I have a question for you as well. I don’t know how much you see yourself as an artist, so that is perhaps a question in its own right. But sometimes when the word artist comes up, it questions… what exactly it is that makes something a work of art, and my question to you is, how much responsibility do you feel like you have, to the people that listen to your songs, or maybe just as somebody who is doing the creative act in general, to reflect or add to the conversation of where we are at in the world? I don’t necessarily mean politically, I just mean in terms of how much do you feel a need to respond to what’s going on around you?

Albert: Yeah, I mean, with the music, I should say we write, because I don’t think it’s only about the lyrics, but it’s more about even how the music speaks. I always like to try to give some kind of message, even if it’s… It’s not actually intentional sometimes, it’s more of a thing that happens, it’s like oh, this means that I’m giving this kind of message, like it could be like be grateful for what you have or whatever. Like this is where we are now, the kind of life we are living. And for the responsibility, I don’t know, I don’t know if it’s like a responsibility thing, it’s more like a thing that should give you pleasure I guess, or even not pleasure but just emotions. Sure. Yeah, so I don’t know about that.

Elska: That’s okay. But so kind of going back to what you just said about a message, like a central message kind of coming through in your songs, do you feel like there is a theme? Yeah, there is a theme to those messages, is there almost like an overarching message that comes through?

Albert: Most of the time, we write songs and I write lyrics and they don’t fit very well all together but then at some point I’m like hmm… I’m getting the topic now, so the topic comes itself and I don’t, we don’t actually sit and know exactly we should do an album that talks about this stuff. Now it’s like, oh now the lyrics are making sense so we are talking about.

Elska: What kind of topics like I guess what I’m asking is there one topic that seems to just come up over and over again?

Albert: Yeah, probably alienation, technology, probably a more like feeling of bring out of place in this sort of new generation thing, you know not like in a cheesy way. I don’t know like the pop-punk kind of stuff like I should have been born like forty years ago. It’s more like we are all living in this kind of strange world where we can express ourselves but most people don’t like to because they feel alienated from social media and a lot of different things. It’s like a very big topic you know but this is a very important message for me, like you should be grateful for the things that you can do with yourself more than complaining about how life is bad now. But in understanding this, I’m trying. I’m still kind of understanding this now because when we started I was complaining about lyrics, I was very angry like I don’t like this world at all but now I’m more like I don’t like this world but I should be grateful for it.

Elska: Do you feel like that transition has happened in part because you’ve been making the art about it?

Albert: Yeah I’m kind of learning you knowm the more you play the more you learn. The more you release stuff the more you don’t like it the next day, so the more you do the more you learn, you can do it better so that’s the whole point.

Elska: If you weren’t a musician and music wasn’t an option what do you think you would do instead? But go big, like kind of don’t limit yourself.

Albert: Yeah, I’d definitely be an artist as well, like I like a lot of stuff, so even drawings and, you know, writing poetry, I would be probably writing poetry, I guess.

Elska: Okay, okay, well I guess you’re kind of doing that anyways, a lyricist. Somebody said that poetry was just lazy music.

Albert: Yeah, I think a lot of musicians should have just written, like should have just written poetry, not music.

Elska: Oh really? Why is that?

Albert: I don’t know, sometimes I don’t think the music fits the writing because the writing is good, but the music is shit, you know.

Elska: So you feel like they would be better separate, or you just don’t think the musical part should have existed?

Albert: Second. It’s a bit like a jerk thing to say but sometimes it’s real, in Italy we have a lot of singers like Bob Dylan but make it Italian so I think I don’t like a lot of them but I think sometimes the lyrics are very good yeah but I’m not listening to the music so yeah I think he should have just been…

Elska: A writer? Actually I was going to ask you, do you write your music only English or Italian?

Albert: English.

Elska: Okay and do you feel like because you maybe don’t have the same grasp of the English or…

Albert: Sometimes I write poetry in Italian I just don’t like to sing in Italian.

Elska: But I guess what I’m asking is that do you feel like it changes the way that you’re writing because it’s like you have writers, Like the Japanese writer Murakami who wrote in English and it completely changed his writing style. It actually kind of forced a very different approach out of him.

Albert: Yeah.

Elska: Do you feel like that’s the case with your music? Yeah. What do you think it changes?

Albert: I think in Italian I tend to be very aulic. Is it a real word in English?

Elska: What did you say?

Albert: Aulic, like aulico. I don’t know how to say it. Like very complicated.

Elska: Okay, yeah.

Albert: Like maybe too much. In English, even because my vocabulary is not that great, I tend to be very simple with words. But, I guess, so for me simplicity is very important.

Elska: Yeah and actually writing in English kind of that probably makes it a bit easier to do that.

Albert: I don’t know if it’s a matter of simplicity but more… choice. Like it sounds very beautiful English sounds so great so it takes, music to another level I guess okay even even Björk knows that you know she could have just just sang in Icelandic or whatever but she did it in English.

Elska: Who are your favourite… who do you feel like your biggest influences are?

Albert: That’s difficult a lot like, I think Lou Reed, The Thunder ground and also The Cure.

Elska: Why do you feel like they’re your biggest influences, what is it about them that inspires you or speaks to you?

Albert: I really don’t know how to explain. It’s more because they are so simple in the music, but it’s not that simple, you know.

Elska: Okay, yeah.

Albert: So it’s like, it feels like everybody can play but they can’t. Like, when you’re actually playing those kinds of songs, you realize how difficult it is to be a musician, to be, like, to inspire people and stuff.

Elska: Okay, so it’s like an admiration of their skills.

Albert: Not only that, but even the emotion that the songs are giving me when I listen.

Elska: Yeah.

Albert: It’s like a very, very, I feel like I’m not in my city, you know? Like, when I listen to them, I feel like I’m anywhere in the world.

Elska: Okay, travelling essentially through the mind.

Albert: I feel like it’s very difficult to concentrate on the art while you’re talking (says as sculpting clay)

Elska: Yeah that’s good I didn’t want you to concentrate on it because it’s like if you’re concentrating on it then you’re paying too much attention to it and you’re going to focus on like what it looks like. But you’ve still been able to do it really.

Albert: Well I don’t know about that.

Elska: Do you think it made it harder to answer questions?

Albert: Yeah. Because you can’t focus on one.

Elska: I know. But do you feel like it made it too difficult?

Albert: No. I feel like it’s a funny concept. Right.

Elska: It almost is like splitting you.

Albert: Your mind.

Elska: Okay. Well, that’s good. I’m going to ask you the last question out of order anyway. Yeah. What song do you feel like represents you? If a song was played every time you walked into, the room, what would it be? But I think more so than that, if there was one song that you felt really represented who you are, what song do you think it would be?

Albert: This is very, very difficult. I know. I actually have no idea.

Elska: What’s the first one that comes to mind?

Albert: The Exploding Boy by The Cure, I guess.

Elska: Okay.

Albert: But I don’t know, it’s just one thing that comes to mind.

Elska: Let’s do the thing that you do when you write songs and work backwards. Why do you think that was the first one that came to mind?

Albert: Because I have known the song for many, many years. I never get tired of it. So that’s why if someone puts that song in a room, I’m like, oh yeah, every time. Not like, I’m like, please, I love the song, but just put it away.

Elska: What did you like about the song?

Albert: The way it sings and the way it is so kind of different from their stuff. It’s very acoustic, but it’s a B-side, so it’s not an actual single. It became famous a lot later, so I love b-sides and stuff like the fact that they are meant to be not the actual single, but just another thing and sometimes it turns out to be very great you know more than the actual single.

Elska: It sounds you like things that are hidden just out of sight probably yeah like you like this underlying theme. Could you explain what the song’s about?

Albert: I think some kind of love that is going away. But I like the fact that the title doesn’t make sense. Listening to it,I have this vivid memory of me having this song in mind when I was on a boat with my uncle and I was like feeling very disassociated. This song came to mind, it was a comfortable song, like I have this song for me, it can actually make me feel better.

Elska: What do you think you’re making?

Albert: What am I making it looks like a creature, I’ve just got inspired by the last creature I made at Sam’s house, but it’s more of an evolved creature. I guess it’s like your questions are making me feel… your questions making me feel and I just put it in the clay.

Elska: What do you think they’re making you feel?

Albert: Like I love English but sometimes it’s because I’m not from England it’s very difficult to express myself, like at 100% you know so I feel like I’m expressing myself you know 50% now.

Elska: But do you feel like anyone can really express themselves a hundred percent?

Albert: That’s true yeah, I probably would tell the same.

Elska: It’s like we always wish that we have a thousand hours to try and give the explanation and we can fill in every gap but it doesn’t really work like that. Just make sure that arm doesn’t pull off (referencing Alberts Clay. Creature.)

Elska: It’s really interesting. I haven’t had any burning questions. The question I did really want to ask, which I did ask, was about responsibility to people as an artist. And I guess it’s such a difficult one because of course, you don’t really have any responsibility. It’s just about how much you want to engage with the world. And if you’re making stuff that’s answering questions about yourself, which is obviously what a lot of your work is doing, then that’s not really something that comes to mind. And it shouldn’t really either because the reality is that you’re probably going to help a lot more people by figuring out your own shit and just telling them about it, being very transparent and honest in that process rather than actively trying to help them in particular or point something out.

Albert: I think you inspire people by finding yourself, I guess.

Elska: This is true. But it’s not always about inspiring people.

Albert: Yeah, it’s more like I want to do that and probably people would like it or not. It’s just that’s what I want to do. I don’t feel like I want to be doing a shitty job in my life for all my life. I don’t feel like I can. I’m not good at mathematics and not good at anything basically. Just art, I guess.

Elska: Okay, that’s a big thing to be good at.

Albert: I don’t know if I’m actually good.

Elska: I think that you clearly are (laughs whilst looking at his clay creature.)

Albert: Sometimes I feel like I’m good. Sometimes I question myself a lot, like what am I doing.

Elska: That’s the tides of being an artist.

Albert: Yeah.

Elska: So okay, do you feel like you’re kind of destined to… the wrong word actually do you feel like you have a destiny? like you were born for a reason?

Albert: I don’t know if sometimes things feels like, they’re meant to be? But I don’t know if they actually meant to be but they feel like it so think at some point you just gotta believe.

Elska: Exactly so what do you believe what do you believe your destiny is?

Ambert: Pretty much being a musician, inspiring people. What I like to do and you know, be always happy and grateful of what I achieved. But I feel like a lot of things in my life make me realize a sort of destiny is real, like they’re like too impossible to be real, like how is it possible? it’s like I’m asking for something and something happened

Elska: No I completely agree. Do you want to be famous and why if yes?

Albert: You know it’s a consequence, being famous. Not just like yeah I want to be famous. I don’t want to be famous I want people to listen to music, I don’t care about being rich or like be known because I can be famous just like doing shit online and I would be famous, but I don’t need that, I want people to actually listen to my music and you know get the lyrics, loving the music and being famous is just a consequence of that.

Elska: Yeah I was just curious.

Albert: Do you want to be famous you’re already kind of famous?

Elska: I'm not even remotely famous, do I want to be famous some days yes some days no. Again I agree with you it’s a consequence thing, if you’ve done what you’ve set out to do which would have an impact, then it usually goes hand in hand. But I think that that’s better because those kinds of things, then maybe the fame doesn’t always remain and so you can maybe have different like versions of your life yeah rather than those kind of very famous people who have that forever yeah. There are different levels and versions of fame. I like the idea of fame within industry but then at the same time it’s like I want to do very good things in the world and I think a part of that requires a level of fame just in terms of like you said reach, like how many people can you reach without that, it’s hard. Yeah. If you had to name the animal that you’re making what would you call it or what is its name already?

Albert: I feel like Ian.

Elska: Say that again?

Albert: Ian.

Elska: Ian. That’s actually so fitting. If you had to describe yourself in three words what would they be? Be brave in your answer.

Albert: I have no idea.

Elska: They can be Italian words and you can translate them.

Albert: Edgy.

Elska: That’s a good one.

Albert: Probably. Edgy, funny and… I don’t know. Edgy, funny and… charming.

Elska: What’s the last thing you think about before you go to sleep?

Albert: Are you happy with what you’re doing?

Elska: Every night.

Albert: Kind of.

Elska: And what’s your answer?

Albert: Yeah. Like, are you happy with what you have achieved today? Sometimes the answer is no.

Elska: Okay, so it’s about the day that you’ve had rather than necessarily the overall day.

Albert: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Elska: A wise old man once told me that he goes to February night and he goes from the very beginning of the day to the very end of the day and he remembers all day from start to finish. And then he gets a sense at the end of that as to whether or not it went well and he also appreciates it for what it was. At first when you start practicing that, it takes fucking forever. Like it takes so long to remember what happens in your day. But if you do it every night, you do it in like 30 seconds.

Albert: Sometimes it’s just paranoia.

Elska: Oh yeah.

Albert: Yeah. So really like I am going to die, I'm gonna be like, I’m never gonna be famous.

Elska: Do you feel like that’s one of your biggest fears?

Albert: My fear is to become like a lot of people in my city who used to make music and they never did anything with it. And they’re like, oh I used to play music but then I got a wife, life is over. They could have just…

Elska: So your fear is really of giving up?

Albert: Yeah. Not because of myself but more because of the situation. Like I’m broke, I need to give up or just…

Elska: Yeah, but there’s always, you can always have a job alongside not giving up.

Albert: Yeah, but think about you’re 30, you actually need a… real job to survive and you can’t you don’t even have time to make music, that’s like a bit of you have to give up so…

Elska: You could become a sex worker and just work two days a week (being partially ironic) I guess what I am trying to say is that you even in you having just said what you’ve said, you are closer to them than you realize. Because the absolute opposite attitude would be well it doesn’t really matter I could always just camp and make music you know? It depends if you feel like you have to have you have to be responsible in that way.

Albert: I don’t feel like I will give up like ever, because it’s not me all but still I have this fear…

Elska: this fear…

Albert: This fear of giving up.

Elska: Yeah you can do what I do which is just get too many other people involved so you can’t give up, not even joking.