In this episode of The Hardest Part podcast, Tigercub break down the songwriting and creative process behind their track, "Fall In Fall Out".

The track sits at the centre of their new album’s core tension, exploring contradiction, cycles, and the difficulty of articulating feelings that don’t fully make sense yet. Jamie explains how the song began with melody on acoustic guitar, before any clear meaning was attached. From there, the process became one of discovery, using stream of consciousness writing, dream journals, and notebooks filled with fragments to uncover what the song was actually about.

Kieron and Jamie explore the balance between instinct and editing, the challenge of writing without overthinking, and how meaning often reveals itself only after the song already exists. They also discuss the influence of dreams, literature, and film, and why leaving space for interpretation can make a song more powerful.

Guest: Tigercub

Song: Fall In Fall Out

Host and Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji

Creative: Callum Baker and Dylan Roberts

Recording Engineer: Giovanni Alimonte 

Mix Engineer: Max Walker

In this episode of The Hardest Part podcast, Tigercub break down the songwriting and creative process behind their track, "Fall In Fall Out".
The track sits at the centre of their new album&rsquo;s core tension, exploring contradiction, cycles, and the difficulty of articulating feelings that don&rsquo;t fully make sense yet. Jamie explains how the song began with melody on acoustic guitar, before any clear meaning was attached. From there, the process became one of discovery, using stream of consciousness writing, dream journals, and notebooks filled with fragments to uncover what the song was actually about.
Kieron and Jamie explore the balance between instinct and editing, the challenge of writing without overthinking, and how meaning often reveals itself only after the song already exists. They also discuss the influence of dreams, literature, and film, and why leaving space for interpretation can make a song more powerful.
Guest: Tigercub
Song: Fall In Fall Out
Host and Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji
Creative: Callum Baker and Dylan Roberts
Recording Engineer: Giovanni Alimonte&nbsp;
Mix Engineer: Max Walker

Hosted by Kieron Banerji, The Hardest Part dives deep into the most challenging songs ever written. Every two weeks, an artist joins Kieron in the studio to break down the struggles, breakthroughs, and raw emotions behind their toughest songwriting experiences. From overcoming creative blocks to tapping into painful memories, these conversations reveal the delicate balance between self-expression and self-protection.

Each episode wraps with an exclusive live performance of the song—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time.

Follow the Hardest Part wherever you get your podcasts, and watch footage from the show on our YouTube and socials.

Hosted by Kieron Banerji,&nbsp;The Hardest Part dives deep into the most challenging songs ever written. Every two weeks, an artist joins Kieron in the studio to break down the struggles, breakthroughs, and raw emotions behind their toughest songwriting experiences. From overcoming creative blocks to tapping into painful memories, these conversations reveal the delicate balance between self-expression and self-protection.
Each episode wraps with an exclusive live performance of the song&mdash;raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time.
Follow the Hardest Part wherever you get your podcasts, and watch footage from the show on our YouTube and socials.

The Hardest Part

Hosted by Kieron Banerji, The Hardest Part dives deep into the most challenging songs ever written. Every week, an artist joins Kieron in the studio to break down the struggles, breakthroughs, and raw emotions behind their toughest songwriting experiences. From overcoming creative blocks to tapping into painful memories, these conversations reveal the delicate balance between self-expression and self-protection.

Each episode wraps with an exclusive live performance of the song—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time.

Follow the Hardest Part wherever you get your podcasts, and watch footage from the show on our YouTube and socials.

Hosted by Kieron Banerji, The Hardest Part dives deep into the most challenging songs ever written. Every week, an artist joins Kieron in the studio to break down the struggles, breakthroughs, and raw emotions behind their toughest songwriting experiences. From overcoming creative blocks to tapping into painful memories, these conversations reveal the delicate balance between self-expression and self-protection.
Each episode wraps with an exclusive live performance of the song—raw, real, and sometimes heard this way for the first time.
Follow the Hardest Part wherever you get your podcasts, and watch footage from the show on our YouTube and socials.

HP #37: Tigercub on Balancing Instinct and Editing in Songwriting

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Ava Joe to break down the making of “Am I a Dreamer”, a song inspired by one of the most complicated emotions she experiences: nostalgia.  

Unlike most of her songwriting, which begins with a specific experience and the feelings that follow, this song started with an emotion. Ava set out to write about nostalgia itself, drawing together memories, places, films, relationships, and moments that all carried the same emotional weight.  

This episode explores why nostalgia can feel more painful than comforting, the strange experience of feeling nostalgic while living through a moment, and the fear of time passing too quickly. From watching the sea in Greece to reflecting on her teenage years, Ava explains how “Am I a Dreamer? became a meditation on memory, growing up, and the moments we know we’ll miss before they’ve even ended.  

Kieron and Ava also talk about songwriting, collaboration, creative blocks, and why some of the best artistic breakthroughs happen when you stop forcing them.

Guest: Ava Joe
Host: Kieron Banerji

Mix Engineer: Max Walker
Recording Engineer: Giovani Alimonte
Creative: Callum Baker

-

00:00 Intro
00:55 Why nostalgia is so difficult to write about
02:00 Starting with a feeling, not a memory
02:45 Why nostalgia feels painful
03:40 Feeling nostalgic in the present moment
05:25 The memories behind the song
07:10 Why time is her biggest fear
08:40 Building a song from emotion
10:15 Writing with producer Eddie George
11:00 Finding the right collaborators
12:30 The writers who ask the right questions
14:00 Why she chose the nylon-string guitar
15:00 Creative blocks and losing her voice
16:20 Learning to stop forcing creativity
18:20 How listeners hear the song differently
19:50 Full session

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Ava Joe to break down the making of &ldquo;Am I a Dreamer&rdquo;, a song inspired by one of the most complicated emotions she experiences: nostalgia. &nbsp;
Unlike most of her songwriting, which begins with a specific experience and the feelings that follow, this song started with an emotion. Ava set out to write about nostalgia itself, drawing together memories, places, films, relationships, and moments that all carried the same emotional weight. &nbsp;
This episode explores why nostalgia can feel more painful than comforting, the strange experience of feeling nostalgic while living through a moment, and the fear of time passing too quickly. From watching the sea in Greece to reflecting on her teenage years, Ava explains how &ldquo;Am I a Dreamer? became a meditation on memory, growing up, and the moments we know we&rsquo;ll miss before they&rsquo;ve even ended. &nbsp;
Kieron and Ava also talk about songwriting, collaboration, creative blocks, and why some of the best artistic breakthroughs happen when you stop forcing them.
Guest: Ava Joe Host: Kieron Banerji
Mix Engineer: Max Walker Recording Engineer: Giovani Alimonte Creative: Callum Baker
-
00:00 Intro 00:55 Why nostalgia is so difficult to write about 02:00 Starting with a feeling, not a memory 02:45 Why nostalgia feels painful 03:40 Feeling nostalgic in the present moment 05:25 The memories behind the song 07:10 Why time is her biggest fear 08:40 Building a song from emotion 10:15 Writing with producer Eddie George 11:00 Finding the right collaborators 12:30 The writers who ask the right questions 14:00 Why she chose the nylon-string guitar 15:00 Creative blocks and losing her voice 16:20 Learning to stop forcing creativity 18:20 How listeners hear the song differently 19:50 Full session

HP #46: Ava Joe on Songwriting and Nostalgia.

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Metric to break down the making of “Victim of Luck”, the opening track from their latest album and the song that took longer to finish than any other. The challenge wasn’t writing it. The challenge was knowing when it was right.

Emily and Jimmy Shaw tell Kieron how the song was intended to introduce the entire record, setting the tone for everything that followed. But as the album evolved, so did the song. Lyrics changed, arrangements changed, production choices came and went, and even the title itself didn’t arrive until the rest of the album was complete.

At the center of the track is a deeply personal realization. What began as a fictional story about a band’s rise gradually became something much more direct: a reflection on success, anxiety, self-criticism, and the strange feeling of becoming a “victim of luck.” 

This episode also features an exclusive stripped back acoustic version of the track recorded for the show. 

Guests: Metric

Song: Victim of Luck

Host: Kieron Banerji

Creative: Callum Baker and Giovanni Alimonte

Produced by: Palm Tree Island

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Metric to break down the making of &ldquo;Victim of Luck&rdquo;, the opening track from their latest album and the song that took longer to finish than any other. The challenge wasn&rsquo;t writing it. The challenge was knowing when it was right.
Emily and Jimmy Shaw tell Kieron how the song was intended to introduce the entire record, setting the tone for everything that followed. But as the album evolved, so did the song. Lyrics changed, arrangements changed, production choices came and went, and even the title itself didn&rsquo;t arrive until the rest of the album was complete.
At the center of the track is a deeply personal realization. What began as a fictional story about a band&rsquo;s rise gradually became something much more direct: a reflection on success, anxiety, self-criticism, and the strange feeling of becoming a &ldquo;victim of luck.&rdquo;&nbsp;
This episode also features an exclusive stripped back acoustic version of the track recorded for the show.&nbsp;
Guests: Metric
Song: Victim of Luck
Host: Kieron Banerji
Creative: Callum Baker and Giovanni Alimonte
Produced by: Palm Tree Island

HP #45: Metric on the Song That Defined the Album

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Will White to break down the making of “6:30 AM”, a song that became the catalyst for everything that followed.

Unlike most of his work, the song stayed with him for years. That alone was unusual. Will describes a songwriting process where songs either arrive fully formed or disappear entirely. He rarely revisits unfinished ideas, yet somehow “6:30 AM” refused to go away. 

Kieron and Will explore discomfort as a creative tool, the mystery of songwriting, and why some songs seem to know more about your future than you do. Will also talks about how the meaning of “6:30 AM” has evolved over time, from imagining someone still awake after a long night to experiencing the same hour as a parent waking up to a completely different life. 

Guests: Will White

Song: 6:30 AM

Host: Kieron Banerji

Creative: Callum Baker and Giovanni Alimonte

Produced by: Palm Tree Island

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Will White to break down the making of &ldquo;6:30 AM&rdquo;, a song that became the catalyst for everything that followed.
Unlike most of his work, the song stayed with him for years. That alone was unusual. Will describes a songwriting process where songs either arrive fully formed or disappear entirely. He rarely revisits unfinished ideas, yet somehow &ldquo;6:30 AM&rdquo; refused to go away.&nbsp;
Kieron and Will explore discomfort as a creative tool, the mystery of songwriting, and why some songs seem to know more about your future than you do. Will also talks about how the meaning of &ldquo;6:30 AM&rdquo; has evolved over time, from imagining someone still awake after a long night to experiencing the same hour as a parent waking up to a completely different life.&nbsp;
Guests: Will White
Song: 6:30 AM
Host: Kieron Banerji
Creative: Callum Baker and Giovanni Alimonte
Produced by: Palm Tree Island

HP #37: Tigercub on Balancing Instinct and Editing in Songwriting

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