Playing with genres and bringing them together to create sounds that are not afraid of unconventionality, Australian-born, London-based artist Christopher Scott Bramer’s music project Mister Chorister captures human experiences in all its absurdities and honesty. His latest single ‘You’re Not Listening’ which leans towards the alt-rock genre, explores the fissures and tensions of human communication, where sometimes a lot of what we have on our mind never reaches the intended person. LITM talks to Mister Chorister about his single, his musical journey and all that lies ahead! Check it out!
Tell us about yourself and the journey that you have undertaken to become the artist that you are now.
Well, yes, g’day! I’m Christopher Brammer, the person behind Mister Chorister. The slightly strange thing about this project is that the journey ended before it started. Becoming an artist really wasn’t part of the plan for most of my adult life.
Music was actually a huge part of my childhood. I’d spend all night in my bedroom creating. I started writing songs when I was about 10 years old. However, by the time I’d turned 20, I’d left music school to go to university and follow a much more conventional path, and so put that artistic side of myself away for several decades. The desire to create never completely disappeared, though. It was more like something sitting quietly in the background.
A few years ago, I decided to see what would happen if I started listening to that part of myself again. Initially, I was only going to finish some old songs and have them recorded for posterity, but then new material started appearing and the whole thing began to take on a life of its own.
In the end, it became Mister Chorister. I don’t think of him as an alter ego in the conventional sense. He seems much more like a manifestation of my creative voice, an instinct that seems to know something before I consciously do. But perhaps he is a traditional alter ego in the sense that I am empowered through his existence.
And with that, the project has matured enormously over the past six months. What began with “Brave” and simply taking the first step has become an exploration of creativity, self-belief, identity and the space between who we think we are and what we're actually capable of becoming.
Your latest single sees genres coming together to create an electrifying sound. Could you tell us about the musical inspiration that shapes this song and your overall discography?
I've always had a pretty eclectic musical taste, so I don't think I've ever felt particularly constrained by genre. My childhood was full of everything from Paul Simon, Joan Baez and The Carpenters through to The Beatles, Bowie, U2, Cold Chisel, Crowded House and Madonna. After that early education, I went through various phases of rock, metal and alternative music.
The 90s were particularly influential for me, with bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, while The Killers and Coldplay became huge favourites later on.
With Mister Chorister, I'm interested in taking whatever feels right for the song rather than trying to stay within a particular genre. “Brave” was quite pop-rock, “Spark” was slightly poppier, and “You're Not Listening” has naturally developed into something more tense and alternative rock-like.
I definitely felt myself back in a time warp, back in 90s mode, while creating this one.
This song sees a dark, emotive tone taking shape through the sweeping, soaring guitars, sharp pop-grunge sensibilities, and more. Could you tell us a little bit about the vision that you had for the track and the subsequent creative process?
The song started with a fairly ordinary experience of feeling unheard by a colleague, and so I wanted to write a song that captured the frustrations associated with that.
The interesting thing is that I didn't really start with a grand sonic vision for the song. I knew it was going to be a heavier alt-rock-style song than “Brave” or “Spark”, with guitar solos to help convey the voices of frustration and feeling unheard.
During the writing process, though, I realised that I wasn't completely blameless in feeling unheard by my colleague. I remember having this epiphany: how must he feel? I've always prided myself on trying to walk a mile in someone else's shoes, although I don't always manage it. But I started wondering what it might look like if I turned the question back on myself. What if the person we aren't listening to is actually ourselves?
That changed the DNA of the song.
I wanted the music to reflect that psychological tension, so the verses became more restrained, uncomfortable and eerie, while the bigger sections provide a sense of release. There are also quite a few deliberately strange production ideas in there, including competing vocal effects and some unusual sounds.
Sometimes I think of this song as what's happening in the hive mind of Christopher Brammer and Mister Chorister.
Working with Billy Crabbe was also a big part of determining that soundscape. He's very disciplined but also extremely open to experimentation, so we were able to try ideas that might sound slightly ridiculous on paper and sometimes discover that they were exactly what the song needed.
What was the songwriting process like for you?
For me, songwriting has become much more about following an instinct than trying to know exactly where I'm going beforehand. You often hear artists talking about being in a state of flow, and I do feel like I receive a kind of download. For me it’s a process of receiving and revealing before making a few conscious adjustments to give the song its final shape.
That's probably one of the biggest things I've learned since returning to music. I used to think I needed to understand what a song was about before I could really move forward with it.
Now I see the creative process more as a series of waypoints that you move through, and as you do, you ultimately reveal something about yourself that you perhaps hadn't previously been consciously aware of.
“Spark”, the second single, is probably the clearest example of this for me, although all of the Mister Chorister songs feature this idea. Parts of “Spark” were actually written more than 30 years ago and then sat untouched. A songwriting workshop eventually prompted me to revisit the idea, and I finished the song in about an hour. It was almost as though the song had been waiting for me to catch up with it, to fully receive it.
“You're Not Listening” happened differently, but the principle was the same. Something happened in everyday life, I started writing, and the meaning of the song revealed itself as I went. Especially the invitation to consider the experience from two perspectives — that's a very Mister Chorister idea.
I think that's what makes songwriting exciting for me now. I'm not always creating a story as much as discovering one.
Is there an upcoming album that is in the works?
Yes. What started out as a much smaller project has grown into something considerably larger. When I first met with my mentor, Polly Scattergood, we agreed the project should produce an EP of between three and five songs.
But the project continues to evolve. As I began writing the treatment for the EP, I got somewhat carried away by the idea and started to envisage a narrative arc that could cover an entire album.
So I now have a draft treatment for a full album built around individual songs that will each be chapters in the Mister Chorister story arc. The first three have been released, “Brave”, “Spark” and “You're Not Listening”. The fourth song is expected to be “Missionary Girl”, and that one is mostly recorded already. So I’m hoping to release again in November.
The interesting part is that I didn't actually set out to write an interconnected album. Most of the songs I’ve considered for this album treatment were written over a year ago. So, they mostly came before “Brave” was released. And then the idea of releasing them as Mister Chorister only occurred to me after I saw the first illustrations for the “Brave” music video, when Mister Chorister truly revealed himself.
I’m really enjoying how the connections between these songs only became apparent after Mister Chorister revealed himself. As more pieces of the puzzle appeared, a wider story started to emerge around creativity, belief, relationships, responsibility, identity and the choices we make. It’s exciting to watch the project evolve in the same way.
That said, I’m also enjoying deliberately allowing that story to reveal itself gradually rather than deciding exactly what it all has to be in advance. I’m releasing one song at a time, but because the meaning behind the songs is also being revealed gradually, the pace of one release every two to three months or so can feel quite frenetic.
It gives each song just enough space to develop, while I work with my music video creator on how the visuals reinforce or influence the development of the music and vice versa.
Do you see yourself exploring more genres in the future or is this the sound that you would like to be known by?
I definitely sense an evolving soundscape and really want to explore that, though I feel that my lane will predominantly remain in the alt pop-rock space for now. I am a child of the 80s and 90s after all, and I want to bring back some of that joy while leaning into modern production to develop the sound.
So, I’m not sure where this evolving soundscape will take the project, but my vision for this first album is alternative rock with pop accessibility, so in essence pop-rock.
The music might take on a new dimension for the second album. I’ve got several ideas for taking things further along that line, which could lead to the project going into slightly darker alternative rock or even more atmospheric and art-rock territory, while other songs may go somewhere completely different.
Importantly, I want the common thread to be less about genre and more about the emotional and creative journey behind each song.
What are you most excited about in the future regarding your musical career?
Honestly, I'm most excited about not knowing exactly what's going to happen. After spending so many years not making music at all, the fact that I'm now releasing songs, making videos and collaborating with really talented people feels extraordinary. You have to understand, this is a very pinch-myself moment. I’d truly given up any hope of releasing music over 30 years ago now.
As I say that, I’m reminded of the lyric in “You’re Not Listening”: “It’s never too late, one step is all that it takes. Your future awaits.” That does feel like the place I’ve reached today, three songs into the project. So, baby steps, tick! Excitement and wonderment increasing!
Also, I'm particularly excited about seeing how the music and visual side of Mister Chorister continue to develop alongside each other. The videos have become another way of exploring the ideas in the songs, rather than simply illustrating them.
And I’m very excited to keep following the project wherever it leads. There are still plenty of songs to come, but because I’m discovering it in real time, I don't think I quite know exactly where this story ends.
And… that's probably the most enjoyable part of this whole experience.