The Hardest Part

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Young the Giant break down the songwriting process and music production process behind “Different Kind of Love,” exploring how the band tried to return to the spirit of their first record. After years of touring, remote writing, adult responsibilities, and fragmented workflows, Young the Giant wanted to reconnect creatively by getting back into a room together and writing instinctively as a band again. Through writing retreats in Joshua Tree and Idyllwild, they rebuilt their process around collaboration, momentum, and live energy. We talk about songwriting process, music production, creative flow, and how producer Brendan O’Brien helped the band stop overthinking and trust the energy of being together in the studio. They also discuss how “Different Kind of Love” evolved structurally over time, and why this album became an attempt to reconnect with the openness and joy that defined their earliest work. Artist: Young the Giant Host: Kieron Banerji Song: Different Kind of Love Album: Victory Garden (2026) Creative: Callum Baker Engineers: Max Walker and Giovanni Almote Young The Giant Team: Lloyd Williams and Natalie NicholsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when you can’t move, can’t escape, and a song is the only thing you can build. In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Westerman to break down the making of “Mosquito” from his 2025 album A Jackal’s Wedding.  The song was written during a period of physical and emotional isolation, after Westerman tore his meniscus while travelling in northern Greece. Unable to move for months in extreme heat, with little contact with anyone else, the song emerged slowly in fragments, built from a looping guitar idea and moments of clarity in an otherwise disorienting time. He explains how the track became a kind of soundtrack to that period, shaped as much by limitation as by intention. From the physical difficulty of writing while injured to the emotional weight that led him there in the first place, the process was both technically and psychologically demanding. We explore how environment influences sound, from the hazy, heat-soaked textures of the demo to the decision to treat the physical surroundings as an active part of the record. He also reflects on abstraction in songwriting, why not everything needs a fixed meaning, and how stepping away from the work can be the only way through creative blocks. Guest: Westerman Host: Kieron Banerji Song: Mosquito Album: A Jackal's Wedding (2025) Creative: Callum Baker Recorded backstage at The Village Underground, London.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes the hardest part is not writing the song, it is making it feel right. In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Winter to break down the making of “Misery” and how the song transformed completely in the studio.  What started as a faster demo in a different key with only one verse became the longest and most complex process on the record. Through experimentation with tempo, pitch, and arrangement, the track slowly evolved into something entirely new. She explains how working closely with her producer led to key decisions like pitching the vocals down, slowing the tempo, and reshaping the song’s emotional tone. These production choices did not just change the sound, they changed the meaning. Guest: Winter Host and Executive Producer : Kieron Banerji Creative: Callum Baker Engineer: Max Walker Studio: The Thin White Duke, London.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Hardest Part, Kieron Banerji sits down with Athens-based band The Overjoyed to go behind the scenes of their track “Party Eyes,” exploring the songwriting process, music production, and the emotional realities that shaped it.  The song begins with a deeply personal place: sleepless nights, hangovers, and the emotional comedown that can follow moments of excess or difficult periods in life. What starts as a reflection on insomnia evolves into something more vulnerable, touching on mental health, isolation, and the quiet, often unspoken moments where everything feels overwhelming. We break down how the track came together, from the initial riff to building the structure around a feeling rather than a concept. We also discuss how songwriting can act as a form of release, and why revisiting difficult moments through music can feel cleansing over time. The band also perform an exclusive version of the song for The Hardest Part at the end of the interview.   Guest: The Overjoyed Host: Kieron Banerji Creative: Giovanni Alimonte and Callum Baker Mixing Engineer: Max Walker Studio: The Thin White Duke, London.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 WalkerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.