The Hardship Diaries

Development of the album

The creation of the album began as early as 2008 and a provisional track list was made public in early 2009. The track list changed several times before the final version was confirmed in October 2010 through McPherson's official Facebook page. The album was initially intended to be released much earlier but was held back due to McPherson's commitments to InMe and other solo EP releases.

The album was funded through a PledgeMusic campaign, launched on 10 January 2011. The pledge reached its target within 48 hours of being launched and did so nearly four times over.

Style

Compared to his technical electric guitar work in InMe, McPherson's sound on The Hardship Diaries is a much softer, stripped back acoustic experience combined with often orchestral arrangements. The songs are much akin to InMe's softer songs but outside of a band environment, with McPherson citing influences such as Loudon Wainwright III, Talk Talk, Frank Turner, City and Colour and Pink Floyd.

Track listing

All songs written and performed by Dave McPherson.

1. "Spring: Hearts Need Blood"
2. "Is This All We Are?"
3. "Listen to the Music"
4. "Summer: She Puts Me In a Good Mood"
5. "Before I Even Had You"
6. "Love Rats"
7. "Autumn: A Ghostly Reprise"
8. "Hummingbird"
9. "Last Year"
10. "Winter: Hibernation"
11. "Obsession Is a Young Man's Game"
12. "This Is No Fairytale"

Personnel

Other songs from The Hardship Diaries sessions

The final track listing is vastly different from the initial one and it is estimated that up to 20 songs may have been recorded or demoed in the sessions for the album.

4 tracks recorded in the first sessions for the album (Dance Floor Folk-Core, Scary Envelope, A Chameleon's True Colours and The Gentleman's Blues) were all initially intended for the album but were replaced by the four seasons suite. They have since been released in EP format under the title A Pauper's Prequel. Another song on the initial track listing, 1982, appears to have been scrapped entirely.

The album's opening track "Hearts Need Blood" also featured on McPherson's I Don't Do Requests EP which saw release in 2008. The track was written as early as 2007. It has been re-recorded for the album. 'Autumn: A Ghostly Reprise' is a re-recording of "Drowning In A Quandary Of Ambivilence" from Dave's EP 'The Grand Odyssey Of The Whale And The Barnacle' and Winter: Hibernation bears strong similarities to "Mockingbirds and Jealous Folk", also an earlier song of Dave's