Sean MacLeod’s exciting new single “I Know Not” is a powerful example of an artist boldly following curiosity rather than staying comfortable! At first listen, the song feels wonderfully warm and familiar, drawing beautifully on classic influences like 50s doo-wop, 60s psychedelia, and touches of energetic 70s punk. But as it unfolds, it becomes thrillingly clear that there is so much more happening beneath the surface! The track brilliantly blends catchy melodies with subtle experimentation, creating something that feels both inviting and delightfully unexpected!
“I Know Not” grew out of MacLeod’s genuine fascination with sound itself—how it works, how we respond to it emotionally, and how our understanding of it can dramatically shift. Inspired by reading about neuroscience and exploring the intriguing world of microtonal music, he began experimenting with different tunings and scales in exciting ways! What started as a simple chord progression slowly and organically expanded into a song that bends familiar pop structures in quiet but truly meaningful ways. The microtonal elements aren’t flashy or forced at all; instead, they add compelling tension, rich colour, and a gentle sense of unease that keeps the listener completely engaged and coming back for more!
Recorded in a lo-fi, intimate home-studio setting, the song carries a handmade quality that perfectly suits its reflective and thoughtful tone. “I Know Not” captures an artist genuinely in motion—still actively enjoying discovery, still refreshingly open to change, and still courageously willing to ask questions through music rather than offer easy answers!
This is exploration that sounds absolutely beautiful, and it’s impossible not to be drawn into MacLeod’s sonic curiosity!
Listen to I Know Not
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“I Know Not” has a very reflective title. How does that idea of uncertainty shape the mood and structure of the song?
The song came about while I was reading some books on the nature of sound and how humans respond to sound on an emotional level. A lot of these were articles on neuroscience and I have a lot of questions regarding that perspective so that kind of determined the mood of the song as far as the lyrics were concerned
Can you walk us through how this track first came together, from the initial idea to the final recording?
It began both with me reading articles on the nature of sound but also I was listening to a lot of microtonal music and experimenting with composing something with microtonal intervals. The song itself was just a stand chord progression and I made up the microtonal part over that chord progression. I didn’t fully understand what I was doing regarding the microtones but it sounded good to me so that was that.
What emotions or atmosphere were you most focused on capturing in “I Know Not”?
I just wanted to try something different. I get a bit bored writing the same way or same song so I’m often looking to do something I hadn’t done before. During this period I was exploring different tunings and scales and microtonal music.
I wrote quite a lot of pieces with different tunings- actually they will feature on an experimental album called ‘We Don’t See the We Don’t See’ which will be released sometime in 2026. “I Know Not” was one of those pieces but I thought it had a commercial appeal too so I didn’t feature it on that album. Instead I released it as a single. So, I guess the answer is that I was just trying to capture something different
The arrangement plays a big role in how the song unfolds. How did you decide which sounds and instruments belonged in this track?
For the most part the song is quite standard so the main arrangement is quite standard and just borrows from a few genres mainly 50s Doo Wop and some 70s punk. The microtonal section which is really just added on was a bit of a challenge and took some to to create.
The process began with me re-tuning lyres to be able to play the microtones once I found the tones I wanted to use I worked out various parts for the lyres. These parts were then replaced with different instruments to try to capture a sense of Gamelan music. This was really just a trial and error approach
How does “I Know Not” differ musically from your previous releases, and where does it sit in your artistic journey?
I suppose it highlights a shift away from writing just basic pop songs and I am sure I will keep exploring that avenue even though it is a lot of hard work and a lot of trying things out most of which doesn’t work. However, I’m still content to write standard pop songs.
Were there any particular musical influences that guided the sound or direction of this single?
Possibly songs like “Strawberry Fields Forever” which tends to influence every song I write. Also, the music of the Gamelan which I was studying at the time- I was in a Gamelan Orchestra at the University of Limerick for a while during the time I wrote “I Know Not”
How did the production process help bring out the song’s core message without overpowering it?
I don’t know if the production process helped bring out the song’s core message – maybe by using different tunings it might bring the listeners attention toward something different that things are not what we think they should be just because we are used to them. I think this is the message of the song – that things are not how they appear and that they are influx- that sound and music are not what we might think they are. They may appear to us one way at the present moment but later are perspective can shift and things appear in a different light
Is there a specific moment in the track that feels most important or personal to you as a musician?
There are lots of things about the song I like. I like the standard chord progressions and the melody lines I like the lyrics. I think they fit well into the melody lines but they have an unusual theme for that kind of doo wop progression which gives it a different slant and of course I was very happy with the microtonal aspect of the song.
How do you hope listeners will connect with the music of “I Know Not” on an emotional level?
Like with all my songs I just hope they like and it adds something to their lives when the listen to it
Does this single hint at a broader sound or direction you’re exploring in your upcoming work?
I wouldn’t like it to be the case that because of the experimental nature of the song that it would mean that I would be expected to only write experimental pieces because I wouldn’t like to do that. I like working between the boundaries of standard pop songs but I also like venturing outside those boundaries
