When I sat down on a comfy couch at Big Nice Studio in Carrington, RI, for an interview with Space Cowboy Newt, one of the first things they told me was that they’re a rambler. They aren’t, really, but one thing that was clear is that the person sitting across from me had spent a lot of time thinking about how a song gets made, the emotional place it comes from, and why it should sound the way it does. I’d caught their set at Myrtle the week before, and I came with questions about their aptitude on a harp, lush arrangements, and an album whose cheerful sound seemed to actually be communicating something much heavier.
Newt works as an audio engineer and producer, and their own music is a blend of dreamy elements. “It’s harp-centric music that’s a little bit synth-pop,” they explained. “It’s a little bit dreamy, it’s a little bit singer-songwriter.” Not long after first pressing play on their 2025 project “Suffering!!!” was I able to tell that I was listening to someone who was an adept musician and composer. They started playing the piano at four years old, added harp to the repertoire at nine, and began writing songs as early as middle school. Their background in classical music is evident in the intricate string arrangements and the harp flourishes that gracefully dance atop pop textures like synths and pads. “I was a very mystical, fairies and mermaids kind of kid,” Newt said. Dallas country band The Chicks were an early love for them in music, especially when it comes to arrangements. “I really love tight harmonies and big vocal arrangements,” they said.
Their approach to creating is totally DIY and hands-on. “I’m a huge control freak when it comes to my own music,” they told me. They compose and arrange everything themself, except for a few exceptions like strings and drums. They love writing for string quartet, and the chance to have real players be part of the creative process is an exciting occasion for Newt. “It’s pretty solitary until I get the string players in,” they said. “They bring things to life in a way that is impossible to replicate.”
Newt links their independence and desire for precision back to a studio session they had in high school, where they’d gone to record a song with a specific vision in mind but couldn’t find quite the right words to explain it. “I had no terminology to explain how this vision could come to fruition,” they said, “and I was determined to learn that and be able to make music myself.” As a producer and engineer now, Newt helps other artists realize their own visions, and the experience has shaped their ear. As an engineer, they must have a meticulous ear for making things sound polished. Conversely, their personal listening taste can be quite the opposite. “I like any music that is so bizarre that it’s head-scratching,” they said, citing accordion metal chiptune as an example.
That contrast manifests clearly on their latest aforementioned record. The arrangements are bright, but a lot of the lyrics are on the melancholy side. Newt shares that it’s on purpose. “I do love the cognitive dissonance of heavy emotions in a quirky-sounding weird song,” they said. “I want to let them out and release them and not immortalize them in a sad orchestration that’s just like, ‘Here’s my misery.’” Hence the three exclamation points in the title. “It’s kind of suffering, but it’s kind of silly. It’s kind of fun.”
Like many of the most eureka moments in history, songs come to Newt in a way they find hard to explain, and seldom when it’s convenient. “It feels like the song is just getting channeled,” they said. “I suddenly get an idea or a sense of it and write it down, and there it is.” The lyrics, melody, and chords might engulf them all at once like a tidal wave. “It’s very cool when I’m sitting by an instrument and very inconvenient when I’m driving in the car.” They never leave their phone at home when they go for a run, because ideas will inevitably find them. “There’s lots of gold that’s fallen down the well.”
“Haberdashery,” my personal favorite track of theirs, is one that Newt feels especially close to, calling it “probably my favorite production and favorite set of lyrics.” They recounted spontaneously writing the words down in a pizza place parking lot after a burst of inspiration. “I remember pulling over because I was having a brain blast and had to get it down,” they said. Another track, “Good Night Dandelion,” also holds special significance. It was the first thing they ever felt was worthy to put on streaming, and it ended up on the music segment of Welcome to Night Vale, one of their favorite podcasts.
Like many artists and creatives, Newt admits that they can be quite introverted and don’t exactly relish self-promotion. “I’m not really a social media person,” they said. “If you like my music at all, that’s great. Being a bit silly online is the only way that works for me. If I’m going to survive socially in a very social business, I have to be authentic.” Outside of music, they find grounding in their garden, which includes tomatoes, squash, herbs, and root vegetables. If they were a vegetable, they’d be a turnip. “I’m very introverted, so I like to hide in the ground, and I have a lot of leafy hair,” they playfully explained.
Introverted or not, Newt is a different presence once they are on stage and the harp or piano is in front of them. I saw that in action again at The Clubhouse Gallery in PVD on October 10, where Newt performed a set at YourFriendM00n’s first headlining show. Newt co-produced Moon’s upcoming EP, so the room carried the instinctive sense of two collaborators in action. Singing and playing the harp, they create an atmosphere that pulls the whole room in, capturing everyone’s undivided attention from start to finish. The control freak who arranges everything from their bedroom is completely at ease when on stage. Plus, they even gave out some free tomatoes from their garden after the show, so they give back to the fans in more ways than one.
I’m certain that the best from Newt is yet to come. They have an EP in the works with longtime friend and collaborator Sioo, which they describe as “funny, quirky, gay songs.” For now, Suffering!!! is available on streaming, and I think you’ll find something new to enjoy about it with every listen.
Find Space Cowboy Newt on Instagram @spacecowboynewt to keep up with all of their latest musical adventures.