Unsigned Staffordshire singer Steve Bayley talks about his forthcoming album

And the phrase can also be applied to the career of Great Wyrley-born frontman Steve Bayley since their shock split three years later.

But now, a decade after the Liverpool-based strummers closed the door on their band, Bayley is back with a fresh release that sees the light of day as of...right now.

Colour Me In is a breezy, jangling track reminiscent of the solo work of Maximo Park's Paul Smith or Radiohead's Thom Yorke and is a precursor to his The Blue & The Moon EP which arrives on July 7.

It is a far cry from the seedy guitars that ripped through The Open's repertoire. And it is not just the style which has changed for the 39-year-old.

"The method of working, not having a band, using drum machines and preferring it," he says are the benefits of going it alone. "Using more keyboards and less guitars. Not caring whether anyone ever heard it or not.

"Lyrically, it's about losing one’s sense of self and rediscovering it. It's a positive message. Look inside. The answers are always there. Even if the answer is to look outside. It's a beautiful world no matter how much people try to tell you it's not.

"Anyone who was around the band will know that 99 per cent of the songs would start with a demo from me. So it would have most of the parts and be a very clear idea of what was required parts wise and vibe wise. I always felt like my job was done after the demo and sometimes we would be chasing something that was finished in a way.

"I've got a whole library of the open demo stuff. Full demos of The Silent Hours and some of [2006 follow-up record] Statues, but less so on that album. All of our B sides were basically my demos. Those demos are great. Great in a different way to the finished thing.

"I don't make demos anymore. I start on the phone on Garageband and then move back and forward between that and my laptop ‘til it's done. It's my dream way of working really. The days of chasing the demo are gone.

"The technology is so great and fast now that you just keep going 'til it's finished. I've always been a bit of a control freak so starting and finishing a project on my own is something I'm not scared of. I have enough ideas musically. It's a process. You just have to go with it."

And can we expect more of the same sound when the rest of the EP is released next month? How will one song relate to the next?

"I really wanted the songs to work together as a piece," he adds. "It's old fashioned I know and I had loads of discussions with guys who told me that people don't listen to music like that anymore, but I'm really not bothered. I'm just doing what I feel like with it.

"The songs, unusually for me, aren't all written about me and my life. Some are about other people and situations I've experienced in the last however many years.

"There's a lot more electronic sounds, I tried real drums and didn't like them so went with the machines. I'm playing everything on it. The song titles are Colour Me In, Wasteland, A Little Time, Sun Goes Down and Short Song."

Having already tasted success in one musical venture, it must be very hard for Bayley not to occasionally peek backwards when moving forwards. Especially when they supported the likes of Muse and grabbed the attention of Steve Lamacq. Have The Open had any influence on his new work at all?

"The overwhelming feeling now, having got some distance on it, is that I'm proud of what we did," he enthuses. "We never really compromised artistically and did exactly what we wanted to.

"The flipside of that is that by not involving yourself in the game, you don't enjoy the benefits of those who did play along to a certain extent. Most of the time I think, 'I'm glad about that', but there are some really excellent, passionate people working in music and a lot of them we had the opportunity to get to know and work with.

"The only regret is that when you have a foot in the door so to speak, you should really make the best use of that you possibly can. I mean, by being nice to people who are nice and staying in touch. Overall though, I don't really think about it too much."

And what next for the singer?

"I want to complete enough tracks to have a full album. I have the songs. I just have to finish recording them. Who knows, a vinyl run might be nice?

"I’m taking it as it comes, if you would have told me five years ago that I would be putting new music out I don't think I would have believed you."

Bayley's new single Colour Me In is released today, while The Blue & The Moon EP will follow on Friday, July 7. For more information, find Bayley on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bayleymusic1