His new EP Dreams of Walden channels the feeling of isolation and seclusion in a forest, away from society.

The six-track record was inspired by the novel Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

"Walden is a place in America where Henry Thoreau lived in the 1800s at some stage in isolation," Gardner said.

"So if there's a lot of isolation themes in the album which is not ideal, considering people have just been in isolation for two years.

"His book is very poetic and I found myself falling in love with it and just writing from those themes about things that were happening in my own life. It crossed over into a lot of things that made sense."

Dreams are a motif that have unconsciously wound their way into Gardner's writing over the last decade or so, much like the slow descent into sleep.

"I've always been big on writing about dreams I have - I don't even mean to, it's not a conscious thing, it just seems to happen.

"Over the last 10 years you'll find in all the songs I write, the word dream will come in somewhere. "I haven't actually been to Walden, as much as I'd like to, so I guess it's my dreams of going to that space."

This is the first time Gardner has released music under his own name.

Previous works have been released under the alias John McKensie.

"Though it sounds like a similar type of music, lyrically it just wasn't that. It was more real to me than anything I've probably made before as a solo musician.

"I've never released under my name but I felt like for the first time, maybe it's worth doing."

Earlier this year, Gardner hosted his first solo piano show at The F Project Warrnambool.

The intimate show 'Not a pianist, just a man playing piano' saw a crowd seated around Gardner, his piano and a warm lamp against the backdrop of the gallery.

It sums up the album perfectly; he set about teaching himself the piano "a few years ago" in honour of his grandmother.

"She told me once that there were two things she always wanted to do in her life: one was to drive a car, and one was to play the piano. She managed to do one of them.

"I bought my first piano after she told me that because it's kind of stuck with me that if there's something you want to do, just go and do it."

The pared back strings element by Hamilton violinist Matthew Pitman elevate the fragile tracks, co-written with south-west artist Liam Barling.

It fills the gaps, but still feels very lonely, says Gardner.

"I've never opened myself up that much before. I'm only just learning how to do it, hence always writing songs about someone else," he said with a laugh.

"That's been a long process."

Dreams of Walden is one to listen to with the lights off.

Available on all streaming platforms.

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