Samantha Morton and Richard Russell on their new album: ‘We’re in the business of wellbeing’

The Oscar-nominated actor and the boss of XL Recordings – now a synth-pop duo performing ghostly songs with lyrics rooted in childhood trauma – discuss the healing power of making art

Inside a rehearsal space scented with essential oils, a new, unlikely electro-art-pop duo are preparing for their live debut. Called Sam Morton, they are the collaborative pairing of the twice-Oscar-nominated actor, director and writer Samantha Morton and the celebrated producer, songwriter and boss of XL Recordings Richard Russell. Morton, wearing denim dungarees, is singing the fluty, jazzy, bassy, atmospheric Let’s Walk in the Night while Russell, in jeans and a graffitied white T-shirt, hunches over production consoles, alongside a keyboard player and a guitarist.

We are in the Copper House, Russell’s personal studio. It is characterised by an undeniable vibe: a lime-green artwork on a scarlet wall announces “RESIDENCE LA REVOLUTION”; the phrase “FATE IS DECIDED”, alongside descriptions of cloud formations, is chalked on black walls. The tiny bathroom is wallpapered in Buddhist texts and stocked with books, including The Tibetan Book of the Dead.