So Young Issue Forty-Six

Issue Forty-Six

Sheer Mag A. Savage Hotline TNT UNIVERSITY Borough Council Man/Woman/Chainsaw Oscar Browne Malice K HONESTY YHWH Nailgun

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With festival season in the rear view mirror, touring season is well underway. One band blowing packed out rooms away with off-kilter, alt-country infused indie rock, is New York’s Geese and they’re on the cover. The band are quickly following their recent album ‘3D Country’ with a partnering EP titled ‘4D Country’. We catch them midway through a European trip to chat Toby Carverys, lost Reggae songs and if there’s a case to be made for the Keytar.

No stranger to So Young is Andrew Savage. The Parquet Courts frontman has a new A. Savage album titled ‘Several Songs About Fire’. Via Paris, where he’s in the process of moving to permanently, Andrew tells us all about how his lyrics give people a chance to meet the refined version of himself.

Brooklyn based Malice K has been a favourite of ours for the last year, and his new single ‘PHD’ via new label home, Jagjaguwar provided us with the perfect moment to reach out. We discuss the impact of Olympia, Washington, Kurt Cobain and falling asleep to white noise in the Deathproof house.

It seems highly likely that this issue has presented our debut visit to Crewe, and we have UNIVERSITY to thank.

Speaking from a bedroom, one of the UK’s most exciting new bands tell us all about the XBOX playing you’ll find on stage during their shows, the influence of Emo (the good stuff) and how you don’t have to seek the game to find it.

We once thought that Philadelphia’s Sheer Mag were one of punk rock’s biggest casualties. Fortunately for all, they’re back and they’ve signed a deal with Third Man Records. Finding themselves between a new single and re-issues of everything to date, Sheer Mag accepted our call to chat politics in songs and waiting it out for the right label partner.

Leeds collective HONESTY have had music in the works for a couple of years now. Featuring familiar name, George Mitchell (So Young Artist Series collaborator and once of Eagulls), the group have just shared their double A-Side new single. In their first ever interview, we discuss the Leeds sound and how HONESTY all came together.

London folk artist, Oscar Browne is on the verge of releasing his debut EP ‘If Only’. He gives us a few moments to tell us all about it and the London artists he’s most excited by right now.

Back to New York, and recent obsession YHWH Nailgun are releasing new music and about to head off on tour with Geese. Bored and embarrassed by the music myths of the city, and keen to make their own mark, their own way, the four-piece tell us about the project.

Hastings trio, Borough Council have only a single to their name, but as one of their mum’s can vouch for, they’re about to record some more with Speedy Wunderground and Dan Carey. We chat inside.

New London outfit, Man/Woman/Chainsaw are over 70 gigs into their young careers already. Starting around the age of 16, they’ve been getting it wrong to get it right with a revolving door of members for a couple of years now.

On the eve of a milestone headline show, we reached out to get the early scoop.

DIY champions, and recent Third Man signings, Hotline TNT are one of the leaders of the new shoegaze movement. With new album ‘Cartwheel’ on its way, we gave Will Anderson a call to chat touring, Jack White and field recordings. We also chat with Rosie Evans, the ‘High Fantasy’ designer who’s recently dressed both The Last Dinner Party and The New Eves.

4 Geese More Chutzpah

31 Sheer Mag Queen with a Four-Track

9 A. Savage Several Songs About Fire

36 HONESTY Reverse Engineering

14 Malice K One Way Ticket to New York

40 Oscar Browne Ye Olde Pop

17 Rosie Evans High Fantasy

43 YHWH Nailgun Castrato Raw

21 UNIVERSITY Emo and Xbox

50 Borough Council Can I Jump in the Car Too?

26 Man/Woman/Chainsaw A Serious, Unserious Band

53 Hotline TNT Cartwheel

Let’s get one thing clear; if Geese’s ‘3D Country’ is

Now that it’s all out and you can reflect properly, how

surpassed in quality by another album before the end of

do you think it has gone?

this year, then it’s going to have to be something special.

Having had a few months to digest the controlled chaos

Cameron: Well, I think my worst fears were confirmed.

that effortlessly floats between prog rock, art punk and

No - it’s been great, and I can sort of feel the vibe around

alt-country like it should be an easy feat, it’s hard to not

the band shifting. There’s a lot of excitement and energy

be bowled over by the impressive levels of ambition that

where there wasn’t any before. It feels like we’re saying

the album has on display from start to finish.

what we mean to the audience now in a way that wasn’t so much the case before. It feels more authentic to ourselves,

However, it appears that writing perhaps one of the most

and I think people can tell and I think people like that.

exhilaratingly fresh rock albums in recent years wasn’t

That’s all I could really ask for. It’s amazing.

quite satisfying enough for Geese to call it a day for 2023.

In the wake of their rightfully lauded second album ‘3D

Have there been any personal highs in terms of praise

Country’, the New York band swiftly opted to follow it

you’ve received? Anything that was far nicer than you

up with a companion EP titled ‘4D Country’, showcasing

expected?

a handful of other songs that originated from the same Gus: Yeah, seeing people sing along at shows has been the

recording sessions.

highest form of that.

Having already spoken to frontman Cameron Winter prior to the release of the album, the band seemed far more at

Dom: I would have to agree with that.

ease talking over all of the finer details we weren’t able to discuss, and having the rest of the band together for

G: I guess I never expected that that would be the response

the interview (Gus Green on guitar, Dom DiGesu on bass,

that we’d get from a crowd, but seeing that among

Max Bassin on drums and Sam Revaz on keytar) meant

everything that we’ve done up to this point feels great.

there was plenty of room for the band to share a non-stop I think a lot of people have praised the record for

barrage of inside jokes.

how brave it was and how you mixed a lot of different As the band made their way through the streets of

sounds for it - you’ve likened the process to being like a

Brussels on their tour bus, between admiring buttresses

kid in a candy store. I wanted to know if there anything

on buildings and riffing on the idea that it’s home to

that you considered off limits when making the album?

mythic actors Kurt Brussels and Brussels Crowe, the band set aside a short while to reflect on the ‘3D Country’

G: We did try a lot of failed ideas. We had different

era, discuss the highs and lows of touring the record and

musical stylings that we thought would work and just

debate whether the keytar deserves amnesty.

didn’t make the cut.

It’s nice to have you back for round two. I want to start where Cameron and I left off last time because we had a chat a few months before ‘3D Country’ came out.

Words by Reuben Cross, illustration by Nurit Gross

4

C: I don’t think we went into it saying “alright, we’re not

C: Foster hates a lot of things, though. Foster is a hateful

going to do this”.

guy.

G: The only thing we wouldn’t do was what ‘Projector’

G: I always want to try those ideas though, because

was.

sometimes they turn out really crazy. We all thought ‘Jesse’ was terrible when we were first recording it, and

C: It was more a case of trying not to backtrack. It had

now we play that song every night. I feel like that reggae

to be some shift away from what we were doing before.

style song could have been that just, it just wasn’t ever

I think we encountered a lot of borders to what we were

recorded.

willing to do, but we didn’t set them beforehand. Like, I really wanted to do this song that sounded like a reggae

M: It would have been the greatest song Geese ever

song. I wanted to explore it and everyone else in the band

recorded, end of story.

really did not like it.

It’s interesting you say about that being your take D: I liked it.

on ‘Jesse’ as well, because that’s now coming out as part of ‘4D Country’, which you’re billing as an

C: Well, now they like it. History is absolving me because

accompanying EP to the album. What was it about

it was a good song. There’s certain things we took more

those four songs and the extended version of ‘3D

interest in ultimately, I guess.

Country’ that felt different enough to warrant being on a separate extra record?

Can I ask what the rest of the band’s issue with reggae is?

MB: The thing they all have in common is that they all once were on the record and now they are not, and that

D: I liked the song. I remember what he’s talking about.

kind of gave it some sort of thread. At every point that we had each one of those songs, it felt like it made a lot

C: Not at the time you didn’t!

of sense, but then we would kind of change around how we arranged the songs or we recorded a couple more and

Max: The song would be on the fucking album if everyone

everything just started not fitting as well. But as I said,

in this band was praising it at the time like they are now.

they were supposed to be on the record at one point.

Foster genuinely hated the shit out of the song.

G: They were all recorded during the same sessions as

On the ‘Projector’ tour, everything was just really fucking

most of the rest of the record.

loud, but now it’s more tuned in to where everyone needs to play very quiet for one part, so that the next section,

M: It felt appropriate to release it as its own thing,

when it gets big, it’s really big.

because I don’t think those songs feel like they could exist outside of the ‘3D Country’ scope - maybe one or two of

G: We can’t rely on all of that extra instrumentation that

them could, but it felt right to release them.

we recorded, so it is a lot more of a dynamics game.

C: Gotta make a little more money, you know.

M: Yeah, it’s more of a bare bones thing and about how everyone plays their parts. I think it’s also more

You’ve been on the road for a while now touring ‘3D

performative because we have to pick up a little bit of the

Country’, and what I noted when I saw you is how you

slack.

made such a dynamic record translate so well to a live setting. How did you go about making it all work for

G: It’s just freaking fun, too, which is how we wanted the

a live show - what obstacles have you faced and what

record to sound.

things do you want to keep adding to the live show in future?

M: The songs still feel very fresh when we play them, so that’s a big plus.

M: I mean, there is a lot of extra stuff on a lot of these songs, and I think the last time we toured, the solution was

Is there much room for you to change things up on the

that we used in-ears for a little while and were able to cue

fly when you’re playing? Do you ever improvise off of

samples because we were all staying on time. That filled

each other?

out a lot of stuff then, but I think just trying to make it so everything sits the way it’s supposed to, if that makes any

D: Me and Max do a lot if we’re hitting a groove in a

sense. We use restraint when we’re supposed to, so when

specific way or I’ll hear something that Max does. We

there’s supposed to be a big release it feels as big as when

recently started doing more stuff like that. We’ll extend

it’s recorded.

certain sections like the ‘Cowboy Nudes’ middle part or the ending of ‘Low Era’.

M: It’s mostly fills though, rather than like jamming on a part or something.

Photo by Kyle Berger

C: It’s more like there’s specific moments for it that are

Yeah, you’ve been playing with some of the So Young

pre planned into the set, but it’s a pretty set in stone way

favourites recently.

that we do things. If we’re going to do anything crazy, M: We played with Humour last night, they were great.

improv wise, we discuss it beforehand.

Super, super sweet guys.

G: Yeah, it’s like, “wouldn’t it be cool if this happened?”

G: Seeing Folly Group’s show multiple times over is a lot D: The songs have been evolving since the record came

of fun too. Their music is really dense too, so I like that I

out, because we’ve been playing them for three years now,

got to see them so many times.

so parts that we recorded maybe two years ago, I know, at least for myself, I’ll be like, “oh, I could have done this

It was also quite interesting to see that you’ve added a

here”, so I just started doing it. It’s like having a new part

keytar for this tour - I feel like a lot of people diss the

that builds upon what was recorded.

keytar as an instrument so I want to hear the Geese collective defence for why it should be treated with more respect.

On top of what Gus mentioned about the audience singing along, what other things have been highlights of your tour?

Sam: You have mobility, which you don’t have with a regular keys player. You get to look way cooler. You

M: The place we played last night in Brussels was

look like you’re kind of playing a guitar, even though it’s

crazy. We played at this big outdoor garden thing called

definitely not a guitar. I like the challenge of sonically

Botanique, in like a big rotunda - like a very tall, probably

trying to achieve that and working with my very rinky-

50 foot ceiling room.

dink setup, but it’s also definitely an upgrade from my setup last year, I think. It’s just more fun, and I think it’s more reflective of the energy we have as a band.

G: Lafayette was awesome too. As far as the strangest things that we’ve seen or have happened, we just saw a

G: Does it make you play differently?

crazy group of about 30 bikers that looked exactly the same in Brussels. Between that and the venue that we played last night, we have actually seen quite a few bits of

S: For sure. I’m thinking more melodically. I’m rarely

interesting things here.

ever playing chords because it’s definitely a one handed shredding type thing. It’s just more fun. That’s all I can

M: This is a not safe for work thing, but we saw something

say about it.

kind of insane in Glasgow. I can bite my tongue, I don’t D: I think the keytar shreds, man.

have to say it, but it was insane. If you want to know, just ask me, but it’s not for the faint of heart.

C: I love Sam, but I have no defence for the keytar. I I’m assuming you’ve had quite a little bit of time to

think it sounds good, but I have no defence for it as an

take in a bit of culture, because I noticed that Cameron

instrument in general. I think we pull it off and I think

enjoyed visiting a Toby Carvery, which is a big part of

Sam’s an exceptional player, but if another band were to

UK culture. Any other main takeaways from Europe

have a keytar, I would probably mercilessly make fun of

that you would love to be able to bring back to the US

them.

with you?

So what you’re saying is it’s the person behind it that’s making all the difference?

C: Hell yeah, Toby Carvery, free healthcare, nice roadside stations. Your outlets are pretty cool over here; they’ve got more power, more thrust, more chutzpah. The bands are

C: It’s Sam that makes it work.

better over here as well.

7

Geese

Rounding things up, what are the plans for the future

S: Thank you, bro. I’ll remember that.

after the 3D & 4D Country era? I imagine that you’ll G: If you’re a good player, then yeah, there’s no reason

probably be having a bit of a break after such a long

why the keytar shouldn’t sound awesome.

tour, but where do you go after an album like this?

S: My keytar is also a javelin that I can throw at anyone

G: No breaks. Sleep is for the weak. No, sleep is

who’s anti-keytar, that’s the main function.

awesome. You just don’t have time for it.

M: Let’s just say if you hate the keytar, don’t stand in the

C: Where does Geese go after 3D Country? Well, we’ve

front row at a Geese show.

already done 4D Country, and if the pattern holds, let me tell you, you may have a fifth dimension coming your way

Speaking of violence - Max, you’ve met your demise in

to a country near you pretty quickly. I’m not announcing

a couple of the recent music videos, and I don’t know

5D Country, but I am saying that we are definitely going

why people keep killing you off. Have you thought

to release it.

about how you can exact your revenge on the rest of the band?

What does music in a fifth dimension sound like?

M: Well, when they’re asleep, I’ll pick them off one by

C: It actually sounds a lot like the album we just released,

one and just kind of play stupid like [puts on comedic

just pitch-shifted up and then played backwards. But in all

voice] “whoa, it wouldn’t be me,” even though it is me.

seriousness, I think we’re going to try and make a better

I’ve risen from the dead twice now. Little known fact, it

album after this one, and then we’ll hopefully play it

hurts. Dying is fine, but to be resurrected, that shit hurts.

before a live audience of adoring fans and make a shitload

I’ll go to great lengths for art, but I don’t know if dying

of cash so we can finally buy a sailboat. That’s the plan.

again is on the cards. Maybe next week.

@nurit_gross

8

A. Savage – singer-songwriter, Parquet Courts vocalist

How important was collaboration across the project as

and guitarist, painter, and lucky for us, a So Young regular

a whole?

– recently released his second solo record, ‘Several Songs About Fire’, through Rough Trade Records. Surrounded

That’s a good question, I wrote the lyrics for that song

by Modern Nature’s Jack Cooper, Cate Le Bon, Euan

on Thanksgiving Day last year. We had our Thanksgiving

Hinshelwood, Dylan Hadley, and caroline’s Magdalena

Meal at John Parish’s house, I had made us take the day

McLean, the album was recorded and produced by John

off that day even though there were only two Americans

Parish, mostly at his home in Bristol, in the latter half of

- me and Dylan Hadley, the drummer. So the spirit of

2022.

collaboration was definitely in the air! We were in the thick of recording, it was the middle of the week, and

Where his 2017 debut solo record, ‘Thawing Dawn’,

we were seeing each other make something every day.

tended to look outward in its musings on love and

I have a bit of a tradition of penning a little poem on

interpersonal relationships, ‘Several Songs About Fire’

Thanksgiving every year, and I was having a lot of

instead turns inward, contemplating those periods of

feelings about how lucky I was to be making this record

liminality that life inevitably hands you. When discussing

with these musicians who believe in what I’m doing and

the nature of a solo record, Savage told me that a great one

took the time out to help me, people that I care about a lot

can distil someone’s “emotional tone into forty minutes

and feel very fortunate to be around. So the whole song

of music”, and ‘Several Songs About Fire’ does just that.

comes from a sense of collaboration I guess.

From ‘Hurtin’ or Healed’s heartfelt opening address to the “Hollowed face stranger” in the mirror; to the intimate

I’m always interested in whether or not artists feel the

back and forth of harmonies in ‘My my, My Dear’ and

impact of writing or recording retreats, do you think

‘Mountain Time’; to the bossa nova-esque percussion

putting the record together in Bristol bled into it at all?

underlying the album’s closer ‘Out Of Focus’, Savage’s sophomore record is a tonally and instrumentally eclectic

I don’t know how much the few weeks I was in England

exploration of the emotional landscape, centred by his

influenced the music or recording, but where I’m from in

artfully candid and earnest lyricism.

Brooklyn - it’s being swiftly gentrified - but it’s like the hood you know? I didn’t know this about Bristol but it

Two weeks prior to the record’s release, Andrew called me

has a pretty deep hood, and we were staying in the thick

from his current base in Paris, France…

of it in probably the worst bnb of all time. Like an actual criminal situation bnb. It was the sketchiest circumstances,

How are you?

there was a mysterious owner, the stairs didn’t have carpeting on them and had exposed nails sticking out of

Not bad. I’m in a place with a lot of children, but I’m

the wood - I’m not even making this up. The backyard

hiding in a room where they can’t access me.

was filled with trash and so was the front stoop, so I guess that was influential in getting us to leave the fucking place

Wonderful, I was rewatching the music video for

and get to the studio at 9am every day. There was also no

‘Thanksgiving Prayer’ earlier and realised that the

coffee machine, so we were just like let’s get the fuck out

track itself talks a lot about the nature of collaboration.

of here, it was freezing too.

9

Words by Amber Lashley, illustration by Yinuo Shao

Well, I guess that would force you to focus.

I was listening to a lot of different solo artists to try and acquaint myself with what makes a great solo record. I

It really did. I always edit lyrics when I’m making a

think a successful solo record distils someone’s emotional

record, all of my time when I’m not playing an instrument

tone into forty minutes of music. One that I was going

is editing, so I did a lot of lyric editing in that place in

back to was ‘Colour Green’ by Sibylle Baier, it’s a

the freezing cold. At that time it was blizzarding too and

wonderful record of her just playing guitar and singing.

this place had no heat, so I was real ye olde style with my

I think that any song should be able to be distilled down

feather quill, editing lyrics in the dark and cold.

into one instrument.

The full old English experience.

Distilling things down puts a lot of weight on lyrics, obviously, it’s subjective from song to song, but how

You can’t be too comfortable playing rock n roll and that’s

key is lyricism for you?

a fact.

Pretty key because my voice is really upfront in the In what sense?

music - I consider myself a lyricist before a musician. It’s where I can express myself the best and it’s where people

Not that this record is capital ‘R’ rock n roll, but I think

find me the most compelling. I’m not always the most

part of the nature of rock n roll is the discomfort and

articulate person and sometimes I get into trouble or put

agitation. One of my friends once said that you can’t play

my foot in my mouth. Sometimes I feel like as a human

rock n roll on a full stomach, and I like that.

being, I am just holding on for dear life and trying to feel normal and understood by people. With songwriting, it

I like that as well, that makes sense. What have you

just comes way more naturally than being a human being

been up to in the lead-up to the release, are you in New

does to me. It’s a safe area for me where I feel quite

York at the minute?

comfortable expressing myself, which I don’t always feel comfortable doing. Truth be told, I don’t know if people

No, I’m in France. I’m attempting to move to Paris, I’ve

are really interested in meeting me, but I’m happy for

just got to figure out what the next step is.

them to meet my songs.

Is there a particular reason you’ve landed in Paris?

I know what you mean, words can be a really imperfect thing. I saw a quote from you saying “this album is a

The really particular reasons don’t really have anything

burning building, and these songs are things I’d leave

to do with Paris, rather that it’s where I have a lot of

behind to save myself”, which made me think of the

friends, a network, and support, which makes emigrating

same thing. I could probably talk for hours, but then

to a new country easier. I’ve been touring as a musician

ultimately leave those words behind, because it’s so

for about seventeen years now, so I guess I am somewhat

hard to articulate yourself ‘correctly’...

comfortable outside of my comfort zone, that’s something I think touring musicians often have as a quality. I kept

That’s why I get so into the editing process of being a

one apartment in Brooklyn for twelve years, so throughout

lyricist. With any line of any song, I’ll write it three or

all of Parquet Courts that was where I came home to, now

four times, you can’t do that when you’re just talking

I don’t really have that but that’s fine! That’s definitely a

to somebody! You can do it when you’re texting with

lyrical theme on the record, the idea of searching for what

somebody, have you noticed that people seem to be more

a home is, or what the next home is.

afraid to talk on the actual phone these days? I think it’s because we’re at a point now where real-time interaction

On the record…you had a bigger band this time

with somebody is this very vulnerable thing - you can’t

around, what kind of influences were you pulling?

edit, you have to think of a reply on the spot, and then you have to own whatever words come out of your lips.

11

A. Savage

That was just normal human functioning for most of history until recently, and that’s why people are more comfortable living online I think, because you can edit what you put out into the world. I appreciate the ability to edit in songwriting, I can write a song and express myself just as I’d like to. It has to work well enough alone on the page by itself before I apply it to a melody or something, you can give a new flavour to what you’re saying if you spin it with the right melody.

With what you were saying about people meeting you versus people meeting your songs, ‘Several Songs About Fire’ is introspective and personal, so surely in a sense, people are meeting you?

Yeah! They’re meeting me, but they’re meeting like an artistic rendering of me. Just like in a painting, I do several sketches and drafts of something before I put it on canvas. They’re meeting a very considered version of me, but also a very pure version of me, it’s the one I’d prefer to be out there.

It’s strange that the two seem to contradict each other!

Yes, it is an edited and considered version, but does that make it more or less of a true reflection? If you know what I mean…

I do, it makes people really interesting too. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet people I admire, songwriters and musicians. You go in with this idea of who they are through their art, and sometimes you meet someone and you’re just in awe of their normalness, that they’re just another person you know. I still get that feeling sometimes when I meet people because I associate them so much with their art.

It’s basically a window into a person’s brain.

Yeah, this record is kind of a window into a year or two of my life you know.

@noranimation

12

Within the heart of Olympia, Washington, the whispers

I tried messaging him, but I knew there was no way he

and tales of its musical history are still spoken. A place

was gonna get back to me. So I messaged somebody he

where the riot grrrl movement once ignited, where the

was tagged in a bunch of pictures with, “I love what you

undulating tides of the late ‘80s and ‘90s indie, grunge,

guys are doing. I paint these shirts, if you guys want

post-hardcore, and anti-folk scenes converged and thrived.

one”. He got back to me immediately and was up for

That energy is something that will never be lost and has

it, so I bought a ticket to their Seattle show and headed

infected the world of Malice K (Alex Konschuh).

up there. I introduced myself: “I’m that weird guy that was messaging you, and I have these shirts for you and

A multi-faceted musician who creates his own dishevelled

nascar.” So we go backstage to meet him, and I give him

surreality. Having found his footing with the LA

his shirt. The set was so much fun, I felt really inspired. I

collective, DEATHPROOF, Alex now finds himself in

went back home and recorded an EP in a week; all these

the embrace of New York, signed to Jagjaguwar. With a

songs came out of me. I sent it over to the guy, who ended

commitment to an old-school ethos and individuality, he

up being nascar’s manager, Myagi, who also ran the entire

introduced himself with a Brooklyn showcase that featured

DEATHPROOF group. I sent him this EP and asked if I

3,000 hand-drawn frames for his video ‘Complicated

could be a part of it. I was so fucking embarrassed I turned

Dreams’. Now, in the middle of working on his third

my phone off for a week. Eventually, I worked up the

album, Alex joins us for a quick call to talk about what’s

courage to check, and he said yes. Next thing I know, I’m

been going on.

flying out to LA, moved into the DEATHPROOF house, and finished the ‘Harm or Heck’ album.

Hi, Alex, how are you doing?

What was living in that kind of environment like?

I’m good. It’s my mum’s birthday, so I’m back in Olympia. We just ate at one of my favourite breakfast

It was crazy. Everyone was really embracing me and

spots here, New Moon Cafe.

showing me a lot of love. The house was always full of people, like 25 at a time; people were constantly coming

Happy birthday to your mum! Malice K is an

in and out. There’s also a bunch of gang affiliations with

interesting name; tell me what that’s all about.

some people there. I’m just a guy from Washington, you know? I’ve had my own share of difficult situations in

Years ago, I went travelling with some friends in Arizona.

life, so it wasn’t something that I couldn’t handle. I didn’t

Everybody was giving themselves these desert nicknames,

have a room, just a pile of clothes that I would turn into a

and I was wearing a poncho the entire time, so Malice

bed wherever there was a free spot. I would find a blank

Poncho became mine. It sounded a little silly to me, so, as

radio station, put headphones in, and turn it up all the way

I joined DEATHPROOF, it felt right to change to Malice

because of the noise.

K. Christ, that sounds pretty overwhelming; was that a How did you get yourself into working with

reason for moving out?

DEATHPROOF? Well, after a year and a half of doing that, trying to make a I had a lot of ambitions to be a painter, and I was making

name for myself, I ended up moving to New York. Myagi

my own T-shirts. A friend sent me a video of nascar aloe,

set up this live-streamed show for me and nascar during

and I thought it was the coolest thing that I’d ever seen.

the pandemic.

Words by Will Macnab, illustration by Sara Priorelli

14

After the show was done, the people who filmed it came

Down on State Street, Elliot Smith used to record there.

up to us, “That was the best thing we’ve ever seen, and

Four blocks down is Kurt Cobain’s old house. I went to

that was amazing.” I was taking it all in and nodding

school with the daughter of the old Nirvana drummer.

before I looked up and realised they were just talking to

Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney came from here. Olympia’s

nascar. After that, I was kind of on the brink of things;

an extremely working-class town, filled with a lot of

my hair was super thinned out, I was stressed out, hungry,

artists and weirdos, because there’s nowhere to go. It’s a

tired, and cornered into having no idea if anything was

special place.

going to work out. I moved out of the DEATHPROOF house and went back home. They wanted to raise the rent

Being frequently compared to artists like Elliot Smith

to a ridiculous amount. I can’t go backwards, and I’m not

must be quite an intense statement. How do you feel

going back to the floor. It turned out there were a tonne of

when people draw parallels?

people in New York that were watching that livestream, because somehow, 20 minutes after finding out about

It’s important that I always remember that it’s not my

rent, I got a call from this guy in New York. “Hey, I work

responsibility to see myself as other people see me. I

at this label. I saw your set, and we loved it. We want to

thought that there was something wrong with me and that

have you out to discuss a record deal.” So, they bought me

I didn’t feel the same. A year into it, I realised that’s really

a one-way ticket, and I’ve been there ever since. I didn’t

not my problem. I think it’s cool that somebody gets to

even end up signing with that label.

experience that feeling, but I don’t know how much it resonates with me.

I love the energy in your music, how it traverses from punk/grunge to alternative-folk tracks. Is that a

Tell me about the showcase you had.

product of your influences, or is there more of a sense of putting out what is going on in your head?

Yeah! I spent half a year or more creating this music video. It felt like a waste premiering it online, having

It’s a bit of both. I don’t really have a premeditated feeling

people click and watch my video in the midst of millions

that I want to express. ‘PHD’ just came from the fact that

of others. It felt disrespectful to myself after working so

I really liked that song, ‘Body’ by Megan Thee Stallion. I

hard on it. A friend of mine, Billy, had recently opened up

try to pick up the guitar and act like I’ve never played it

a record store, and it was completely vacant. So, I had a

before. The feeling of the song will kind of present itself

premiere there. We decorated the place like a living room

through what I’m playing. I’ll be exploring a sound or

area. All the individual hand-drawn stills and polaroids

different ideas about how I see myself or the world. Then

used were hung up. We found this giant old TV for free

I’ll have all these snippets of songs that I’ll find hindsight

out in Jersey, where we had a three-way headphone

or the wisdom to define those parts of my life.

set. People had a remote, so they could watch it as they wanted. It was insane.

Who do you look up to, songwriter-wise?

You’ve spoken in the past about the looming dangers of AI art; was this, in a sense, a protest against that?

Kurt Cobain is a huge influence. Artists who may have some sort of alter ego in their performances. I grew up in Olympia, so by default, my whole town was influenced by

I’m not really setting out to actually change anything. It’s

Hole and Nirvana.

more of a silent protest, internally against algorithmic and AI art that’s coming up more and more, and people

There’s a huge history with Olympia and the grunge

revolving so much around the aesthetics of Instagram.

scene, right?

That’s a difficult thing to deal with in itself, but equally difficult to go without. So many opportunities come from

Right where I’m sitting, this building here is where

social media; we live through it completely now. It’s the

Modest Mouse used to record before they were big.

gateway and the downfall of everything, all at the same time.

15

Malice K

“Rosie Evans is the eponymous ‘High Fantasy’ luxury

Rosie has recently been working with So Young

fashion label, creating one off and small runs of

favourites, The Last Dinner Party and The New Eves and

anachronistic historically inspired fashion, following the

is set for an exciting year, so we thought we’d catch up

ethical practise of upcycling old textiles and materials.”

and dig a little deeper.

Rosie grew up in a seaside town in South Wales, and

Who do you have in mind when designing? Do you feel

because of a chronic illness didn’t go to high school full

like you have a certain kind of customer?

time, only going in for textiles and art classes. After graduating UWE, Rosie found the industry really difficult

It’s difficult because I don’t necessarily design every piece

to break into and kept going back and forward from

for myself, but it’s always something I want to see exist

London to home after internships and jobs that never

in the world. Beyond standard market demographics of

led to a career. During the beginning of 2020 she had

age and gender, I know my customers are after magic and

started making and posting pieces on Instagram to keep

nostalgia in their day to day life. My friend said ‘it’s like

her creative side busy while working. When lockdown hit

they all want to live in Rosie Evans Land with you’

she lost her job at a studio and decided to move back to Wales, where she started building on her small following

Is there a brand in particular you’d like to collaborate

and selling pieces through Instagram. Since then Rosie has

with or design for?

been working at it full time, made the move to Brighton and moved the brand into her studio space, as well as

I’ve been really lucky in my career that really early on

showing at fashion week the last two seasons in London.

I got to design two corsets in collaboration for Bethany Williams, who’s brand I’ve adored for years. It was

Stocked globally around the world and worn by artists

wonderful to get to work with such a warm and supportive

such as Griff, Josie Mann, Paloma Mami, Poppy Ajudha,

team and validating me as a designer. In uni I was

alongside her regular collaboration with 2021 BFC Vogue

obsessed with Eckhaus Latta and the way they played

fashion design winner Bethany Williams.

with fabric, Mimi Wade and Charles Jeffery for their commitment to their aesthetics. In proper dream time I’d love to collaborate with a heritage brand like Laura Ashley or McQueen, but it’s probably a while off now.

Words by Josh Whettingsteel

What is your creative process like? From concept to reality…

For each new collection I basically start immediately after finishing the previous one, I’m really bad at taking down time and not being busy. The concepts are a bit abstract in the beginning, this SS24 was inspired by 1980s fantasy films, so I started by collecting images and watching loads of old tv and films to gain an idea of the feel. Fabric sourcing is a huge part of the design process, because I predominantly use second hand textiles the fabrics often dictate the designs, I go to carboot sales and junk shops a lot to look for interesting materials and then think about how I can incorporate them into a wearable piece.

After I have designed and made a few pieces I go back to the mood boards and see what’s missing, for the most recent collection I’d been looking at the mythology of the greenman, and we had a lot of pieces separated by colour, so we made a big multicoloured vest top with a greenman knitted into the front to tie in the separates.

Does music influence your work in any way? If so, how?

It’s funny as I only listen to music on the way to the studio, or if we have lots of interns in, most of the time there’s a podcast playing, or we just chat with each other.

But it does end up being a big part of the styling and show production, I make the show playlists from music that has been floating round while I was designing. This year I’ve been working with The Last Dinner Party and The New Eves, dressing them for shows, and getting to work with artists who weave their aesthetics into the performance has been really fun.

What’s been the main challenges starting your own brand?

Sadly money, I’m really lucky that I’m at a stage where I feel more stable with how much is coming in, but it’s not enough to expand the business or afford another full time member of staff. Even if we could afford to expand and begin working with factories it’s hard to find anyone who could work to such small minimums.

12

Where do you do most of your designing?

Usually at my studio desk, in my diary, I get stressed out with the formality of planners and calendars, so any day that doesn’t have a meeting written in I add in designs.

I’ve got into a bad habit of just designing in pencil too and adding the colour in my head afterwards. As we use second hand textiles, I often have to design on the spot, as there’s not enough of the fabric to make a full piece, we have to get creative with patching in other fabrics and pattern cutting.

Could you explain the ‘High Fantasy’ concept.

I’m sure it’s been used before me, but I came up with it while trying to write a business plan for fundraising.

It’s a merge of High fashion and fantasy costume, which is basically Rosie Evans as a brand. It’s also like saying ‘Fairytale but you’re high’ which is another good descriptor.

Found imagery plays a big part in your work, how much does fine art and collage influence your practise?

I think of the mood boards we make for the collections as collages in themselves, as it’s less about the individual photo and more about the general atmosphere they create.

I tend not to look into fine art as much anymore, as I get a lot of inspiration from old photographs and films, I really like the texture and atmosphere that comes with old photos.

What can we expect from you in the near future?

My SS24 collection is just about to be launched, and there’s a short film we created for the collection. And I’m working on a new short film with a director that I cannot wait to get started on, I’ve always wanted to direct so it’s crazy getting to do it with my brand. And next collection I’m hoping to be back to showing at London, there’s so many ideas I have and people I want to work with for it, it’s going to be a big leap into Rosie Evans Land!

@rosieevansonline

20

Blooming in the confines of a bedroom in Crewe - fuelled

Joel: Yeah great news! The good thing with having a label

by spliffs, Xbox, and Monster Energy - UNIVERSITY’s

is that they handle, like, business and shit; we can just

outlook feels authentic and organically grown.

write music and mess around.

Unadulterated by the social pressures of needing to conform to any scene - in Crewe, there basically isn’t any

Z: We get to chill out and get stoned all day.

- this quartet have, from their relative isolation, cultivated a singular and refreshing rawness that has seen them court

J: Because you’re doing something you like, it doesn’t feel

the favour of Transgressive Records and hit the billings of

busy. It’s only really meetings that make you feel busy.

major tastemaking festivals across the UK and Europe.

Ewan: When you have to be up at 11…

Their first big recorded statement, debut EP ‘TITLE TRACK,’ lands in November. An emotional clusterfuck of

J: …That sucks.

rapturous punk and breakneck indie, it’s indelibly infused too with the complex melodic yearnings of Midwest Emo.

I wanted to mainly talk about Xbox…

While visibly cringing at the thought of that ‘e word’, UNIVERSITY are yet blazing, passionate champions of

*general celebration*

(in their eyes) the genre’s criminally undervalued heroes: “I’ll happily sacrifice our success if people just know

J: We’re on it right now.

Nouns.” was the sort of sentiment expressed more than once during our meeting.

Z: Just started on Skyrim again. Still in Helgen, you know what I mean? It’s still early.

Speaking to So Young for their first interview, a slimy green poster of ‘Undead Nightmare’ in full view on the

I saw you at Green Man and everyone was like, “this

wall behind them, we learn that, while the music industry

dude’s just playing Xbox on the Stage!?” I’m interested

might not be the game they’re playing, Skyrim oh so

in the first time you had the idea of doing this. What

definitely is.

were the sound engineers thinking when they looked at the tech spec?

Without further ado, meet Ewan (Bass/Synth), Zak (guitar/ vocals), Joel (drums) and Eddie (Xbox 360. Really.)

J: [Sound engineer’s] will get the sheet where it’s like, Ewan, bass/synth, guitar, vocals, stuff like that. Then

How are things going with the band at the moment? It

they’ll see [Eddie’s] name and it’ll say “N/A”. And they’ll

seems like a busy time. You’re playing festivals, you’ve

ask weird questions like “What’s it mean by N/A, what

signed to Transgressive; you’ve got an EP coming out…

are you gonna do?” And they see us hauling a TV in… But it’s what we do at home. If you’re gonna try and perform

Zak: It’s a lot slower when you’re actually in it. All this

music that you play in your house every single day, it’s

stuff’s happening. At the end of the day we’re still broke. I

‘how do you make it so that you can…

feel upset about it.

Z:…so it feels at home.

There’s good news though, right?

21

Words by Elvis Thirlwell, illustration by Cameron JL West

J: It helps with being nervous. If [Eddie] is there, then

You could even interpret us playing those games on stages

it’s just calm, it’s chill, it’s no longer a serious endeavour

as, like, social commentary for short form media; attention

anymore, it’s just hanging out with your mates again.

spans. We never thought of that sort of stuff.

Well, people like it so…it works.

We never viewed any of ourselves as frontmen, or It does work! You’ve got this aggressive music, and

anything like that. So it’s like, we want somebody else.

Eddie’s playing Bully, where there’s this kid beating up

Plus [Eddie] writes all the music. He plays the games and

schoolboys.

just thinks of shit and then he tells us to write it and then we go and figure it out. He’s the creative genius. We’re

J: When we go to the festival circuit, we’re quite

just his puppets. Sorry to break the illusion.

introverted. So we don’t really talk to a lot of people; we’re quite ‘to ourselves’. Especially when we’re doing

The word I want to talk about now is ‘intensity’.

the aggressive music that we’re doing: we don’t want

Musically. It’s intense. Lyrically, emotionally, it’s really

people thinking we’re nutcases, so we’ve got the guy

intense. I’m listening to ‘Notre Dame Made of Flesh’,

playing xbox…

and I want to cry. Is this sensory, emotional and sonic overload something you’ve always wanted to bring out

I found it weirdly moving in a way because I spent like

in your music?

a lot of my teenage years just playing Call of Duty.

E: It just sounds cool. Intense music just sounds fucking E:..we all did!

sick! And it’s really fun to do.

For me, I think it’s interesting how it relates to the

J: I think a lot of it stems from our influences as well. A

music. You have a lot of angst and emotion in there,

lot of bands would say they were influenced by the local

and having these games on stage which bring you back

scene around them, but because we didn’t have that there’s

to a very angsty time in your life…

no one else to sort of look at and go “we want to do that.”

All the bands that we looked at, especially at the time of

E: I think nostalgia is a big part…

writing ‘Notre Dame…’, were very aggressive in nature.

Not metal bands or anything like that. Bands where the

J: I feel like the nostalgia lens - It’s never something we

melodies can push through but the aggressive nature only

really looked at intentionally. We didn’t realise how much

reinforces the melodies that you’re creating.

people would really like it.

23

UNIVERSITY

Bands like Hella, Nouns, Guitar Fight from Fooly Cooly.

No worries, it’s just gonna go in print…

Speaking of influences, I was looking up emo bands

E: you will listen to it and instantly find us less

this morning because I didn’t really know much too

interesting.

about them.. I found this band Cap’n Jazz and I was like, “oh I see where you guys are coming from now”.

Finally, I want to talk about where you’re from and what brought you guys together. From the outside,

J: Yeah, it’s just fucking sick man. Plus it’s like, there’s so

there’s not a notable music scene in Crewe. What was it

much good stuff that isn’t in ‘The music lexicon’. When

like being a young band, being where you’re from?

you said ‘emo’ then part of me and of everyone in this room went like [pulls expression that suggests ‘cringe’].

E: It’s just shit. There’s nothing to say about Crewe.

We’re all quite massive fans of the genre, but when you google it, it’s like…Busted, Paramore, My Chemical

J: There’s no venues here. We’ve only played here once.

Romance. They’re good bands, but it’s like some of that

That was it. We used to hang out here. Get Stoned. Watch

90s emo stuff like Sunny Day Real Estate and Cap’n

Videos. Drink Monster. Go Play. Do a gig occasionally.

Jazz… Next level stuff! It’s ridiculous how it doesn’t

Then all this shit happened around us, it was very weird.

show up when you search up ‘emo’. It’s fucking insane.

No one from here does anything, so you’re telling me that

Like the band Nouns. They had a massive influence on our

guys from Crewe can be in a band and do festivals? It’s

music. Their album - ‘WHILE OF UNSOUND MIND’ -

like no, it’s not happening! The music game just sort of

which we just love and listen to do death…

came to us. We didn’t even play Manchester. We’d only ever played Stoke and Northwich before anyone showed

E: …Best album ever made!

up. We didn’t seek it out. We weren’t sending emails to labels or anything.

J: I’ll tell you now. ‘Ants from Up There’ was not the album of the year last year, it was Nouns’ new album. But

Z: We just got found and that’s it. There was no seeking

no one’s heard it. And it’s ridiculous because if people did,

out the game. It was just luck. Ridiculous, stupid luck.

I imagine it would absolutely blow music apart. But don’t tell anyone that, but because that’s our special source.

J: We were just playing songs and having fun. It shows that you don’t have to seek the game to find it. Unless you’re crap.

@cameronjlwest

24

With tongues firmly in cheek, the six members of

None of us have read the book but we thought let’s start

Man/Woman/Chainsaw celebrate the release of their

a band based off that. Then lockdown hit and we were

third single, ‘What Lucy Found There’, on Friday

very bored so we spent a lot of time in bedrooms playing

13th (October) at The Windmill in Brixton. Aside

music.

from displaying their tendency to pepper moments of seriousness with a wry glint of the eye, it’s a moment

Ben: I didn’t play guitar either. We bought a 303 synth

which marks the first release to sonically reflect their

because I couldn’t play, still can’t really... Then lockdown

move from a collective of interchangeable musicians and

came and I thought guitar looks more fun. Billy and I were

instruments to an experimental art-rock six-piece with a

shit so we got Vera in.

melodic trademark of keys and violin. The turn towards a more tempered musicianship is not going unnoticed.

Vera: We were all at school together.

From capturing the attention of Steve Lamaq and NME, to making their way onto festivals including The Great

Billy: It was a music school so it was very easy to

Escape and Mutations, word of their distinct sound and

rehearse. When we started sixth form we started doing

exhilarating live shows is beginning to spread. Their

gigs. We did a year and a bit playing as a four piece and

performances froth with vibrance and limitless energy,

we had tons of mates who played random instruments so

infectious even when watched online. Interviewing all

it’d be like, ‘Oh, you play trombone? Come for a couple

six of them was no different and if their young age of

of shows!’

18 is to be commented on at all, then it’s to say that it’s most apparent in their eagerness to gig, their pursuit of

Ben: Our cast of ever-revolving musicians switched in

unjaded creative freedom, and above all, the adamant

January.

determination to have fun.

Billy: Now it no longer revolves.

Lola: Sorry if we’re a bit chaotic coming on here.

Ben: And the violin and keys make it…

Billy: It’s everyone’s first day of uni.

V: More interesting. Everyone plays guitar.

How was it?

How was the process of songwriting as an everClio: Kinda boring actually.

revolving group of musicians?

Billy: Half of us aren’t going to uni. Emmie’s doing a gap

V: At the beginning it was Billy, Ben, and I that would

life. I’m doing a gap year-ish…

write the songs and then we’d slap parts on top of it. It’s much nicer now because we can actually write for six

Yet all six of you are in the band. How did that come

instruments.

about?

L: The switchover from four to six was tough, it’s taken a Billy: Ben and I were in a film club in year 10. Ben

few months to figure out where we all fit.

wasn’t a musician at this point but there was a book on the shelf of essays on feminism in horror films called ‘Men, Women, and Chainsaws’.

Words by Natalia Quiros Edmunds, illustration by Melinda Ureczki

26

Billy: There’s about ten instruments and six voices so

In your debut single ‘Any Given Sunday’ there’s a

there’s a lot of stuff to work with.

lyric, ‘a song comes on and suddenly you’re six again.’

Is a sense of nostalgia central to how you approach

V: Where are you getting ten instruments from?

music?

Billy: There’s drums, guitar, bass, synth, keyboard,

Billy: I think all music is about memory. A lot of the stuff

violin…

I write is about bringing you back to being a kid. Like ‘Sports Day’ and bits of ‘What Lucy Found There.’

V: That’s six.

V: I get what you’re saying but that’s also so funny Billy:…loud guitar, quiet guitar, loud bass, quiet bass.

because that was like last week.

The book the band is named after, Men, Women,

Billy: We’re still young of course, and I’m not trying to be

and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film

super artsy or sentimental about stuff but it just comes out

(1992) by Carol Clover, argues that slasher films align

I think. There’s lots of change going on, you know? But I

viewers with the female victim who ends up defeating

mean of course, we’re still pretty fucking childish.

her oppressor. Have the themes of horror, cinema, and feminism influenced the band musically or otherwise?

Ben: I think the majority of our comedy is that we don’t know any wiser.

Billy: If they have it’s a coincidence I think.

Billy: There is no wiser, Ben. Ben: I hate horror films. I don’t want to sweat while I eat.

Your first gig was at the Amersham Arms on 19th Billy: We try to go cinematic with our sounds and how

October 2021. You’ve since played over 70 shows across

we arrange but we’re not going for film soundtracks.

the country?

Although we’d be very down if anybody out there wants us to score a film.

Billy: 75 as of yesterday, I keep count.

L: Like horror and comedy entwined.

Ben: But we were so bad.

V: A new score for Sean of the Dead.

V: A good 40 of those 75 shows were probably shit.

Your humour is often commented on by journalists.

Bi: What was fun about those gigs was that we were finding out how to do it and we would do whatever. We could write a song and play it the next day or make stupid

Billy: A lot of our songs start as jokes.

songs that are shoutouts to friends and keep them in the V: It’s a really good starting place because you’re not

set for three years. We try and keep that same ‘fuck it,

too attached to it. If you’re writing something that’s your

have some fun with it’ thing when we’re writing now,

heart and soul, it can be hard to perform and you feel

that’s what we like about Chainsaw.

embarrassed to share.

In 2021 you would have been 16, how has the Ben: There’s not enough fun in crappy loud guitar bands

experience of playing live changed?

like ours. We try not to be moody.

V: We’re not scared of being kicked out of the venue now!

27

Man/Woman/Chainsaw

Billy: Yeah, being able to stay in the venue and be seen as

Billy: It’s everything. But I can’t lie, the most fun I have

a serious…

is in the rehearsal room. Of course, it’s affirming to do gigs but the most fun is writing, messing around, and then

Ben: As a serious, unserious band.

when we get stuff right and it clicks for the first time.

Billy: And it’s good to surprise people with us being better

So what now?

now.

V: I just want to gig as much as possible.

Ben: I very much couldn’t play guitar for the first year of Chainsaw.

L: It hurts my body so much but it’s worth it.

Billy: I’m going to step in here and say it sounds like he’s

V: Lola bled on her drum kit yesterday.

being modest, and he kind of is because Ben is brilliant at guitar in Chainsaw, but also…you started learning in year

L: I had a massive gash in my hand but you don’t notice

10? And then we just chucked you in the deep end.

until after. There was blood splattered all over my snare drum.

Ben: The first year of Chainsaw I was just making noise and playing barre chords and I still do but it’s nice to now

Billy: We had a run of gigs where I lost my fingernail. I

be able to do the melodic stuff a little bit.

had to go home and really change the way I play.

Billy: Making noise and playing barre chords should be

V: I mean you did play by just rubbing your hand.

our bio.

Billy: We now live off OPI nail strengthener.

What have you loved most about the process?

L: My grandma eats raw jelly cubes, apparently it thickens C: The band is the first time in my life where I’ve enjoyed

your nails.

performing violin. I grew up doing classical music and that shit is stressful as fuck. I’m so grateful to Chainsaw,

You’ll be handed them at gigs.

it’s completely spun around my perception of violin.

V: Now that I would really like.

L: To be honest, all of it feels crazy. That people actually want us to come and play.

@ureczkimelinda

28

Sheer Mag have always been sceptical of a quick ascent

Tina: Each record is different – the last one was an

to fame. Upon the release of their debut EP in 2014,

interview with me, but recently Matt’s been taking the

the band were rapidly met with a handful of record deal

reins.

offers. Suspicious of the contractual fine print, they politely declined and continued to run all things Sheer

Are there any topics you still reserve for yourself?

Mag in-house. Evolving from Philadelphia’s underground punk-rock and hair metal communities, it’s unsurprising

T: I don’t think so. The last record was more concerned

that a DIY ethos still sits at their core. Gaining credit

with that deeply personal subject matter which we felt

for raucous live gigs and praised for their unabashed

was explored fully. Now we’re concerned about personal

political commentary on Trump-era America and social

experiences and everyday feelings people can relate to –

injustice, their reputation continued to grow. From selling

partying, friendship, meaningful connections.

pro-choice posters at shows, to raw lyricism lamenting the pressures of female body image in society, Sheer Mag

That’s clear in your latest single ‘All Lined Up’ – an

made their stance on these issues clear. Their message

ode to late night bars and high stakes pool games. With

to the listeners? Get on board or find musical refuge

politics defining so much of your early material, why

elsewhere.

the subject switch?

Fresh from their musical hiatus following sophomore

K: The Trump era took over our first few years as a band.

album ‘A Distant Call’ in 2019, the five-piece are back

Everyone in the group was so dialled in with what was

with a new single, and surprisingly, a record deal with

going on, and that will always be a part of Sheer Mag.

Third Man Records. They’ve also departed from politics

Lately, it feels like everyone’s been hitting each other over

(for now). Instead, this new chapter sees Tina (lead

the head with the same conversations. Because of that

vocalist), Kyle (lead guitar), Matt (rhythm guitar), Hart

we decided to just focus on being a great rock band with

(bass) and Evan (drums) exploring more universal affairs.

songs that span wider subjects. Who’s to say we won’t

Remaining consistent in their 70s classic-rock soaked

return to politics, but by now people know where we

riffs, they’re focusing their lens on friendships and

stand, and it almost felt as if we were just preaching to the

social life. These changes may seem surprising based on

converted.

how adamant the band were about their career decisions six years ago. Or was that the press simplifying their

On the subject of ‘being a great rock band’, I can’t

motivations in print? Perhaps it’s best to hear from the

help but recall one of your interviews in 2019 where

band themselves.

you said there was ‘no good rock music around.’

Clickbait quotes like this one can’t be trusted at face

Has Philadelphia changed since the last time you

value, but in 2023 how do you reflect on this in relation

released music?

to the current state of rock?

Kyle: Philly’s still going strong – it feels like there’s a

T: What I really meant was that radio rock at that time

million bands around. The DIY scene has always thrived

was different to what any of us grew up on. We’d turn on

and still is.

the radio and hear some weird pseudo-stadium rock. Your words get jumbled when you do interviews a lot of times.I

Tina, on the last record you described Matt

definitely don’t think there’s “no good rock music”, I just

‘interviewing’ you about intimate subjects to inspire

think that successful rock music is very different to what

himself lyrically. Is it still the same?

it used to be.

31

Words by Poppy Richler, illustration by Amy McPherson

K: We don’t want to name specific bands, but at the time it

I’ve never been afraid. I’m living life in this body and

felt like the genre lacked inspiration. But that’s changing

I’ve found that being a real person that talks about real

– lately I’ve been seeing more great rock bands taking that

problems makes life easier.

step into the mainstream like Turnstile. We don’t sound like them, but that step is great for rock bands everywhere.

For so long you were against signing with a label. Why did you decide to finally sign with Third Man a few

Rock and punk do seem to be heading into the

months ago?

‘mainstream’ again. In the UK, it’s very exciting to see female bands spearheading this movement – Picture

T: In the beginning, we only had four songs. We had no

Parlour, The Last Dinner Party and Lambrini Girls for

idea people would respond so well and it was amazing. We

example. How does this compare to Philadelphia?

didn’t send those songs to any secret society to make us popular, but all these labels were going crazy and asking

T: As far as society’s penchant to over-encourage men to

us to sign away our life. We didn’t know what was going

do things, Philly’s always been really inclusive.

on, who we were as a band and didn’t feel comfortable with the possibility of getting exploited.

And as a self-identified punk-rock act, what do these terms mean to you as a band?

K: After our debut album came out, there were articles saying that ‘Sheer Mag will never sign.’ In 2017 it felt

T: We all have our own individual ideas of what it means.

like a different industry – loads of new bands were being

For me, I embrace vulnerability. We don’t shy away from

swept up into a fervour and letting the industry define

things we care about, whereas a lot of people try to be too

who they were. It runs away from you and the next thing

cool and as such lack honesty.

you know you wake up hating the band you’re in and you have no relationship to who you are any more. Maybe

K: When we started the band, I had a clear conceptual

we could’ve signed something and gotten bigger earlier,

idea: a modern punk-rock band with a real old school

but would we still be here 10 years later? It’s hard to say.

emphasis on melodies that hark back to a different time.

Retrospectively, it was the right decision.

Imagine Queen but it’s a bunch of people in a basement with a four-track demo recorder. I was obsessed with

Our decision to finally sign came when we felt that we

combining different musical worlds. Whether that’s punk

needed a bit of a push. We wanted to see the band grow

or not, that’s what I set out to do.

further and I felt like that wasn’t going to happen on our own. It reached the point where we didn’t want our music

What melodic things did you bring back specifically?

to suffer as a result of being so busy doing all the logistics ourselves. So we reached out to Third Man. The stuff

K: We’ve been labelled as ‘power pop’ and that’s

we’ve been writing recently is some of our best music yet.

absolutely true. Starting out, some of our biggest

That’s confirmed our decision as a smart one and I’m glad

influences were power pop garage bands from the 70s

to have waited as long as we did.

like The Nerves and The Shivers. A lot of people also said that we sounded like Thin Lizzy. It’s funny because I was

And look what happened! It was a mutual coming

actually trying to rip off Tom Scholz from Boston.

together – Third Man’s Ben Blackwell said he was ‘beyond honoured [and] humbled at your decision to

Tina you mentioned vulnerability earlier. Have you

reach out. Alongside re-issues of your earlier catalogue

ever felt that a subject is too tender to be treated in a

on the label, a new single usually hints at incoming

song?

fresh music. Are you able to disclose more specific details?

T: I’ve never felt that way. Even with the most vulnerable of topics on ‘Cold Sword’ about my abusive father and

K: We’ve been instructed to be very vague for now…

‘The Right Stuff’ about fat shaming.

33

Sheer Mag

Records

The Debut Album from

Folly Group 12/01/2024

35

Words by Eve Boothroyd, design by UNCANNY

2020 brought a huge period of shifts, blowing apart the

J: It’s been a long time coming

traditional live scene and band dynamic and opening spaces for deconstruction and seemingly endless

How do you select those two tracks to be the first ones?

experimentation. It was out of this that four musicians, all extensively experienced in their respective careers, from

G: ‘TUNE IN TUNE OUT’, that’s probably the first song

former Eagulls frontman George Mitchell to producer

where, we really understood what we were doing

Matt Peel, began a new collective. The resultant project, HONESTY, is a veering and fluctuating experience,

M: That was always the one that I thought would be a

borrowing details from an array of genres but producing

really good introduction to the band. Obviously, Imi’s

something truly unique and new.

become a really big part of the band now. So it’s good to have one with her really strong voice on it. And then one

A few days before the release of their astounding and

with George’s voice really strong. That is just a good sort

intriguing double A-sides ‘U&I’ and ‘TUNE IN TUNE

of, “this is who we are”. The two tracks covered that.

OUT’ we spoke to them about the journey that led to this moment, the paradox of being a ‘Leeds Band’, and the

J: The HONESTY starter pack *laughs*

odds of a prize trip to space.

How did you end up working together? How did you Hi, how are you doing?

form?

Matt: Hey *laughs* they’re coming up the stairs now, I

G: Well I stopped working with my old band. And then

can hear them singing

[Matt] Peel got in touch with me, and asked “do you want to come into the studio, we’re doing a new project” or

Josh: Hello!

whatever. And then it just went from there didn’t it?

George : *singing* Jesus gave us the water of life

J: Me and Matt had been working on loads of sort of catalogue music together and we’d also been in a band

How you feeling about the double single coming out?

together. And you’d been sending out demos [to George].

And then Matt kind of brought the two things together.

M: Yeah, super happy, we’ve been working on it for ages...

The stuff we were already working on was kind of going

super hard graft for ages

down the same route as HONESTY. And then George added that final piece.

36

G: We sort of consciously knew from the start that we

G: Yeah *laughs* like reverse engineering

didn’t want to be a band. We were very into the idea of not having egos and there being not just one singer and things.

Does that make you feel nervous to take this material

It should be more of a collaborative effort

to the live shows - if it’s sort of a reversed process?

J: That’s kind of how Imi got involved as well. We sent

G: No, not all. It’s took us a while to get it all working

her some tracks to work on, and she helped shape those

right live, and it sounds really, really good live. So we’re

tracks in a really special way

confident with it. We played a show, when was it? Last month?

What was that like from your perspective Imi? M: August, was it? Yeah, yeah, we did Deershed Festival Imi: It was great. It came at a really good time because the

as a little bit of a tryout thing

lockdown happened so I wasn’t really doing as much of my own music. It was really nice to get involved musically

It’s all great venues that you’re playing. I saw you’re

with a project again. There was a lot of back and forth

playing Huddersfield, which is actually where I’m

recording vocals from home and then occasionally going

from.

into the studio. And then, I think it was last year, that kind of became part of the project

J: Oh really? Yeah I love The Parish, it’s a great venue!

You obviously all have a lot of history working in

Yeah it’s brilliant! So for a project that’s so different

music, did that teach you any lessons in approaching

to everything that you guys have done before, is there a

this project?

standard songwriting approach?

M: Yeah, big time. That’s kind of a lot of the point of it

G: It does vary a lot. Sometimes Peel could come up with

really. I guess I make a lot of records, so I see a lot of the

something or do something at home and bring it in, but it’s

same patterns that people follow. It’s cool to try and do

just whatever feels right

something that’s a little bit against those patterns. I think it’s good having... even if we just, say, stuck with all the

M: I just think when you start trying to do something

guest singers that we’ve used, like the guest vocalists...

that’s, at least to some extent, free of tropes, it’s quite

Even, that’s really cool, because you’re forced to make the

tough. It just immediately becomes really hard to do

music slightly different for each person, you’re forced to

because you’ve got these rules in your head about not sort

just look at it in a different way

of sounding conventional.

G: Not being stuck in the one formula that you usually

J: A lot of it is just us sat here in this room, tweaking

tend to end up with in a band situation. You do one album,

minute bits of music, for entire days at a time. Looping 30

and it’d be one style, and then you’d have to wait until the

seconds of tunes, or the kick drums in the right place until

next album to do something a little bit different. It’s not

the textures are right or whatever. Going over and over

being penned in and being able to just be as creative as

and over and grinding away at it

you can be and not have to throw away things Do you think that being Leeds based and being in J: I feel like the usual band thing is, you know, you get

that scene, do you feel like you’re part of a wider

together in a practice room and you do loads of gigs and

movement?

stuff. And to kind of do it backwards has been really good G: I mean, even with our old bands I don’t ever feel like it was part of the scene. I don’t know, I’ve never really felt that way.

37

HONESTY

J: It never felt like we were. You know, we never refer to

I: Yeah, this has always been my approach to vocals, I

ourselves as like being a Leeds band

always sing random stuff like mainly around vowels. So I’ll know that I want it to be around a particular shape on

G: None of us are even from Leeds really, we sort of just

a particular note, or in a phrase. A lot of the time, there’ll

live here

be words that kind of pick up, but it’s kind of like my own made up language. So then, all the rest of the guys

J: There’s nothing in the music that would mean it was

are really supportive in trying to get some of the actual

tied to any kind of geographical location, I think

lyrics to mean things rather than my made up language. *laughing* you’re the translators of my language

G: But then again, that is a pretty like Leeds thing, isn’t it? Because Leeds has never really had a certain sound.

J: I wish we could just leave it in your language

Whereas say Manchester has got a sound or Bristol. Leeds

sometimes. There’s something about having that vocal

has just always been this weird... but you know what

on the tunes where you’re like “what the fuck does this

I mean it’s like Sisters of Mercy or whatever and then

mean?” which is actually kind of even more beautiful

you’ve got all the house music stuff that happened here.

than when you do know what it means sometimes? Yeah,

It’s like you wouldn’t describe Leeds as a certain look or...

maybe we’ll go full blown Sigur Ros or something

it’s not baggy or whatever is it’s just...whatever happens I guess my final question is what your hopes are for the

happens. Yeah maybe we are a bit Leeds

reception of the first two tracks.

Maybe that freedom to do whatever you want is Leeds M: Just... Grammys J: *laughs* we’ve come full circle there.

G: Aren’t we gonna win the World Cup as well?

Yeah, so what about the track ‘U&I’, did Imi write the lyrics for that or was it collaborative?

J: We want to be the first band to win the World Cup, that’d be great. You know, Nobel Prizes. A Mercury award

G: We just chipped in all together writing that one

but the prize is that we actually get to go to Mercury?

M: Imi’s got this amazing vocal that sounds like it’s got

Definitely the prize now…

words, but there’s no words. Just doing sort of *laughs* speaking in tongues type stuff

M: But we do have big ambitions for it. I’d like it to be big enough that the live shows can be really great.

G: It’s like working out the crazy puzzle

@uunnccaannyy

38

We all love folk music. But no one loves it more than

During our correspondence, the folk-head answered my

multi-instrumentalist Oscar Browne, who is determined to

multitude of questions focusing on new releases, musical

revive the genre within the present day, all while adding

memories as well on his current songwriting process and

a little alternative spice. Boasting a growing following

lyrical genius.

and influences ranging from Nick Drake to Ben Howard, Browne’s upcoming debut EP ‘If Only’ is bound to pack a

Let’s talk about your upcoming, debut EP ‘If Only’.

punch. A blend of traditional folk and modern influences,

What’s your favourite track on the EP and why is this?

Browne’s nostalgic sound shines through modern, rosetinted lenses, destined to imprint itself across your playlist

The track I’m most proud of is ‘You & I’. I think the lyrics

recommendations.

sum up what the EP means to me. It was also a track that me and the others in the band very naturally came up with

Following a jam-packed year, in which Browne racked up

an arrangement for together.

an impressive repertoire of live performances, supporting the likes of Prima Queen, ‘If Only’ follows single releases

Congratulations on the recent release of the single

‘Cut Me Off’ and ‘Never Quite Right’, the former the

‘All or Nothing’. How would you describe the track,

introductory track from the new EP.

whether that be lyrically or otherwise?

The leaves are turning brown and cups of tea are as much

For me, the track represents and brings to life a moment

of a necessity as water. Whilst your ‘On Repeat’ playlist

of realisation. ‘All or Nothing’ represents a time in your

might be dominated by the star-studded cast of Bon Iver

life when you are no longer caught up in the problems

and Hozier, Oscar Browne’s delicate vocals provide that

you once had, free to move forward in your life and look

warming hug of a jumper you really need this changing of

towards the future.

the seasons. We’ve all seen your Vinted basket. Dreamy harmonies and touches of brass reverberate through my

Talk to me about the artwork for ‘If Only’. How does it

headphones as I sit planning the interview, transporting

connect to the EP itself?

me to some vast open landscape, where the ocean laps delicately against the sand. ‘If Only’ is an autumnal kiss,

The artwork wasn’t particularly planned as such, I just

warming on a frost-bitten morning commute.

knew it had to be something simple. Inigo Blake took the photo down in Seven Sisters in London. There was

Currently based in South East London, but not forgetting

torrential rain at the time alongside extremely intense

his North London roots, I had the pleasure of catching up

winds, which we were battling through.

with Oscar ahead of ‘If Only’’s release on October 20th.

Words by Neve Dawson, illustration by Lauren Cory

40

In this sense, the weather in hindsight was a form of

In terms of the wider music scene, who would you say

pathetic fallacy in a way and seems to me now totally

is your favourite artist at the minute?

fitting for the EP, which explores a spectrum of different There’s some amazing people based in London currently.

emotions felt by all at different times in their lives.

Tapir!, Clara Mann, and The New Eves are just a few.

What were your earliest interactions with music and

The talent of London does not stop there, however. In

how did they shape the music you’re making now?

terms of live gigs, I recently saw contemporary Irish folk band Lankum, who originate from Dublin and without a

I remember crashing about on a drum kit with my dad

doubt blew me away with their award-winning vocals and

when I was about 5 years old. The first guitar that

powerful sound.

I received many moons ago, was one that I got for Christmas on which all kinds of crazy sounds were

You’ve recently been on the road with Prima Queen

played and experiments made. When I was 14 I became

and Gently Tender. What did you learn whilst you were

obsessed with Nick Drake’s music and haven’t stopped

supporting those bands?

listening since. I’d say the main folk-based artists who have influenced my guitar playing etc. would be John

I learnt a lot being on tour with both bands. The main

Martyn, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, and Martin Carthy.

thing that inspired me whilst on tour with Gently Tender

In relation to the genre of my music, people can call it

and Prima Queen was the sheer number of people who

whatever they want as it definitely spans across different

came to the gigs around the UK and were genuinely really

categories. I adore a wide variety of different folk artists/

into the music. It’s easy to get stuck in a bubble and

musicians. Personally, however, I would summarise it as

pattern in the Big Smoke so it was refreshing to see many

Ye Olde Pop.

new faces singing lyrics back in the crowd, simply there for a good time and to appreciate the music.

How does your songwriting process work? Do you Looking ahead, what are you looking forward to with

always base them on personal life experiences?

the rest of the year and heading into 2024?

Currently and especially with ‘If Only’ and past tracks, I’d say all my songs are based on personal experiences and

Without a doubt, I’m looking forward to performing at

past feelings I have dealt with. In terms of moving forward

more and more live gigs. I currently also have a lot of new

with my songwriting, however, I am trying to approach

ideas floating around my head, which hopefully I can get

writing tracks from a different perspective, placing a

written down and eventually recorded, bringing some new

different light on things and representing a different voice.

releases in the near future.

41

Oscar Browne

MITSKI THE LAND IS INHOSPITABLE AND SO ARE WE OUT NOW

water made us streaming october 13 lp/cd october 27

YHWH (pronounced Yah-Wey) Nailgun, are a four-

Saguiv: Yeah, the video game is real life now.

piece from New York. I’m very aware of how dull that description sounds to you reader, but one thing I’ve

Z: I think it’s a porn type thing also.

learned whilst speaking with this band is their music aims to live outside pre-explained definitions of ‘genre’ and this

J: There’s something sexual about it for sure. Ah it sucks

idea of a ‘scene’ more generally. This motivation partly

so much. Cringe culture in general I just don’t understand.

explains why they rarely conduct interviews. Well, here’s your exclusive. The scoop if you will.

Sam: Just for the record, Leo, it doesn’t make any of us

Here are four guys who, as their drummer says, “like to

horny…

derail things”. YHWH Nailgun exist to tear down rather than add to any pre-existing cultural movements. A

I don’t think it’s filtered into the UK yet.

revolution without many decipherable words…

J: I could see Louis Theroux interviewing some of these Where in New York are you all based?

people. We all love him.

Zach: We’re in Ridgewood, Queens. I live with Jack also.

What other parts of British culture are you guys into?

Saguiv: I live two blocks away from those guys.

Sam: I grew up listening to British music. I’ve never been to the UK but feel like I have an abstract image of the UK

Sam: It depends on what you constitute as important but to

informed by all the media I’ve consumed growing up.

me, New York is the capital of the world.

It definitely works the same the other way round. I’ve Zach: Although the problem with New York is that there’s

always liked the idea of CBGB, The Chelsea hotel.

this new trend where people set up twitch streams so that

Neither of which exist anymore.

people can pay them to do NPC video game emotes. Have you heard about this Leo?

J: The people who hold onto that nostalgia in New York are like, unbearable. It’s crazy how they just haven’t

No, please enlighten me.

advanced at all.

Jack: It sucks.

Z: There are also those old guys who go around saying “New York hasn’t been the same since the Strokes”.

Z: It’s kinda scary, I saw this video recently of these guys live streaming on the street, facing the wall of a building

J: I don’t really understand the whole indie sleaze

just emoting uncontrollably, and making money from it.

movement. I get why people want to play music and have

Seeing someone in real life doing it is so upsetting…

fun by trying to imitate a band like the Strokes, but I feel like they are doing it to party rather than to contribute

So, kind of like playing real life Sims characters?

anything new. I feel like if you’re gonna play music why not bring something new to the table?

43

Words by Leo Lawton, illustration by Eleanor Young

Saguiv: Yeah, it’s definitely a party and fashion scene.

Z: I can’t speak for everyone but for me, I’m always trying

New York is historically a city where people come to

to get past the point of understanding what it is that I’m

innovate so it’s ironic that a scene which is so unoriginal

trying to do. The space which I’m trying to access is that

gets so much attention.

area where you feel the music but don’t have any thoughts about it. A large part of my writing process is pointing

Your guys’ music is undeniably different, so how do

out things which you already have a name for and then

you cultivate that in a city so saturated with imitation?

going over them with things that you don’t understand.

Mystifying it.

J: We spend a lot of time in rehearsals finding different, So, the less sense it makes to you the better?

abstract paths and advancing in all sorts of ways. Of course, there are types of music which we are taking a lot from, like Hip-Hop for example. But ultimately our goal is

Sam: We like derailing things, it’s not so much giving less

to keep our music interesting for ourselves and so it often

sense to it, but about feeling it in your body. We don’t

needs to be original.

want to make music that you can cerebrally pick apart or process, we just want to put music forward that you can

Z: It’s not so much like trying to sound like nobody else,

feel. Having said that, we do care about communicating

it’s just about trying to build something for us which

with our audience.

feels like it’s from right now. For me, it’s important to feel close to whatever the source is, instead of trying to

Z: It’s not about it not making sense for us because we

approximate a vibe by reviving something. There’s no

all know what we’re doing, but about trusting those

fashion involved in what we’re doing. A lot of people

instinctive sounds and ideas which you haven’t yet got

will say to themselves, “Ok, we want a grungy vibe so

words to understand. I’m always trying to get past my

let’s sound like Nirvana”. What I’m excited about is the

internal monologue. It’s a nice process in the band.

possibility of being the ‘next thing’.

J: I don’t want to sound like a douchebag, but it is just How do you achieve that accolade?

very easy to write songs when we come together as a combined soul. We’ve all been playing for a long time

Saguiv: I think by focussing on the bandmates themselves

together now, and we’ve invested so much emotion into

rather than anything external. When we’re writing, we’re

it. We could all write each other’s parts. In our practise

only pulling from each other.

space, which I fucking hate by the way because my keys stand has to face into the wall, I still know when changes

Sam: Writing songs is easy. Because we all believe in each

are coming. We’ve put a lot of time into creating this

other and the project, things tend to emerge pretty quickly.

telepathy between us.

What comes out isn’t diluted by any external influences or feeling like we need to capture a specific vibe, it just

So, you’re less worried about trying to say anything

happens. Once the mechanism is in motion, it’s like

in particular, rather, the band is a celebration of the

throwing up or something.

strong collaboration between the four of you?

Saguiv: We’re all looking at the same point of the horizon.

Z: I think the music means something for all of us, but we don’t put any pressure on directing the meaning in

You guys seem very aware of artistic aesthetics and

any particular way. Sometimes songs will make sense six

gauging what people might like to say through their

months down the line. This happens a lot, we don’t intend

music, so what is YHWH Nailgun trying to achieve in

for anything but over time that intention will become

that sense?

clear.

Saguiv: Just trynna show people a good time!

45

YHWH Nailgun

Saguiv: We don’t want to tell people how to feel about it either. There’s not an explicit emotion to everything, and people react to the songs very differently to each other.

Sam: I like when people project their own meaning onto our music. Our abstract, conceptual ideas might read really directly to some people and less to others. Some people hear a totally different style of music that we weren’t even aware of before. Drummers will come up to me and say “ah, you’re taking from this musician” etc, musicians which I’ve never even heard before! I’m like “yeah, I guess, whatever you want!”.

How did black midi’s crowd react to your music when you supported them a few times in Florida?

Saguiv: Their crowd is amazing. Sometimes in support slots you’re gambling as to how much the crowd will actually engage, but they reacted really well. It felt like it was our show, not to take away from the fact that it was a Black Midi show. We didn’t feel out of place with their crowd at all.

Jack: And we loved Florida!

Tell me about your new single ‘Castrato Raw’ Sam: We love it, and we’re very excited for people to listen to it. Yeah, that’s all I really have to say about it…

Zach: It has a chorus, which is nice…

Saguiv: It’s the most normal song in terms of structure. It doesn’t really mean much if I had to pick it apart…

J: It’s my favourite song we’ve put out so far, I think.

Sam: It makes us so happy to play it.

J: I grin ear to ear when we play it.

Z: I feel the exact same way about every other single we’ve put out. I can’t wait for people to like this music.

My mom likes it…

@itseleanoryoung

46

One More Thing The Debut Album from

16/02/2024

Scratching the surface of emerging Hastings three-piece,

There’s no real scene or many people our age, so if there

Borough Council, you might expect to find a scrappy-go-

are bands playing it’s not generational. I was rehearsing

lucky group of lads who know a thing or two about guitar

today with a guy called Anthony Moore who used to be in

music. Delve in deeper, what you actually discover is a

a band called ‘Slapp Happy’ and he’s in his 70’s. There’s a

wholesome family unit who find the joy in life through

venue called ‘The Piper’ which is pretty good.

nature, healthy living and most poignantly, each other.

T: There’s a lot of musical spirit! Whilst it’s limited, when We caught up with Haydn, Tom and Joe to discuss lifelong

a project does rear its head, people rush for it.

friendship, roly-polies and how Dan Carey came to hang It’s great that you’ve managed to work the mechanics

out with their mum.

of a small-town to your advantage. Now, can you tell us Firstly, can you tell us where the sonic love affair of

more about your debut single, ‘Prescribed’?

‘Borough Council’ began?

T: Our process of writing tunes usually starts with the Joe: Me and Haydn are brothers. We’ve been making

three of us in a room, playing upon ideas that Haydn’s

music together for as long as we can remember. Haydn

conjured up.

taught me how to play ‘Let It Be’ in our Dad’s old attic.

Then Tom and Haydn met at school and have been making

H: I wrote a demo that doesn’t sound anything like the

music together ever since.

finished product. When I’d finished it, I spilt water all over my laptop and lost everything, so we had to start

Tom: We feel like it’s our most streamlined project yet,

again. This was weirdly a good thing, as it meant we then

both musically and as a unit. The three-piece seems to

re-recorded the track all together. It’s loosely about bad

have ticked a lot of boxes for us.

habits and trying to separate yourself from that. In the first line I reference Voltaire, who advocated for the separation

Haydn: We like minimalism as a sound. You don’t have

of the church and state, which is a loose metaphor for

too much or too little, it’s just the right amount.

needing that separation. We also sing ‘I want my body now’, which is about recalling yourself.

In a sense, are you trimming the fat? Meat and two veg.

With this sentiment in mind, can you prescribe any top tips for a happy and healthy life?

T: Yeah! It provides a kind of limitation that pushes us sonically. If there was another member, it would take

H: I’m baking bread at the moment! I can show you the

away from the sketchiness of Haydn jumping between

bread I’m proving in my cupboard.

two instruments. It’s a certain energy that just wouldn’t be there if we had more people.

T: Keeping fit. I do a lot of cycling. I love my mountain bike.

As a Hastings hailing unit, what does its music scene have to offer?

J: I do like a bath. More so, the running of the bath than the bath itself. I stay in there for about 4 minutes.

H: Excuse the term being a big fish in a small pond, but as there aren’t many bands here that would be considered

Wholesome living indeed. You’ve been widely labelled

left-field it’s actually spurred us on. It feels a bit like the

as krautrock, but also Joy Division’s ‘She’s Lost

wild west.

Control’ immediately sprung to mind.

Words by Laura Pegler, illustration by REN

50

Where exactly do you take your influence?

H: Yeah, it’ll be part of the next Speedy Wunderground ‘Single Series’. He came to see us at ‘The Cavendish

J: Joy Division for me for sure.

Arms’ and we hit it off. After we played, he asked if we wanted to go to the studio that night. As there were

H: Someone said we sounded a bit like ‘Can’ and ‘Faust’.

train strikes on, it was our mum who then drove us all to

I don’t really know much ‘Faust’, but I think they’re the

London. Dan said, “can I jump in the car too?”, so he got

grandaddy’s of krautrock in Hamburg.

in the back with us - it was hilarious! We were having a go on his synths whilst Dan was chatting to our mum about

T: I think the krautrock feel in that tune stems more from

lord knows what. It was a bit of a daze.

my love of a motorik beat.

Beyond the band, as I sense we share sensitive souls, can you let us know what moves you?

H: I feel more influenced by bands at the moment.

Fontaines D.C. for example, the mood of the music and Grian’s vocals reignited my personal love for guitar music.

H: That’s a beautiful question, I can feel myself going

Also, I’m wearing a band tee of ‘The New Eves’ who are

down a rabbit hole of so many different things. I’m trying

super exciting.

not to say my girlfriend or the TV.

As well as championing new artists, can you tell us

T: Jon Hassell’s record ‘Last Night the Moon Came’ is just

about the new indie label you released on, ‘Bath House

crazy. I feel very emotional listening to that. Recently, I

Records’?

cried listening to John Maus’ ‘KEXP’ because I discovered his brother (also his bandmate) had died. I’m a huge

J: ‘Bath House Records’ is run by our older brother,

fan of the show ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ and

George!

sometimes the closeness I have with that show makes me feel quite intense.

So, the family affair continues?

H: Me and my girlfriend recently went to a caravan in J: He’s been doing it for a couple years now. He writes

Winchelsea. I’d say nature is a broad statement, but we

music and produces for a few acts. He does it in an old

were running on the beach like kids. We were playing with

bath house in Sydenham, so the name came from that.

driftwood, finding squid eggs and I was doing roly-polies down the hill. It was just beautiful. If I lose connection

It’s nice that you not only like each other, but can work

with that side of me, that’s what moves me in reverse.

together too - a rare find in a family.

Peace and quiet is so underrated.

T: It’s a good dynamic. The fact that everyone - minus me – is related, means that when it does get political it’s over

J: In London, I find there’s constant noise and mayhem.

like that. There’s no real filter. Events just unfold as they

When you do get that moment of silence, it’s quite hard

would at home.

to appreciate it. I would say recently, thinking about my parents moves me a lot.

With the first single out, you could say the future’s a blank canvas - what’s next?

H: I’m the same! This is going to sound mushy, but when I think about my brothers - sorry Tom - Joe and George

H: We’ve written a lot! We’re working with Dan Carey

and how much I miss them because we live in different

in October, which will then be set for release next year.

cities, that proper gets me. The men in our family are all

When the new year hits we’re gonna be all guns blazing.

connected through music.

So, Dan Carey’s producing the next track?

51

Borough Council

Will Anderson, the architect and driver behind Hotline

That’s really nice. One thing I really liked in the PR

TNT is an icon of DIY music. After starting out in

that got sent around was a description of you as the

Vancouver based Weed, over 10 years ago, he has become

“Hotline TNT founder and architect”. Architect feels

a catalyst for a number of grassroots music scenes. It’s an

apt. Does it feel like you’re building this project from

ethos that is close to his heart.

the ground up?

After recently signing with Third Man Records for the

It definitely is, you know, Will’s project. From time to

release of Hotline’s second album, ‘Cartwheel’, you’d

time and at different points of the project, it’s been more

expect that ethos to be challenged. At the end of the day,

of a collaboration. But if you’ve been following the band

everyone needs to make money to survive.

at all, you can tell that the line-up has changed so many times.

With Will however, the record deal has done nothing but strengthen his commitment to the music community and

So, it’s very much Will’s project but for this record,

his DIY projects. Providing the means to continue and also

in particular, you sought out two collaborators: Ian

producing one of the albums of the year. ‘Cartwheel’ is a

Teeple and Aron Kobayashi Ritch. Do you feel the need

record that distils the essence of all the relationships you

to have somebody to bounce ideas off?

build over a lifetime into a vapour that swirls around your That was kind of a new idea. In the past, I had worked

psyche.

alone. So this project started out pretty much alone. The Shoegaze revival or not, Hotline TNT’s second album

first LP, ‘Nineteen In Love’, was all recorded in deep

will demand to be listened to and continue to grow the

lockdown, so there was no choice but to do it all myself.

community around Will’s creative projects. Will joined me

I had somebody mix it remotely, but we didn’t work in

over Zoom to try and help us build a picture of the world

the same room or anything. There was no songwriting

behind it all.

together.

As a musician, you’ve been through many different

Specifically with Ian, we got into a room together and

scenes and lived in lots of different places. Do they all

I pretty much made him: “Hey, I’m going to show up at

fit into what we can hear on ‘Cartwheel’, or is it more

your house and we’re going to make this record together!”

of your recent history?

I love that. Locked him in a studio and be like: “We’re I would say it’s fairly recent, but it still covers a lot

going to make this.”

of ground. A lot of the songs were written on our first European tour and overall a lot of Hotline songs are about

Pretty much, yeah! I was like, “We’re doing this whether

moving through the world and meeting people in different

you want or not.” He got some really good ideas out of

places and carrying on relationships that are long distance.

me. He really pushed me, and pulled me, to make the songs that I think are some of my best.

53

Words by Sachin Turakhia, collage by Josh Whettingsteel, photo by Sara Messinger

You released your first record, ‘Nineteen In Love’ in a

Wow, I didn’t realise! On ‘Cartwheel’, there’s a track

very DIY fashion. Because you’re now signed to Third

called ‘That Was My Life’, which has lots of recordings

Man Records, are you settled with that decision and

in there. Are they real voicemails that you picked up

feeling more comfortable with balancing the DIY ethos

while on tour?

and the need to make some money to live on?

That was a field recording. I don’t want to give too Yeah, I think honestly, Third Man is, you know … I’ve

much away but we were in our practice space before

got to be careful how I say this, but I think Third Man is

our first Euro tour last year and we overheard these two

easy for some people to make fun of. Or see it as the Jack

guys talking about their own tours. I just loved the way

White label or something like that.

it sounded and just pulled out my phone and started recording them. I asked them afterwards if it was okay and

His name always follows the label, right?

they gave their consent to put it on the album.

Of course. He’s had mainstream success, massive

The final thing I wanted to ask you about is your

mainstream success for many years. But, once you dig in,

[NBA] Zine that you do, called ‘The Association.’ Are

I think Third Man is really a perfect fit for what I’m trying

you going to be able to keep that going with all your

to do. They’re very artist-friendly. I mean, Jack is an artist

touring during the basketball season?

and has been his whole life. I haven’t met him or talked to him personally, but I think it does trickle down to the

That’s going to be hard. It’s already been hard. I mean, it’s

whole business of the label.

hard even when I’m home. I put out the issue and feel like I can chill for a little bit and then two or three weeks have

By and large, it’s been a really good fit and I really like

gone by and I’m like, “Oh shit, I got to make another one”

working with them. We all knew when this relationship

because I’m supposed to do it every month.

started that it was not going to be a YouTube and physicalonly release. That was fine and I was ready for that switch

I’ve missed a month here and there, but I have to think

to happen.

of stuff to write about. Because it’s definitely about basketball, but with stuff in, like my personal life, the

They’re definitely very supportive of me, maintaining

scene in New York and punk shows and I have to think

my vision as an underground, which isn’t the right word

about it pretty hard when I’m doing it. That’s a labour

anymore, more like very grassroots and very involved in

of love. But it’s maybe more labour than I can do all the

my community of DIY music. I don’t think that’s really

time. So we’ll see how it goes with the touring.

been too affected by Third Man. With all of your creative endeavours, are they all part You’re going on tour next week in the US and you also

of the same outlet or do you treat them as very separate

come over to the UK in November. Have you done these

entities in your life?

big long stretches of touring before?

No, they’re all related. I’m not very good at keeping them We’ve done a lot of long U.S. tours. That is nothing new

separate. Because I have the zine at the merch table and

for me. We did a month in Europe last year and we did

the website is the gathering point of all these projects. I

a month this year, both of which were the hardest tours

do a stream of myself playing video games too and it’s

we’ve ever done for sure. This year was really hard. They

all related. It’s all part of this persona. It’s all part of this

were both hard, honestly, but also amazing. Just in terms

thing that a small but dedicated group of fans seem to have

of, I never thought I would get to do that. It was a life goal

attached to. Maybe it’s growing with this new record? I

of mine to get over there and tour outside of the States.

don’t know, we’ll see.

And that’s really where we met my Third Man too.

55

Hotline TNT

Fronted by Charles Hayward (This Heat, Camberwell Now) Out on 12” vinyl, CD and Limited Concrete Edition (Vinyl cast in 2inch concrete slab, must be smashed to be heard) 17th Nov 2023. Also out on The state51 label:

BLUE BENDY ‘Mr. Bubblegun’ NEW SIGNING

Single out 10th Oct. Album coming soon

BINGO FURY ‘Power Drill’ NEW SIGNING

Single out now Album coming soon

INDEPENDENT MUSIC HOUSE

Record Label • Atelier Products Factory Sessions • Collective Distribution

THE NID TAPES ‘Electronic Music from India 1969-1972’ A mind-blowing trove of tapes discovered in a cupboard in Ahmedabad

HOTEL LUX The state51 Factory Sessions Live from The state51 Factory, on 12” Vinyl

ALSO OUT ON THE STATE51 LABEL

LEGGS • Better Corners • Scrounge Lou Terry • AGAAMA • Grove

Editors Sam Ford

Josh Whettingsteel

Writers Sam Ford

Reuben Cross

Amber Lashley Will Macnab

Josh Whettingsteel Elvis Thirlwell

Natalia Quiros Edmunds Poppy Richler

Eve Boothroyd Neve Dawson Leo Lawton

Laura Pegler

Sachin Turakhia

Printed By Ex Why Zed

Artists

Josh Whettingsteel Richie Culver Nurit Gross Yinuo Shao

Sara Priorelli Rosie Evans

Cameron JL West Melinda Ureczki Amy McPherson UNCANNY

Lauren Cory

Eleanor Young REN

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