Part 2
Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?
SJ: This is a good one! Songwriting is such a personal emotional thing, but once you then make it a band experience it opens up and it isn’t “yours” anymore. Then when you finally get to the stage of releasing the song, it’s out there and it’s anyone’s. We all have songs that we kind of cling to more than others, but it’s the letting go that’s so free-ing when putting out new music.
“Burn Every Page” I wanted to be a fairly angry one, as that’s what I was feeling at the time, and everyone really. Not only were we all experiencing a global pandemic, but bad things were happening and being decided on behalf of everyone. I think it’s our most political song yet and I’m excited to explore that side of songwriting more.
We supported Skunk Anansie last year and I was so inspired by Skin. Not only is she on fire when she performs but her lyrics are really different and thought provoking. It’s also fun to get angry and explore the rockier side to us as a band.
There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?
SJ: It’s a weird thing, I find it works best for me when I don’t think too much.
In terms of spirituality, the closest I’ve come to that is quite recently I dreamt of a melody like some kind of music video and woke up and immediately had to get it down. That’s what’s great about being creative, it comes in different ways and forms and it makes it exciting.
Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?
SJ: One of the hardest parts of the mixing stage I think is finally saying it’s done, it’s done! We tracked the album live, then added the lead vocals and backing vocals later at mine and Kieran’s home studio “Blackbird Shack”. As we weren’t gigging for so long in the pandemic, we did a lot of backing vocals on this album. I love harmonies and love how every band member sings, it makes harmony creating time such a fun challenge!
We got each band member round to ours to write and record the bv’s. I love recording vocals and trying to get the best out of everyones singing. It's when we realised just how beautiful Steady Eddy (drums) can sing, and especially how high he can go! He sings the adlibs at the end of “Brother”.
I remember he just said “I have an idea” and I was like “yes go for it!” and what came out was stunning. Nicky loves harmonies, too, and her vocals have gotten so strong and tuneful and I just love singing and writing with her. She comes up with some really cool ideas when it comes to harmony and bv’s; she’s such a talent and like Matt (keys) can read music as well as improvise and play by ear – the best of both worlds! It’s super handy when we get stuck on chords or harmonies as their brains can figure it out immediately.
We tried out so many vocal ideas in "Burn Every Page" especially and it was a lot of fun! But it got to a stage when we knew there was almost too much going on in the mix. So before we got the album mixed (by Michael Rendall), we had to take out a few layers so it wasn’t just a massive wall of sound. Something we’ve learnt for the next album …
It’s great to try out ideas, but knowing when to stop can be tricky!
Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?
SJ: For this album we had the tracks finished for a while before we took them to the mixing stage, so we let them lie for a good time. I try not to listen to our recordings too much before they get mixed to not get “demo brain” and get too attached to them before their finished.
We got them mixed by Michael Rendall remotely, so there was a fair bit of back and forth, but we loved what he did with the tracks. He got our music off the bat, and sometimes it’s great to get another pair of ears on the tracks that haven’t been there the whole time for the recording process.
What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?
SJ: As a band we like to produce our own music – as we already have 6 opinions! This album was such a creative time for us as a band. We had the time to really delve deep and find our sound, whilst listening to each other and experimenting with our instruments in the studio.
My brother Piers recorded us at Headline Music Studios, and as he knows us well he knew where to push us and which live take was the one before we moved on to the next. I may be biased but he’s a great engineer and has worked with many rock legends, so he definitely brought out our rockier edge on this album. So we all get involved in the production side of things.
With mixing, I try and listen to the track like it’s the first time I’m hearing it, I feel like our ears get more attuned to mixing and levels and frequencies the more recording you do. There’s not a greater feeling than getting a mix back and the sound being better than you thought it could be!
I remember hearing “Burn Every Page”'s first mix and thinking YES that’s it! Such a moody intro and then when the band come in on that first chorus it was heavy and hit me like a hammer and I loved it. I don’t like to get to caught up on the technical side of recording and let the pros do their thing on it.
After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?
SJ: We sometimes get that empty feeling after releasing a single. So much work goes into it – from writing the song, recording, mixing, then the marketing campaign to get it out, then it’s all over! But releasing music is so freeing and I think we feel an enormous amount of achievement.
On our last tour we have the audience singing our songs back to us, and that is so amazing, it makes everything worth it! This album has been something as a 6 we have put our hearts and souls into, a real labour of love and we’re all really proud to release it into the ether! Hopefully people can relate to it in some way.
Our music has been described as a bit of a rollercoaster and I think that sums up this album pretty well. We aren’t really any genre in particular but a real mix of influences. We just put everything into our music whether we’re recording in the studio or playing live. We’re already well on the way with album 3 and can’t wait to release more music very soon. It’s a really creative time for us and we can all trust each other.
It’s taken a lot of band growing pains to get here, but we’re in a great place creatively so we’re rolling with it. So long as we all love what we do, we’ll do it for as long as we can.
Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?
SJ: I think you really have to delve deep when writing a song and find out what your trying to say. Sometimes I start a song and have a rough idea of a storyline or theme, but I don’t figure out what I’m really saying until I take it to someone else and get their thoughts and ideas on it. I really get my emotions out when I sing, it’s like my therapy, and I put my whole soul into our songs.
In the studio, I like to get the lights down low and pretend I’m performing live, so I put my everything into the recording process just as much as live. I don’t think I get that same feeling with anything else in life – plus it would be bloody exhausting!
Creating and singing and playing live is such a joy, it’s the bit we all love, the music, and I’m so grateful to get to do it. The business side of the industry is definitely the hardest, but the music makes it all worth the ride!
