Name: The Snuts
Members: Jack Cochrane; Callum “29” Wilson; Joe McGillveray; Jordan Mackay
Interviewee: Joe McGillveray
Nationality: Scottish
Current release: The Snuts' new album Millenials is out now via Happy Artists.
Recommendations: Right now I’m listening to “I love you honey bear” by father John Misty, and I follow an artist called Johan Karlgren. He’s a pixel artist that does some really creative stuff.

If you enjoyed this The Snuts interview and would like to know more about the band, visit their official website. They are also on Instagram, Facebook, twitter, and tiktok.



For a while, it seemed as though the model of the bed room producer would replace bands altogether. Why do you like playing in a band rather than making music on your own?

I have a lot of respect for bedroom producers but for me music is a social thing.

I enjoy taking someone else’s idea and helping it blossom, and I love seeing my ideas grow into something else in other peoples hands. I absolutely enjoy spending time by myself and honing in on parts and melodies but it's when other people get involved that things gain context for me.

What, to you, are some of the greatest bands, and what makes them great?

I think there can be a lot of things that make a band great, some get there by persevering for years and growing into something massive, but some short lived bands get a mythology surrounding them by coming out of nowhere and disappearing just as fast.

For me I like seeing a band grow and change with the times. I love a band that can dip in and out of genres and still sound like themselves.

Before you started making music together, did you in any form exchange concrete ideas, goals, or strategies? Generally speaking, what are your preferences when it comes to planning vs spontaneity in a collaboration?

When we first got together, Jack had a note saved in his phone that said

“1. Get signed 2. Record a Number 1 album 3. Learn how to drive”.

He never got his driving license but everything else came to fruition. We’re big believers in deciding what you want and going for it.

In terms of music you can plan to put time aside to be creative, but you always need to be ready to try and catch an idea you’ve had, so a lot of songs first existed in voice notes on our phones.

There are many potential models for creativity, from live performances and jamming/producing in the same room together up to file sharing. Which of these do you prefer – and why?  

I think they’ve all got their place. It’s easy to capture energy if you’re all in the same room making noise, but you can lose a bit of fidelity.

When we’re in the demo phase we’ll be sending each other ideas, but when we’re in the studio we usually all set up camp in the control room so we can feed off each others vibes.

Those tiny little recording booths can turn into a cage of self doubt if you have a couple of bad takes so I’ve never been much of a fan.

How do your different characters add up to the band's sound and in which way is the end result – including live performances – different from the sum of its pieces?

I think one of the reasons we work as a unit is because as much as we’ve grown up together and are similar in a lot of ways, we’ve got pretty different tastes.

I like bluesy folky stuff, Callum 29 is a bit of a hip hop head, Jordan loves an 80s anthem and Jack just loves good songwriting. When I get a recommendation from him I never know if it’s a forgotten legend or some some new unknown but it’s always incredible.

On stage we all perform with a different energy and I think that helps add an authenticity to the show. It feels natural because it is, we’re not all adopting some persona that we’ve decided on before hand. It’s just us, and I think that leaves more room for an authentic experience with the audience.

Is there a group consciousness, do you feel? How does it express itself?

Probably through low quality jokes.

We definitely have a type of relationship thats hard to recreate. We’ve known each other for 20 odd years, and making music for 15 so we’ve definitely developed a unique way of communicating with each other.

Tell me about a piece or album which shows the different aspects you each contribute to the process particularly clearly, please.

“Gloria,” the first single from our next record is quite a good song to illustrate that. Jack sent an idea to our groupchat that he had sketched out with Callum, some chords and a few lines of lyrics, and I added a main guitar part and a couple of melodies.

A few weeks later we went into the studio, Jordan replaced the bad drums we we were using, Callum added some bass and Scotty, our live MD who produced this record, worked with Jack to finesse the lyrics and add finishing touches to the track.

What is your sense of ownership like as part of the collective songwriting process? What is the balance between the lyrics, melodies and harmonies, and the groove in terms of your sound?

We try not to get too territorial about who does what when we’re actually in the recording process. Good is good, it doesn’t matter where it came from.

The chorus ‘guitar’ line on “Novastar” on our new record, for example, is a bass part pitched up. Sometimes when there’s a backing vocal required we’ll all have a go and see who’s works best.



“Serve the song”.  Ego doesn’t help much in the studio. I used to want to do 50 takes and absolutely perfect every part, but all that does is kill momentum.

What tend to be the best songs in your opinion – those where you had a lot in common as a band or those where you had more differences? What happens when another musician take you outside of your comfort zone?

I think disagreeing with each other is part of the process. It was hard at first, and there were some little arguments, but if you trust that the people you’re working with have the same goal as you then there’s no reason to take criticism too personally.

I actually really enjoy working with other people as well. None of us has had any real musical education so I try and learn anything I can from people who actually “know” stuff.

What are your thoughts on the need for compromise vs standing by one's convictions? How did you resolve potential disagreements?

Like anything, you’ve got to choose your battles. But you have to be honest with yourself about why you’re fighting for something; I might think that I have the tastiest riff in the world but if it’s not working on the track that’s all there is to it.

But on the flip side, you have to learn to trust your own taste, and if you do feel strongly about something you need to be able to trust that your opinion is valid.

And when all else fails, there’s rock paper scissors.

Do any of the band's members also have solo projects? If so, how do these feeds into the band's creative process?

Callum 29 is a visual artist in his own right, he's worked on the artwork for all our records but he also does his own prints that are really sick.

I’ve got one up in my livingroom and it’s genuinely one of the coolest things I own.

In a live situation, decisions between band members often work without words. From your experience and the performances of your current tour, what does this process feel like and how does it work?

We actually have intercom switches on our mics so we can talk on stage. The idea is that we can make changes to our mix, and ask for help if something goes wrong, important stuff. But we mostly just talk shit to each other and try and crack jokes.

It can be a risky game though if you miss your cue because you’re busy laughing. But it keeps things interesting.

How has the interaction within the group changed over the years? How do you keep things surprising, playful and inspiring?

We got together when we were at school. Now, people are married, have kids or houses, but surprisingly the way we communicate hasn’t really changed that much. Things have gotten a lot more professional and the team has gotten bigger but between the 4 of us it’s like being trapped in perpetual adolescence.

Recently we’ve started rehearsals for some stripped back record store gigs, so it’s just been us in a room with a couple of amps like we were when we were teenagers so that’s been really refreshing as well.

Have you worked with outside contributors - from sessions musicians via producers to other songwriters? How did this change, improve or challenge the established dynamic and how do you look back on that?

We try to change up our style as often as we can, so when we work with outsiders. We really try to embrace the experience and use it to build on who we are as a band.

I’ve always believed that every person has something they can teach you and it’s no different in music. I feel like everyone we’ve worked with in the past has left a positive mark on who we are now.

Most bands eventually break up. What makes you stay together? What are essentials for a successful band?

I don’t really know what the secret is, we’re just friends first and colleagues second. We started this because we love it and we’re incredibly lucky to be in the position we are, even if it’s not always easy.

We still love it, and we’re all mega proud of how far we’ve come.