Photo: Press
Blitz Kids are currently winding down from the promotion of their second album The Good Youth, although the four-piece are set to take time off next month, they already seem to be scheming a speedy follow-up.
The Good Youth saw them embracing pop music and big production, the 2014 LP showed they have ambition, can conquer a vast array of styles and have something to prove. This attitude is set to keep swinging following the passionate chat we had with frontman Joe James.
We speak to frontman Joe James about the new album, hatred of the selfie stick and their tiresome touring schedule....
Gigwise: Your latest album feels incredibly bold sonically and lyrically, it felt as if you had something to conquer. Would that be correct to say?
Joe: We definitely had something to prove with this album, it really felt like we were at a real make or break point because it's pretty tough to be in a band nowadays. We felt it was time to put something out we really believed in and represented what we are capable of. The lyrics on our previous album were focused in on themes of death and what happens after you've gone, but this time I wanted to focus more on life, positivity and looking towards the future - we believe in ourselves.
How did these massive pop-produced tunes translate to the stage on your tour throughout the past year?
When you listen to us live, it’s a lot rawer and heavier because we’re only playing with amps, we try not to overproduce our live show. It was important to us whilst we were writing that the songs on the album could be stripped back to basics and still sound good. If we can’t have people playing strings on stage with us, we don’t really want to just be pressing play on a laptop to have all the bells and whistles from the album - we can't afford that at the moment but we hope to in the future.
We wrote an album that would push us to a further stage and bigger venues which it did. Our influencences are quite poppy on this record because we like that music and we’re not ashamed to wear that on our sleeve. We experimented with whatever we could achieve in the studio and let all of our influences drive every single song so we could achieve a different sound throughout. We've got varied music tastes which is why it changes quite a lot from track to track on this record.
You've covered One Direction and Iggy Azalea, what is it you like about modern day pop music?
I just like good and well written songs, pop has this bracket that make people think it’s bubblegum and happy-go-lucky. We covered those songs in our own style because we have great appreciation for the brilliant writing. we try and let that influence come through, but don’t let it go as far as getting rid of rock instruments because that's why we started.
You cite Biffy Clyro and The Killers as an influence, what is it about these bands which grab you?
If you can play a massive song of yours on an acoustic guitar then thats what proves it good song to me. Biffy Clyro are a band we’ve followed since day one so I've seen them move throughout the albums, Blackened Sky is my favourite but I love their latest stuff - the newest album Opposites is just incredible as well - they write great songs, they’re not boxed in to using just the instruments that they themselves can play, they’ve got a mariachi band and stuff - they're amazing.
Your guitarist and drummer Eddie and Billy left in 2012, how did that effect your dynamic?
It made it better, because the reason why they left was because their personalities didn’t fit, they were more concerned with making the band a business, whilst the 3 of us were more focused on writing music that we liked. We don’t treat it like a business - our main aim is to write good music and have fun for as long as we can, and when it all burns out - then it all burns out so we’ll just enjoy the ride. We had to take on someone else who had a similar mindset to us.
This left guitarist Jono Yates on his own, how has he coped with that?
Yeah, he does just fine, we're focusing on making an album with one guitar part now.
You simultaneously wrote and sang the lyrics to 'Perfect', did your subconscious surprise you?
Yeah, I was Surprised I got it done that way, it was really weird - I’m such a perfectionist and I couldn't figure out what i wanted to do with this song at all, I kept going over and over it in my head, it drove me mad. I just put myself in the booth and looped the song and sang what felt right over the top of it regardless of it making sense. It seemed to work so it could be a technique I push forward.
Your guitarist Jono takes a mock-selfie in the 'Perfect' video, Lollapalooza and Coachella recently banned the selfie stick from their sites, what's your take on them?
Nothing pisses me off more when someone goes to a gig with their iPad recording it for the whole time, I don’t go to record it, I go to watch and experience it and get into the moment. Nothing does my head in more than looking out to a sea of phones. Selfie sticks can be hilarious when I see it on the street - it works well and gets decent photos but not at shows, its not right - it takes away magic of music.
So, what's next for Blitz Kids? have you been working on new material?
We've been working on it for a while but we've also been touring relentlessly for two years so we're gonna have some time off to chill at home, let the creative juices flow and write as and when it comes to us, we’re not rushing it but we don’t want to wait too long and be forgotten.
We're trying to strip it back for this album in terms of production, we got a little carried away in the studio last time, we are focused more on songs this time rather than just adding crazy layers on top of it.
We're hoping to get something out at the end of this year, whether it's a single or an EP, then hopefully drop the album early 2016.
The Good Youth is out now on Red Bull Records.
