Needtobreathe
Needtobreathe are back with their fantastic new album The Reckoning - their first album since The Outsiders back in 2009.
I caught up with the boys for a quick chat about the record and what they are up to at the moment.
- You have just released your new album The Reckoning - we are loving it here at FemaleFirst - but for anyone who hasn't had a chance to listen to it yet what can we expect from it?
Basically, if you took all the artists you loved and they had a very well adjusted child, this record is what he or she might listen to if they were trying to figure things out.
- And how have you found the response to the record here in the UK as well as in the States?
The response has been better than we could have imagined. People singing along to the songs in foreign countries is pretty incredible for us.
We're all from a very small town, so the idea of global listening is really great.
- How does this album differ to the albums that you have released before? And how have you sees yourselves develop as both musicians and songwriters since Daylight?
Every record has been very different in its own way. I feel like we're constantly trying improve the way we relate to our fans.
The Reckoning is sonically a very big sounding record, but the intention was to make the quieter moments stand out even more.
- You produced the album as well so how much is that a part of making a record that you enjoy?
We've always felt like there were a million ways to do a good song, but only one to make it great and I think we will always enjoy searching after the perfect way.
- You have also penned the tracks on the album so how does the songwriting process work within the band - is their one main writer or is it very much a collaborative process?
Bo and I have always written the songs, but that process is always changing. We certainly don't have any way we always like to do it.
I feel like being a song writer is translating the world around you. Sometimes we're just waiting for something to happen.
- You have an ever growing fan base so for those who are reading this interview do you have a question for them?
Where did you first hear about the band and what intrigued you? I think we like to ask this one the most, because the answers are all over the place.
It’s great to hear that we have very little to do with process. Music has a way of finding people and most of the time the stuff that impacts us the most sort of reaches through the noise and grabs us.
- And what inspirations do you draw on when you are writing? And how heavily influenced are you by other bands/musicians?
I think in writing, our inspiration comes from the way it makes us feel, but we are constantly influenced by other bands and how hard they work.
- What music/artists are you enjoying at the moment?
I would say Cave Singers, Band of Horses, Dawes, and The Moondoggies have taken up most of my listening in the last few weeks.
- So how did the band come together?
We grew up together and we were the only ones we knew who knew how to play an instrument. Other than that, we have been incredibly fortunate.
- And it has been a busy old summer for you boys with a string of TV appearances and festivals there seems to been real excitement growing around you so how are you finding it?
We all feel like the band is learning a ton from all this. It has been 13 years, but the growth of the band musically right now seems faster than ever.
- You are currently on the Reckoning tour in America so how are the shows going? And how are the new tracks going down live with the fans?
The songs are taking on all new meanings. This record was about how we would deal with a lot of the attention we were getting, and now I think we have a great confidence in each other because we know we're going to be alright.
- Are we going to be seeing you over in the UK playing live any time soon?
We are coming soon. We love the intensity of the shows we've done there, and can't wait to do it again.
- Finally what is coming up for the band between now and the end of the year?
We barely know and that is exactly the way we like it.
And the boys are going to be hitting the road hear in the UK - check out the full list of tour dates:
Wed 28/11 - Academy 3, Birmingham. Tickets £10
Thu 29/11 - Koko London. Tickets £15
Sat 1/12 - The Haunt, Brighton. Tickets £10
Sun 2/12 - Thekla, Bristol. Tickets £10
Mon 3/12 - Academy 3, Manchester. Tickets £10
Tue 4/12 - Oran Mor, Glasgow. Tickets £10
Thu 6/12 - Academy, Dublin. Tickets £16
Needtobreathe's new album The Reckoning is out now. Read the full review here.
Click here to buy the album The Reckoning
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw