Following the release of their new single last week, we got the chance to chat to Scottish quarter Model Aeroplanes all about their music, plans for the future and more...
Model Aeroplanes
(Answered by Ben Buist)
For those who haven't yet heard your music, how best would you describe yourself as an artist?
Soul-tinged indie-pop with music from the outer cosmos.
Has music always been a big part of your life?
We've always had an affinity with music. It's the most important thing in our lives and we're so grateful that we get to do it as a job, it's still very bizarre!
What are some of your earliest memories of music?
Listening to the Toploader version of 'Dancing in the Moonlight' cassette tape in my Mum's car literally non-stop. What an absolute tune.
How difficult would you say this industry is to make a name for yourself?
It's definitely not the easiest of career choices. Trying to make yourself known can be tough as there are a lot of talented bands and artists out there trying to do the same thing and the industry is totally ruthless. We believe that you get out what you put in! Definitely get ready for some sleepless nights in the studio, though.
Your new single 'Whatever Dress Suits You Better' is out now - can you tell us about the creative process behind that track?
[It's] the first track we wrote on the EP and has been through numerous changes and redrafts. It always goes down well live so we were really excited for people to be able to hear a proper studio version of it. It had to be on the EP for us. It's a song that we have really loved working on.
Where do you draw influence and inspiration from for your work?
Everywhere really, we like to take inspiration from real life; none of our lyrics tend to be fictional but often are cryptic metaphors so save us the massive embarrassment of the characters finding us out. Musically we like to just vibe on an idea for a stupid amount of hours until it sounds pretty.
How important is creative control for you when it comes to your work?
Very. I think we're lucky with the label we're on, in that respect, as they like to pretty much leave us to it. It's hard for us to force a certain styles of writing as we've all grown up writing as a four piece. We're on very similar wavelengths.
If you could collaborate with anybody on new material, who would you choose and why?
I think we'd have to collaborate with someone on the complete opposite end of the musical spectrum; possibly a rapper, as we're huge hip-hop fans and it'd just be so fun. So if you're reading this Kendrick [Lamar], give us a call.
You're the first UK act to sign to a major label deal through Universal's Spinnup - how does that feel?
It feels really special. We feel that Spinnup is going to give acts a chance to reach out to contacts in the industry that they may not have the opportunity to otherwise. We're really happy to have been a part of Spinnup and work with such a great team.
Finally, what else should we expect from you in the coming weeks and months?
Lots of gig announcements, stupid pictures of us doing daft things and definitely some new music!