O Emperor
O Emperor are back with their brand new album Vitreous; the follow up to the successful Hither Thither.
We caught up with Paul Savage from the band to chat about the new record, the change in sound and what lies ahead.
- Your new album Vitreous was released last week but for anyone who hasn't heard it yet what can fans expect?
I think it is a little bit different to that album - but if they haven't heard that then I suppose this is new. We just wanted to branch out from what we did the first time. I think that there is a lot more of colour and it is a more bizarre than out first record.
I am not really sure what people can expect because it depends on what they have heard before. But it's a colourful album that is weird and bizarre and slightly schizophrenic in styles.
- You have touched on my next question as this is a completely different sound to the debut. So how conscious a choice was that? Or was it simply something that just happened?
We were conscious of trying something a little bit different so we built our own studio space and so we had a lot of time to experiment with different things. Id did us a couple of months for us to find out what that was.
But we definitely wanted to branch out and explore new sounds that we didn't touch on with the first album.
- How do you feel that you have developed as a band and musicians between the release of Hither Thither and Vitreous?
We have toured a lot since the first album and we have recorded a lot as well; so I suppose that we have got comfortable recording in a studio and producing ourselves.
I guess that comes from playing a lot together and being assured of what you want to get out of being in the studio and being able to take plenty of time to get that.
- How have you found the response to the record so far?
It has been really good, yeah. We have been very happy with the response so far; especially overseas. This is the first time that we are really branching out of Ireland.
We have been getting a good response from Europe and the UK, and hopefully we are going to build on it and play more shows and gather some momentum.
- This is the first independent release for the band, so how big a transition was it moving away from a label?
I guess it just naturally went that way. We recorded the first album half ourselves and then did the rest in the studio. We then licensed it to the label; it wasn't the major deal that you might think it was.
It was released in Ireland through that label and through that distribution. It suppose it was almost handled like an independent release as we did the recording and most of the marketing and promotion ourselves; it was more like a distribution deal. So not an awful lot has changed really.
- When you release something independently a huge amount of creative freedom comes with that, so how much is that something that you have enjoyed?
Oh a lot. We didn't know what we were going to make on this record, and that really did take us a while to figure out.
If you had someone pressing you with deadlines and certain singles then I don't think that process would have been allowed to take place; we just wouldn't have made the record that we have made had it been in a studio environment or with a label looking over you.
I think we just needed to just spend half the time messing around and half the time recording to come up with something that is relaxed and that has a playful sound to it. And I think that that sound really did come from having that freedom.
- Now that you have that freedom is it something that you want to stick with or are you looking for another label?
There are always labels out there will encourage you to do what you do, so I wouldn’t rule out looking for a label. We are certainly enjoying just being able to put it out and tour at the moment.
Being able to sell the record at shows is the nicest thing as you are selling it to people who want to buy it. The way that the industry has gone means that there are actually less shops that actually sell records, and a lot of is now either direct or online.
We are enjoying it but I certainly wouldn't rule it out. Further a field when we are looking to the UK or America then a label would be helpful.
- You are going to be playing a string of shows in the UK from 7th September so how excited are you to be getting out and bringing these new tracks to a live audience?
We haven't played in the UK for three or four years and so we are really looking forward to playing. We have played London a few times over the last couple of years but we haven't branched out all that much.
We are really excited to play them and the show is really coming together as well.
- The band has been playing some gigs in Europe already so how have they been going down?
They have been great. We have had a couple of them so far and it is really nice to be seeing a reaction; that reaction has been really good and positive.
- What can fans who have a ticket for the UK shows expect from the gig?
I think we are really starting to develop some of the new tracks. We have never really taken them into a live setting before this and now they are really are starting to grow and develop into live songs.
So I think that it will be a little bit different than the record; it is a different beast in its own right. So it is going to be different from the record but it will be equally exciting.
- Everyone in the band met when you were in school but how did the band come about?
We all knew each other in school and we all played in different pub bands and cover bands. We all ended up in college in Cork and we ended up playing and recording together.
Throughout our college years we developed and then when we finished we properly formed as a band and started touring more.
- You have mentioned America, so is that something that is on the horizon for O Emperor over the next twelve months or so?
It would be certainly interesting. It is a lot to take on - especially as an indie band - but it is something that we are making plans for in the near future.
- Finally what is next for you?
I think we are just going to be gigging most of this year. We have got a good few shows back in Ireland and then we will be playing shows in the UK and the rest of Europe towards the rest of the year.
I think that we will be touring this record for a while and building it up over the next six months; maybe even into the summer. Because we have out own studio we might start to record during the years on off weeks and try to develop something.
O Emperor - Vitreous is out now.