This summer sees The Robbie Boyd Band return with their third fantastic EP Painted Sky - which comes hot off the heels of the success of EP’s Spring Generation and Autumn’s Flown.
We caught up with Robbie Boyd to chat about the sound and style of the new EP and what is coming up for the band throughout the rest of the year.
- You are back with your new EP Painted Sky so what can fans expect from this new collection of tracks?
I guess it is a development of my sound as this is out third EP now. It has got some vaguely African vibes on it; Paul Simon style slightly John Mayer and early Noah And The Whale.
- You have slightly touched on my next question as you have slightly moved away from the folk sound of your first couple of records so was that a conscious decision? And how did you find yourself going down that path?
A couple of the tracks Alaska and Red Queen are very early songs that we have been playing for quite a long time. Before It Falls Apart and I Want You To Stay are the newest tracks that I have written and have started playing live.
I guess I am always mixing up styles so it is a crossover between pop, folk, country and rock and there is never really one genre that I felt that I fitted into. I guess this is quite an upbeat EP which is very much like out lives shows.
The previous EP’s haven’t come across that way and I think I really wanted to show more about what we are like live.
- How do you feel that you have developed as a musician and a songwriter over the last three EP’s as they have all come within the space of about twelve months?
Lyrically hopefully I am getting stronger. I am also having more fun and trying to put even more fun into it. I am still got a long way to go and I have still got a lot to learn (laughs)/
- How have you found the response to Painted Sky so far - it does some to be going down well?
It is still early days in terms of how the press are responding to it but two of the tracks have already been played on XFM, which is really nice. Lots of people have already pre-ordered it and having been saying some really good things about it.
We have also got the new video for I Want You To Stay, which is the lead single off the EP, and people have responded really well to that as well. Hopefully it will go down well.
- As you say Before It Falls Apart and I Want You To Stay are two of newest songs on the EP so have you had the chance to play them live and gauge what the fans are saying?
Yeah, definitely. Before It Falls Apart is now a really good opener and I Want You To Stay is really cool when all eight of us are on stage. People are responding really well to them.
I am writing new songs all of the time - I have written over two hundred songs - so I have got so many more songs that I am aching to get out there.
I am writing maybe a song a week and sending it to the band. But it takes so long from when you write a song to when you arrange it with the band and then getting into the studio and releasing it; it can take up to a year before a song even gets seen. I am just excited about the future.
- This is your third EP release and you are writing so many songs so is there a full album in the pipeline?
That was the original plan for this EP as in December we recorded eight songs and I was going to combine the previous singles.
But we decided to go with a third EP just to generate more of a buzz and then, hopefully, make more of a noise when we do the full album in the near future (laughs).
- Have you worked with a producer for this or have you done it yourself?
I have worked with the same producer the whole way through but just different engineers and studios. I have a really good connection with the producer. But on this EP we also worked with the same engineers as the second EP but in different studios.
So we really have stepped it up a level this time. When we do the full length album I will be looking to step it up even more - I have just been put in touch with some big producers. So who knows what is going to happen.
- How much is producing a side of making music that you enjoy?
It is a side that I enjoy as I love being in the studio as I feel at home there and I do like having a big say in what goes on.
After you have recorded it and you are doing the mixing and all the nitty gritty stuff that can be frustrated and I think that I am going to back off all of that stuff because it can ruin your fun of it. Ultimately I do love and I love the whole process of it.
- What is so great about all of your releases if the instrumentation that you have on there so how great is it getting into the studio with all of these talented artists? And how much is it a collaborative process between you all when making a record?
I am very lucky to work with such an amazing band. On this EP I have brought in the eighth member of the band who is a singer and plays the clarinet and the saxophone.
I also brought in some trumpets and cellos and trombones for Red Queen to really make it special. It is just amazing working with all of them and it really is a lot of fun.
The live shows in the last six months have varied as it really did depend on who was available to play with me; a lot of the time we have been playing as a five piece.
I write the full songs with the lyrics, chords, melodies and structure and then I take it to the band. Then we just have a jam in rehearsals and come up with nice little parts and work on how we can bring the song to life.
It is really amazing to see when a song is brought to life by the band and the effect that they all have on it.
- You are going to be back on stage on 3rd July at Bush Hall in London so what can we expect from the show?
Fireworks (laughs). It is going to be really upbeat and high tempo stuff as we love having fun on stage. Previously we have had people who come from Italy and further a field to our gigs, they must come for a reason. We have lot of fun instruments and high energy.
- Are there going to be more live shows as we go through the summer?
We have just got a new agent on board and he is the agent for Bellowhead and The Levellers, so that is really exciting.
He is in the middle of booking us some festivals as well as an autumn headline tour around the country, so we are looking forward to that. We are also hoping to go back to Argentina this year. So there are lots of exciting things in the pipeline.
- You are finding success here in the UK but how is your music being received overseas? Are there any American plans?
I would love to go to the U.S. next. We do have quite a following in the U.S. and I would love to go there either this year or next year.
Because of my busking - that is how I started out my career and building up the fan base - we have got a lot of international fans and that is how we have gone to places like France, Italy, Germany and Argentina.
Our tours there have all been amazing and really well received. So we just want to keep on building up the profile on an international level.
- Speaking of the likes of Facebook and Twitter how useful and important have they been in building up the fan base and getting your music out there?
They have been totally amazing as it is a great way to keep interacting with my fans and keeping the dialogue going. It also allows them to let us know what they think about the music and really build the relationship. So it has been great.
- Finally what is next for you as we go though the second half of the year?
There is the big headline tour around the UK in the autumn. We will also be releasing either another EP or a full length album. Hopefully we will be going back to Argentina and we want to play at as many festivals as possible.
The Robbie Boyd Band - Painted Sky EP is released 8th July.