Attendant are an amazing new rock band bringing hard rock back to the forefront of the grunge genre. If you haven’t checked them out yet, you can find their track, A.I.T.A, at the end of this interview – make sure you give the song a listen!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a track titled A.I.T.A, which we reviewed. What can you tell us about the song and what does the title stand for?
Yeah, thanks for the review! It’s written from the POV of a guy with no empathy or self-awareness – that psychopath that everyone seems to have dated at some point in their life. It’s his inner monologue as he goes around being unpleasant and blaming his shortcomings on everyone else. The title stands for Am I The Asshole?. It’s the name of a subreddit where users describe their interpersonal conflicts and invite others to judge who is at fault. Clearly this guy is an asshole, but is totally oblivious to it.
How has the reception been so far, and where can A.I.T.A be purchased?
This one’s been a slow burn, but it’s still gaining popularity almost a month after release, which is great. Better than having a brilliant first week and then fading into obscurity! The coolest thing is the messages we’ve had from people who really dig it. Musicians have this obsession with streaming numbers – we’re all guilty of it – but nothing beats someone telling you they love your music.
You have another track coming out soon, called Failing Grace. What can you tell us about that song? I hear its part of a trilogy?
Yes! It’s the last of a set we recorded with producer Alex Loring almost a year ago now – the others being Blockade and A.I.T.A. This one’s probably the most serious and emotional of the three. It’s an appeal against society’s policing of women’s choices. The subject, Grace, is made to believe she’s failing, when in fact the world is failing her. It repeats the lyric, “we’re on your side” – which sounds like reassurance, but is actually meant in a sinister, gaslighting way – like when people say, “it’s for your own good”. Society is very often not on women’s side.
Do you have any more singles planned for release after Failing Grace?
Loads more. We’re back in the studio with Alex right now, recording five more tracks. We’ve pretty much finished four of them. The next one after Failing Grace should be released around January, if all goes to plan.
Are there any plans to release an album or EP?
We’re currently trying to figure that one out. We’ve certainly got enough material for an album, and releasing one is kind of a bucket list thing – but an EP might make more sense at this stage. That’s not really an answer, is it? As soon as we’ve got a plan, we’ll let you know!
Has the pandemic hindered your work much?
I’d say it both helped and hindered us. At first, it was the whole reason the band got off the ground. I was bored in lockdown and needed something to channel my energy into. But then came all the on/off lockdowns and self-isolations, which caused a whole bunch of studio cancellations and lost momentum. It was tough for everyone.
Your music has elements of hard rock, alt rock and grunge. What/who influences you most as artists? What have you been listening to recently?
We started out wanting to make grunge-sounding stuff, but I think our sound is broadening. I’ve learned to ‘embrace the weird’ a bit. I’ve always had ideas that I’ve written off as being too out-there, but I’ve started developing them and they’re turning out to be some of our best songs. I love bands that fuse or defy genres. Blur’s Parklife was one of the first albums I bought. The songwriting in that is so diverse – going from disco, to punk, to indie, to dream pop. Green Day’s Nimrod is another. There are heaps of contemporary bands doing interesting stuff too – Dead Pony, Tigercub, Big Spring, Fangclub, Sick Joy, Paerish, Drug Church – I could go on forever.
Where are you based? What is the music scene like in your part of the world?
We have one foot in London and one in Farnborough, Hampshire. London’s music scene is brilliant, and always has been. The Farnborough area has produced some amazing bands – Reuben and Hundred Reasons are probably the big ones – but the scene has suffered a bit recently. Our favourite local venue, the Tumbledown Dick, got shut down and turned into a McDonalds. We still have the West End Centre in Aldershot though, which is an incredible music hub.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
We’re having a few conversations about potential dates early next year, but nothing concrete yet. If any promoters are interested, get in touch!
Any last words for the fans?
Yeah, a shout-out to some of the bands we’ve met on and offline the last couple of years: Alter Apex, Beige, Dude Safari, Maya Lakhani, Honeycub, Minus Satellite. We all started out at roughly the same time, and it’s great to see them out there killing it. Go check them out.