It’s always good to hear from more local artists and we’ve got a killer one here for you! Between The Frames is an artist with an alt-pop/rock sound that is set to light the world on fire, as track Chin Up Kid shows. He’s looking to start touring soon, so please keep an eye out if you like his sound!

By Jane Howkins

You released a single titled Chin Up Kid. What can you tell us about the track?

This track is very personal to me and came about in the space of a few weeks. The concept behind the song came from meeting a friend on TikTok back in November last year who was going through a tough time in her life after breaking up with her ex-boyfriend, and I could see how much she was struggling with keeping things together and just doing the daily stuff in life and it just inspired me to write this song. We all go through rough patches and I wanted to write something that would relate to a wide variety of people and give a positive message behind it to say things may be bad for you right now, but it will get better as time heals all wounds and those around you who love you will always be there no matter what. Initially I just posted a little clip on TikTok that I had written – I received so many comments and messages saying it was beautiful, so I knuckled down and here we are.

How has the reception to Chin Up Kid been so far, and where can the song be purchased?

I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from friends, family and fans of my work saying that every release gets better. I’ve even had some radio play on European Indie Music Network and Jericho Keys played the song on his BBC Introducing show for North Yorkshire which always feels like a privilege. The song can be found on any streaming platform and can be bought on Amazon as a digital download and Bandcamp.

Do you plan to release any more singles in the near future?

I am currently working on a re-release of one of my favourite songs released under my previous artist name and some new singles to come later in 2023, which I think people will definitely enjoy.

An EP was released at the end of last year, titled States & Fortunes. What can you tell us about the EP?

States & Fortunes was created from my time travelling America in 2018 and watching one of my favourite sitcoms How I Met Your Mother and other romcom films. The songs written for that EP are a collection of my thoughts and feelings from one of the most incredible summers of my life thus far, but they are intertwined with story-telling that would be perfect on a romcom film.

Do you plan to release an album anytime soon?

A: Not an album, but I am planning to release a brand new EP in 2024 which will be titled Pictures For All My Friends. I am still working on the songs for it and I currently have some demos which are ready to be turned into full songs, which will be dedicated to my friends through our time growing up in York. You could say it’s somewhat sentimental and I can’t wait to release that body of work.

Your music has an alt-pop sound. What/who influences you most as an artist? What have you been listening to recently?

My biggest influence are The 1975, I just love how diverse their songs are and they don’t sit in one box of genres which I think can definitely be heard in all of my tracks. Other influences include Picture This, Taylor Swift, The Killers and All Time Low to name a few others. I’ve been listening to a lot of indie music as of late and alternative rock music will always be my main genre I listen to to inspire me.

What do you think is the biggest challenge in the music business at the moment?
For me personally, being a solo, unsigned artist, I feel the biggest challenge is getting music out there to new listeners and finding new ways to grow and connect with ‘real fans’. TikTok and Instagram have proved to be instrumental marketing tools for sure. But I think once I get out there and start performing and playing some local shows, growing my fan base shouldn’t be too much of a problem. It’s just getting to that point and feeling comfortable playing live which I haven’t done properly since university.

Where are you based? How is the music scene faring at the moment?

I am currently based in York, I feel that York’s music scene currently is very much full of singer songwriters and folk based music. Which might be a good thing for me as I don’t believe there are a lot of indie pop/pop-rock artists or bands making the music I am currently making.

Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?

I haven’t got any tours planned yet, I’m still working out how I’m going to do it solo but I am planning to go out into York and do some busking and play some open mic nights. Once I start putting myself out there and have some dates planned I will be releasing them on all of my socials, so people can come and drop by and have a listen.

Any last words for the fans?

If you’re a fan of The 1975 or pop-rock music in general, I think you will definitely enjoy my music and what I have in store next. There’s some new exciting things coming so keep your ears and eyes peeled. If you’re already a fan of my stuff then thank you for listening and supporting my work.