If you like your indie rock with a nice melodic touch, then The Way After could be for you! Their track, You Built A Wall, really caught my attention – particularly since it’s only the band’s second release ever! If you missed it the first time round, give it a stream after this interview.
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a new track titled You Built A Wall. What can you tell us about the record?
It’s the first single to feature the whole band. I’ve jokingly referred to it as “neo-Britpop”, but there might be something in that – there’s some nice Beatles-esque orchestration.
Some people have thought the song is about the big orange fella in America, but it really isn’t. It’s about communication barriers, and trying to talk to people outside of your echo chamber.
What has the reception to You Built A Wall been so far, and where can it be purchased?
It’s been good – it came out in November but it’s still picking up airplay. It’s keeping the plates spinning until the album’s ready.
You can buy it on Bandcamp or you can pre-order the album – it’s one of the four songs that will be immediately available when you pre-order.
You also have a new album coming out soon titled Musical Statues. What can you tell us about the record and when is it due out?
It started out as a solo project, and then sort of morphed into a band halfway through recording. So it’s a guitar album, but with a core of acoustic songs at it’s heart. It’s quite 60s influenced, there’s traces of folk, psych, and James and Dave have added a lot to it. The songs are good, the lyrics are thoughtful – there’s a lot to like about it.
It’s available to pre-order on Bandcamp from March 1st, but we just want to get it out there so it’ll be up on Spotify and all the usual places in June.
Do you have any singles planned for release from the album?
Aside from the first two singles, we’ve got two preview songs that will be available to everyone who pre-orders the album. Same Boat is an acoustic song I wrote during lockdown, it’s very gentle. The other song Limit is almost the complete opposite! I’m still waiting to hear the final mix, but the last I heard it was sounding pretty loud!
The album’s quite varied, and we wanted the preview tracks to reflect that.
Your music has a melodic indie sound. What/who were you most influenced by when making the record?
The Beatles, The Kinks, The Byrds, Elliott Smith, REM and Shack were probably my biggest songwriting influences for this particular album.
We’ve been in a band together in the past, and collectively we were into The Stone Roses. When James came on board for the album, he got me listening to The Everly Brothers for the harmonies. Big Star have been a influence on us both too.
For some of the rockier songs we’ve been going back to stuff like T-Rex, Nirvana… That’s kind of the direction I want to go in for the second album.
You’re based in both Coventry and London. What is the local music scene like in your areas?
I’m still new to Coventry, but I like what I’ve heard so far. Obviously Coventry has a famous heritage, and one of the first things I did was visit the house where 2-Tone Records was based. Hillz FM do a local artist chart and there’s some good stuff on that. I like a band called Project Overload. The Tin is a good venue, and there’s some good open mics around too.
How did the band get together? How does everything work, considering members are based between two different cities?
We met in school, and were in a band together as teenagers. I kept playing solo, and started work on an album a few years back but the deal fell through.
I had an album’s worth of songs with no home – so I started this album with James producing. We asked Dave to drum, and when lockdown happened we kept in touch throughout. The prospect of an album became something to keep us going, and the band started from that reconnection.
There’s been a lot of upheaval since, what with me moving to Coventry, and we’re trying to figure out the logistics of rehearsing and playing live once the album’s finished. Recording’s not an issue though – we can swap ideas by email, and I’m less than two hours from London by train. Distance has been the least of our worries!
Do you have anything else exciting coming up in the next few months?
The album! It’s available to pre-order from March 1st with a release date of June 1st. There’ll be videos for Limit and Same Boat available online, and we’ll be using the pre-order period to get the album manufactured. It’s been a life’s work, so I’m beyond relieved it’s finally getting out there.
Do you have any tour dates lined up?
Not yet, we’ve been sidetracked by recording. That said, we want to play few shows when the album’s out, so I’m doing a few acoustic gigs when I can to warm up. (This is basically a “come and get us” plea to any live promoters out there!)
Any last words for the fans?
Just “thank you” really – the reaction we’ve had from people over the last year has been really encouraging and has been a really pleasant surprise to us. I’m hoping people will like the album, as I’m already demoing the second one.