Hailing from Xanthi in Greece, Underhill West are an alt rock and pop duo who have just released the follow up single to their worldwide success of an album, Mission. Called Celebrate, we chatted to the guys about the single and much more.
By Graeme Smith
“Our previous album Mission established a nostalgic, rusty ’80s powerful sound with lots of synthesizers and soundscapes due to its storytelling and lore,” they explain. “Celebrate is a single taking place in the same universe but focusing more on the groove and the real organic orchestration of our live set.”
‘Groove’ seems to be the operative word. As soon as the funky bass rhythm kicks in, you can’t help but move along. There’s a brightness to it all that will have you shaking off the world’s negativity. The duo attribute some of pop’s greats for the inspiration behind that bass line including Michael Jackson’s Thriller and The Weeknd’s Sacrifice.
It’s the track’s chorus that’s the real highlight. A simple message, delivered effectively, we as listener are encouraged to throw ourselves into the party. A falsetto vocal borrows from party starters of yore like Chic’s Le Freak and more modern floor fillers like Daft Punk’s Lose Yourself to Dance.
There seems to be a chemistry between Michalis Chatzopoulos and Tasos Avramidis, the two members of Underhill West, which must be part of their success, but it’s not all smiles and sunshine. “That’s the secret of being in a band successfully” they say. “Creating the algorithm of resolving the conflicts and disagreements. That’s where harmony starts.
“Nobody wants to be in a band with people exactly the same as him; it would be boring. We discuss stuff at length, exploring our deepest desires behind music, being honest about how much we want what we present, trusting and supporting the other persons vision as well as ours. It is important to ensure that everybody is equally satisfied in this band.”
Over here in the UK, when we hear the name Xanthi, we think of lairy tourists wrecking havoc abroad. “Greece is associated with entertainment mostly, clubs and bars,” the band say about it. “Being a band that actually works in our country means being in a cover band playing at bars, parties, weddings or in hotels during the Summer season…. the challenge is to balance yourself between being two organizations at the same time: a cover band for most of the set live (introducing a few or more originals per show) and an original indie pop band launching music on the internet. We still feel blessed to have to play all that music everyday.”
And we’re certainly blessed that they continue to do so. Celebrate is a wonderful way in which to get acquainted with their sound, and there’s plenty more to come from an act who have already logged over two decades in the music industry. “We’re about to launch a new single around June,” they say, “some special versions of our latest music and focus on playing live during summer.”
I, for one, can’t wait to hear their new single. I hope you’ll be excited about it too after you’ve heard Celebrate. You can listen to it below.