Now you've had a flavour of Fatherson's recent Dundee gig from our review but now we are treating you to a wee interview talking all things musical and conveniently their BRAND NEW album 'Sum of All Your Parts.' Wee plug there but it had to be done. Enjoy.
Diving in at the deep end how would you describe your style of music and what other artists would you compare yourselves to and are influenced by?
Mark: 'I always say an alternative rock band but especially with this new album we took a lot of inspiration from American indie bands so we love like 'Manchester Orchestra' and bands like 'Death Cab for Cutie' and 'Weezer' so they're bands we kinda sound similar to.'
So you have mentioned folk you have a similar sound to/took inspiration from, so why should we listen to you over them?
Mark: 'Because we're better.'
[Canny say they dinny get straight to the point eh]
So you mentioned your new album 'Sum of All Your Parts' which came out on the 14th of September, it's still early days but what's the reaction been like?
Greg: 'It's been really good actually. It's been our baby for the past 6 months but in the past 4 days it's become everyone's which is nice but kind of nerve-racking thing.'
Mark: 'I waited up until midnight on Thursday when it came out and then saw everyone tweeting that they're listening to it I was like 'right this is cool, some people out there care.'
Ross: 'It's been nice to see as well that even though the album's only been out since Friday we've been playing and a couple of songs that aren't singles people are singing along and know all the words.'
What's the writing and recording process been like for this album and how has it changed from the past 2?
Mark: 'After the tour for the 2nd album we unloaded into a studio we found in Ibrox and then spent everyday in there writing, playing together, recording some demos and just getting the whole thing ready. Just took our time then in January when we finished the album we went down to Castleford to a residential studio and worked there for a month with a guy called Claudius Mittendorfer.'
[Great name by the way]
Mark: 'With the 2nd album we did like an intensive 2 weeks of like 'shit we need to get an album together' which is a lot more efficient but it's a different result. This one is a different sound but it still appeals to people that liked the first 2 albums, it's not fluegelhorn or anything.'
Greg: 'Nah that's the next album.'
What's your writing style like?
Ross: 'We don't have a paint by numbers set way of doing it and that's what keeps it interesting. With the 3rd record it's been about making music for us as much as it is for a fanbase. We want to live with it forever and be like 'that's the coolest fucking record we ever made' rather than going 'that might do', fuck that, was that cool or was that not cool? It was. So I think all 3 of us can come away knowing we took it round the houses 100 times and where we ended up we're super fucking happy with.'
From 'I am an Island' released in 2014 to 'Sum of All Your Parts' in 2018 and 1 album in between, how would you say the sound has evolved?
Greg: 'The 1st album was made into an album but this new one we've wrote an album. We had a rough idea of the sound we wanted but it was a malleable concept. We didn't know what we wanted the album to be but we knew what we wanted the album to be...which doesn't really make sense.'
[Yeah it doesn't but there's a point in there somewhere]
Mark: 'I'd describe it as the 1st album we kinda established who we are as a band whereas for this one we went back and regrouped, revaluated what we were doing as a band and took a step in a different direction but still in the same world.'
[Wee bit clearer to understand]
Greg: 'We knew what we wanted it to be but we didn't know how we wanted it to sound, is exactly what I meant to say.'
[10/10 for effort mate]
So what's your top track each from the album?
Mark: 'Today it's 'Building a Wall' but it always changes.'
Ross: 'So refreshing to see the singles haven't out weighed the album tracks, there's a reason all the song titles are on the album cover because that's how we want people to listen to it all and consume it as a whole thing.'
Mark: 'So what's your favourite song?'
[Eh excuse me, my job!]
Greg: 'Ehh…'The Rain.'
Ross: ' I would say a song called 'Ghost' is my favourite at the moment.'
So what's the game plan to take the album out live? Where can we expect to hear you?
Mark: 'We're going on tour in October which starts off in Ireland then through England then over to Europe. We then finish up in Glasgow for a show in the Barrowlands which is sold out.'
[No excuse no to go to a gig then, they're everywhere]
What is your most memorable gig to date?
Mark: 'We played a gig last year in what used to be a limestone quarry in Sweden in the middle of nowhere surrounded by forrest, that was just insane.'
[Not what I was expecting at all and not quiet sure what can top that]
Greg: 'Playing a gig in New York in a venue called Pianos and there was people there who had driven from places like Philadelphia. We're just 3 wee guys from Killie and folk have driven 3 and a half hours in a continent we've never been to before to come see us play.'
Finally who is your music guilty pleasure?
Greg: 'Celine Dion - 'It's All Coming Back to Me Now'
Ross: 'Demi Lovato - 'Sorry Not Sorry.'
Mark: 'I honestly don't think I have an answer to this I just like shite music.'
First of all well done if you made it to the end this was a long ass interview but what can I say they are a lovely bunch of lads. Thank you so much to Mark, Ross and Greg and their management, Bruce and Michael, for fitting a wee chat into their busy schedule. Best of luck with the album and tour!
LINKS N STUFF:
LISTEN TO NEW ALBUM 'SUM OF ALL YOUR PARTS' ON SPOTIFY HERE!
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/fatherson/
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