Perhaps one of the most genuinely interesting indie bands currently active in the UK is Liverpool Quartet. courtship.Originally emerging as an unsettling, socially conscious post-punk brand, they surprised fans with their eclectic work. 2022 debut album “Guitar Music”juxtaposes straight-up singalong anthems with distorted electronic experimentation and the punkish spirit of the original. Hitting the ground running immediately after this debut, the quartet began rehearsing their lines and setting the stage for their play/second record, New Last Name.After months of anticipation, our fictional artistic nemesis Slowbex and Last Minutes Olivia Rodrigo Coverthe curtain has finally come down and a new album has arrived.
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Thematically, Coating describes the record as a “theatrical love story”, stating: In that case, it would probably be a melancholy romantic movie…perhaps something like La La Land. ” This is immediately evident on tracks such as “Emily G,” which features fake characters. The band explains how the idea came about while on tour in Portugal: “We were at the airport and we started making up names for each other that were completely nonsensical. It started mostly as a joke, but then it just kept going and we were like, ‘Why don’t we actually use this concept for an album?’ “Isn’t it?” I thought. We did it so much that I think it actually seeped into our creative process. ”
But the concept of this play is more than just a pseudonym or a fictional story; the tracks are held together not only by sonic and lyrical motifs, but also by constant self-reference. “The overall content of the play was a little more in-depth. Around the time of my first album, ‘Guitar Music,’ I was listening to a ridiculous amount of music. I was listening to about three albums a day for a year, but this… As for the album, I listened to so many albums and had so many ideas that I didn’t need to listen to them again.Instead, I watched a ridiculous amount of movies that influenced the way I thought about this record. .”
“When someone reviews a movie, they do it based on its narrative and coherence, but they also give them points for style. Even if a movie has no story at all, they do it because it has an interesting aesthetic, or because it has an interesting aesthetic. That composition may be considered superior. I don’t think you can have a better angle in music.”
“People consume music in a completely different way than they consume other forms of art, and I often think there’s a lack of depth in the way people enjoy and analyze records. So we… The idea was, “How can we add depth to the record without making it overly complex?” That’s why he added this fictional story, this fictional setting in which the record exists, to help people explore the themes of the record more deeply. ”
In fact, this theatrical structure adds a narrative undercurrent to the song, adding even more dramatic grandeur. The tongue-in-cheek lyrics about fame and modern-day advertising on standout track “Flex” and the nostalgic nod to simpler times on opening track “Throw” are a testament to how the album lays out its thematic threads. This is just one example. Stepping up and revisiting past tracks with a newfound mindset in the second half of the record. However, the band explains that the concept allows for more creative freedom and vulnerability. “It gives you that David Bowie kind of thing of creating a character and getting used to it. It’s like catharsis, of acting through a persona rather than yourself. Because knowing that you’re receiving the art as if it were from a fictional character and not as your own makes it feel more personal.”
The album is certainly enhanced by this theatrical narrative, but it doesn’t immerse itself in the concept. Singles “Flex,” “Throw,” “Emily G,” and “We Look Good Together (Big Words)” are fun, quirky, Gen Z anthems at their core that tap into the energy of acts like It exudes a youthful playfulness. 1975 and sports teams. The concept of the play is not forced, but provided, and Koring said this was very intentional.
“We knew it was incredibly difficult to make a concept album, but I think it’s even more difficult to make a concept album where the concept doesn’t fully influence the music. When we talk about classic records like “The Wall,” it’s more well known for its concept than its music, but we obviously wanted our record to be something like that. He was not there. The concepts should blend seamlessly. If you want to follow the traces of hints we’ve woven throughout the album, you can do that, but if you want to ignore it completely and listen to it like a record, you can do that too. ”
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An unlikely source that helped them focus on the quality of the tracks and not get distracted by the story was The Cribs’ Gary and Ryan German. After liking some of the album’s early demos, the pair headed to Liverpool to work on “Throw” and “The Wedding.” The process was equally surreal and beneficial to all members of the coating.
“They’re some of the most knowledgeable people we’ve ever met. We had a chance to come in and sit around while they were absorbed in these details, which was great. It’s really incredible when people you respect care about your art. They come in from the outside and say, “This is great, but maybe we can have harmony here.” I had such feeling. You can create a tone like this here. Those were things that were not overlooked by us. Obviously, they are known for all singing together and suggested we do something like that. So I sang the backing harmonies at the end of ‘Throw’ with them, and that night I went home and sat in bed and said, ‘Wait a minute, I spent all day in the studio singing with The Cribs…That’s crazy. That’s what I was thinking. It was truly a life-defining moment. ”
Coating certainly wasn’t expecting it when they started working on the album, but commented that there were many creative similarities between them and it was a perfect fit. “One of the things I think about us and The Cribs is that I think we have a similar approach to what we make. It’s, ‘How can we make really interesting pop music?’ . They have always focused on good melodies, but never compromised a good song for a good chorus. I think we do the same thing. We agree on some fundamental points. In fact, I think it was really flattering and reassuring to have a band that you really respect agree with us artistically on so many creative choices. ”
As well as this idea of not wanting the album to be overshadowed by the artistic concept, the band also refused to let the fun of the live show get lost in pretentiousness. “We don’t put too much effort into the theatrical narrative of the gig itself. With live shows, people want it to be a little more fun, and people want it to be silly. I think sometimes, as we crave artistic and interesting music, we lose sight of the fact that our gigs are essentially parties. We jokingly call ourselves the number one party band. But we really think it’s our job to make the live show feel like a celebration. It’s much more fun to play live while joking with the audience. If something goes wrong at a live show, It’s like an icebreaker between you and the audience. Everyone laughs and everything becomes a little more comfortable. The whole atmosphere of the show feels like you’re playing a song to a group of friends. Become.”
“Sometimes I’ve been to shows where everyone just watches and feels smart, but I wonder why no one dances. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, how clever.’ Masu. We don’t want the performance to be too intellectual. Even if the song isn’t inherently as stupid as the performance, it should be a little stupid, and the goal is to make everything a little more stupid in a live setting. But I’m sure that one day we’ll do an actual live show that seriously explores the themes of the play. ”
This simple desire for a euphoric and slightly messy sonic experience truly shines through on “New Last Name.” Even though every track is densely layered and each note is meticulously placed, it can still exude a wild, carefree spirit when needed. As the band themselves have said, this record can be enjoyed purely for the music, but the thematic narrative is an optional layer of depth that you can explore as you wish. This careful balance of complex lyrical and sonic concepts and uncomplicated indie hits highlights Coating as one of the most artistically intelligent acts in contemporary British music.
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“New Surname” is currently available.
words: james bouton
Photo credit: charlie berkeley harris