In our latest band spotlight, we chat to Some Bodies about their music, inspirations and more. We bloody love this band.
Earlier in the month the Bristol band released their indie-rock, psych-soaked debut album ‘Sunscreen’. An adventure island surrounded by waves of nostalgia and built on a foundation of blissful, retrocentric rock, Some Bodies shape a world over the course of ten impeccably produced pop nuggets that’s distorted yet inviting, told from the point of view of a band looking back at their youth. The band headline London’s Waiting Room on Thursday 28th.
S] How are you guys today?
Currently we are sitting in a farmhouse just outside Glasgow with no central heating. We are bored to death. All we can think to do this evening is attempt to conduct a seance. We are going to draw a pentagram on the floor, light some candles and see what happens. Hopefully we summon something mildly entertaining.
S] What inspires your sound, outside of music (think specific people, and places)?
Fantasy really. When we were writing the album we dreamt up this rubbish tropical island that was boiling hot with plastic all over the beaches. We imagined fast forwarding a Martin Parr photograph 35 years into the middle of an environmental disaster; all the holiday makers just soldiering on, oiled up and forcing smiles.
S] What would you say the biggest challenges you face as artists?
Everyone moans about the economics of it but just putting something out there into the world and saying “I made this and think it’s worthy of you paying attention” is weird and takes some courage. A bit of hard work and struggle is good but it’s more often than not a bit embarrassing to say “I’m trying to be an artist”. Strangely, there’s loads of people all trying to do it… We are five white dudes in a band; everyone knows the world doesn’t need that. Yet, here we are!
S] How do you define success as a band?
If we don’t completely hate the songs a few months down the line and we haven’t fallen out. We’ve only done one record so far but we are all proud of it. If we go on putting stuff out we are proud of, that’s winning. Hopefully we will get better as songwriters and musicians along the way. Hopefully we keep making stuff that is different to what we’ve done before. Hopefully someone likes it.
S] What inspired single ‘Ain’t Over Yet’?
Wrote this one a long time ago so it’s hard to remember. It was mid one of many existential crises; the chorus seemed to just jump out of the ether with a hug and say “don’t worry about it mate”. Cosmic. It’s unusual for us to do something so vague and open ended. It’s also unusual for a song to have so few attempts at being caustic or witty. We squeezed a little bit in with the line “I need more time, to do more waiting”. But we didn’t overthink it like we do the others.
S] Thanks for your time!
It’s been a pleasure. Bill is in the post.
