Tell us about:

Your latest single you have released:

Ernie: Our 3^rd single ‘Private Joke Party’ came out on July 30^th . It’s a highly personal track, it was meant to be a B side and I’d had the riff knocking around for a while but after a pretty dark month of self-loathing and heartbreak, it emerged from the ashes fully formed; I fast tracked the recording, and I’m very proud of it. Musically, it bridges the gap between the desert rock of the first two singles and the faster, punkier tracks on the upcoming EP.

Your first single and how you felt when it was released:

Ernie: ‘Ladybird’ was our first single and it was a weird time, it dropped about a week before the UK went into the first lockdown so we haven’t had a chance to play it live or really enjoy it. But I was excited and nervous in equal measure, it was the first proper release I’d put out that I’d completely written so it was a bit odd. But the reception was overwhelmingly positive.

Your favourite song that you have created that is an album track:

Ernie: There’s a track called ‘Pulling Thread’ that hasn’t really got a place anywhere yet, but it’s a huge riff and a big stadium chorus, but it didn’t quite fit with the aural aesthetic of the recent singles or the upcoming EP. So, we’ll see where it ends up in the end.

Your favourite song to play live:

Ernie: I love playing Mallrats, it’s our opener and it’s super-fast paced so it gets everything kicking off right off the bat. They’re all great fun in their own way, we’ve all got our favourite parts live. ‘Heathers’ has a big singalong chorus so everyone singing that back to me always feels pretty special!

Your most emotional track:

Ernie: ‘Private Joke Party’ is still pretty raw lyrically, not sure I’ll cope with that one live, and there’s a song on the EP called ‘Cosmic Valentine’ so they’re both pretty honest and from a dark place. All the songs I write are about my experiences and mental health, which haven’t been too positive for the last few years. ‘Treason’ is all about a friend betraying you too, they’re all pretty deep personal.

The best lyric you have ever written:

Ernie: Christ I’m not sure. There’s one line on PJP that goes “So this is how it feels to be drowning on dry land”. It’s a pretty apt description of going through some sort of grief and struggling a lot, when you can’t breathe wherever you are. That’s the one that comes to mind now.

Describe the feeling you get when you walk on stage to do a show:

Ernie: It’s pure adrenaline, 50% nerves and 50% excitement. It’s that lightning in a bottle, calm before the storm feeling that you can’t replicate any other way. It’s been noticeably absent over the last couple of years, I can’t wait to play shows again.

The hardest track to play live:

Ernie: There’s a song from the EP called Wishkah that isn’t technically difficult but it involves a lot of tap dancing pedal wise, so playing guitar, singing and hopping about all at once can get a bit tricky. I should probably invest in a midi switcher at some point but that’s money. Most of the songs start as instrumental demos, so once I start learning it for live I realise they’re pretty difficult to sing and play at the same time.

Essential items you always take on tour with you?

Ernie: I carry a notebook for writing lyrics wherever I go day to day, so that’s number one. And probably a laptop for working on ideas and art on the road. I got a Nintendo switch during lockdown to pass the time, so I can imagine that’ll help pass the time wherever. Toothbrush, beard balm, clean boxers – all that usual bollocks.

Describe your fans in three words:

Ernie: Passionate, Oddball, Legends.

A song by another artist or band you wish you had written:

Ernie: ‘Black’ by Pearl Jam continues to floor me on every listen. It’s so hauntingly powerful, and if you’ve ever been through any type of loss the lyrics just decimate you emotionally.

What we can look forward to from your band this year:

Ernie: Once we drop the new single, we’re playing our first show in 22 months. After that we start recording the new EP in the middle of August, and then we’ll just be playing as many shows as physically possible!