Benedict Watson
modernlove. are an upcoming Irish pop band, who have recently toured America for the first time and released their third EP ‘Nightlife’. They will embark on another tour of the US in August, followed by UK dates in October. Impact’s Benedict Watson speaks to modernlove’s Danny and Barry on musical style, personal preferences, and what’s to come.
You’ve released 3 EPs so far, is there a debut album on the way?
modernlove: I think the plan is for one more EP, then a debut album. Hopefully the album will be next year.
it’s always been based around songs that make you want to dance
How would you describe your music and how can you see it evolving?
modernlove: We do explore quite a few genres of music, but it’s always been based around songs that make you want to dance. At the core of every song, it’s just a pop song, but the elements that support that are different each time. Whether that be rocky power chords or more electronic sounds like in Take My Head and Solipsis. We have come from different backgrounds in music and we all listen to everything.
Why do you think there are so many great bands coming out of Ireland at the moment?
modernlove: I’m not sure, there’s always been great music here. Irish folk music is some of my favourite music ever. I don’t know why recently it’s become such a big thing worldwide with Fontaines and Inhaler and stuff like that. Maybe Irish artists are a bit more confident that they can reach an audience nowadays with TikTok and stuff. You don’t have to be signed to a label in London or LA, you can be from anywhere now and still create a fanbase.
You recently toured America for the first time, how was that?
modernlove: It was mental, a lot of driving! It was a dream come true, touring the US was the ultimate goal for the band and to do that ‘movie road trip’. The only thing with touring is you are working the whole time, and you go to places you’ve always wanted to see but you arrive on the day, play your gig and you have another gig the next day, so you need to take it all in as it happens. Even a month or two after, we were looking back and thinking, ‘Did that actually happen?’. It felt like it happened to someone else.
songs are most exciting when you’re writing them
What would you say are your favourite modernlove. songs?
modernlove: They are always changing. It’s whatever we are working on at the time. Only Ever Only You is really fun to play live. Songs are most exciting when you’re writing them and you can still change things around. Once you’ve released them into the world, they aren’t really ours anymore, they belong to everyone. If we ever listen to one after it’s been released and think ‘Oh, that could have been done better’ it kind of drives you mad.
Come Over x is your slowest song, and it’s on the first EP, are there any plans to introduce more slow songs in the future?
modernlove: Yeah I think so, an album is a good vehicle to do that. With the EPs, we’re trying to be as ambitious as possible to have people hear of us and that often happens by having every song be this exciting dance song. With an album you aren’t writing individual songs, you’re writing a body of work where the songs work with each other, so I think there’s a lot more space to have those ‘chiller’ songs. Maybe some ambient stuff, more jazzy/RnB, we have a lot of demos like that.
How do you find cover art for your EPs?
modernlove: We think about the song and think about the facilities available to us, and think about how we can recreate the vibe of the song as best we can. When we have more money we’ll probably just pay someone to do it, someone a bit better at it than us, instead of me running around Dublin with a Polaroid!
Quickfire Questions:
The Strokes or Arctic Monkeys?
Danny A: The Strokes
Barry A: The Strokes
What’s the best gig you’ve been to?
Barry A: U2, The 1975 in the 3Arena.
Danny A: LCD Soundsystem at Glastonbury.
Night in or night out?
Barry A: Night Out
Danny A: Night Out
Bombay Bicycle Club or Bloc Party?
Barry A: Oh no! Bombay Bicycle Club just commented on one of our videos so I have to say Bombay Bicycle Club for now, but it’s a close one.
Danny A: Yeah I’ll go with Bombay.
If you were a fruit, which fruit would you be and why?
Barry A: I’d be a raisin, because all the life has been sucked out of me. I’m always dehydrated, being hungover.
Danny A: I’d just be a banana, it’s nice and simple, straight to the point.
Thank you very much to Danny and Barry from modernlove. for their time!
Benedict Watson
Featured image courtesy of Ian Cheek. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
In article video courtesy of modernlove. via Youtube.com. No changes were made to this video..
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