Having already shared stages with the likes of Mercury Prize nominee Anna Meredith, Bessie Turner and Nothing But Thieves, as well as received airplay on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music, and Kerrang Radio in recent months, British dream-pop duo Amethysts are now looking to continue their recent run of form with their latest single 'Alone'.
Produced by Shuta Shinoda (Hot Chip, Ghostpoet, Daughter), the new single 'Alone' sees the duo build a rich, atmospheric soundscape before reaching an explosive climax. Filled with sweet and sweeping vocals, an inviting direction, and some truly memorable moments, this new gem will fill your life with a warm and enticing spirit.
So with their new single out and about, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has inspired them most over the years.
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What were the first instruments you fell in love with?
Simon: Guitar! My parents are musical, my dad always had guitars and effects pedals that I used to play around with when I was young. They bought me a mini guitar when I was a kid and ever since I’ve been guitar mad!
What has been the most prominent inspiration behind your music so far?
Clarice: Lyrically, our songs are always about how you feel or the way things around you make you feel, then converting that into a piece of music and trying to hit the spot.
What kind of music did you love as teenagers?
Simon: When I was a teenager I was an emo kid.. I think Clarice was too actually. When I was about 16 I discovered electronic music and got really into that but before that I did go through an MCR phase. I mean I really got into guitar soloing in a big way as well in my teens, like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and all that good stuff. I spent all my money at the time trying to make my guitar sound like David Gilmour.
Can you remember the first song that made you want to pursue a life in music?
Simon: I was obsessed with Jimi Hendrix when I first picked up guitar but it wasn’t until I heard Radiohead for the first time that I really got into music in a big way. I think it was when I first heard Ok Computer and Kid A, it blew my mind and I was like ‘that’s what I want to do!’
When you wake up in the morning, what kind of music do you like to listen to?
Clarice: It changes depending on my mood but at the moment we’ve both been listening to a lot of The Japanese House in the kitchen when we first get up. She has a beautiful track called ‘Swimming Against The Tide’, it’s been getting a lot of plays in this house recently!
How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?
Clarice: A fair few of our songs are about relationships, situations and people in our lives... people assume our songs are generally love songs or about our relationship (we’re married if you didn’t already know) but they’re often not at all! We try to use symbolism and metaphors to make our songs accessible, so people can interpret them however they want to. They’re often not quite as straight forward subject wise as they first sound. It depends what emotions you are feeling at that moment when you listen to a song that allows it to take on a different meaning, it makes it personal for the listener and we like that.
What have been the most memorable moments in your career so far?
Simon: There’s been loads of great memories! We did an interview on Radio 1 once for BBC Introducing after a few pints. Graeme who was presenting bbc introducing in Suffolk at the time invited us to do it, took us to the pub before hand for a couple of drinks so we weren’t too nervous haha.
Clarice: We also played at latitude a few years ago, met loads of people backstage, was mad. I passed a toilet roll to Ellie from Wolf Alice and engaged in casual conversation about toilet cubicles... we also parked our little Ford Fiesta that we had at the time next to catfish and the bottleman’s massive double decker tour bus and still tried (and probably failed) to look cool.
Outside of music, what are your biggest passions?
Cats, gin, gemstones and crystals, faux fur coats, and anything Art Deco.
If you weren’t musicians, what other path do you think you might have taken?
Simon: We both still have day jobs at the moment (everyone knows how unforgiving a career in music is these days) BUT had I not gone into music, I probably would have been a struggling fine artist, painting abstract pictures of cats.
Clarice already has a pretty cool job actually, working for the brand ‘Modern Woman’. They have a magazine, do events, interview loads of inspirational women in music, sport and business, loads of really great stuff.
And what advice would you give to those looking to start a career in music?
Clarice: Do what you love! Sometimes people try and make music that they think is going to make them popular but just make the music you want to, and do it because you love it, that’s what it should be about!
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Amethysts' new single 'Alone' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.