Having already established themselves as one of the UK's most promising newcomers, with festival performances at BST Hyde Park, Camp Bestival and Into The Wild already under their belt, London-based outfit The Curious recently stepped back into the studio for the first time in a year to record their latest single 'My Only'.
Recorded at Lightship95 and mastered at Metropolis, the group explain that "the song is about a girl who lives in a society where she feels like she's consistently being lied to from all angles, except from the person she feels closest to."
With its thunderous guitars coupled with euphoric synths, the band's long-awaited return sees them follow in the footsteps of The 1975 with its bold and catchy direction.
So with their name back on everyone's lips, we sat down with them to find out more about their history and what has led them to this point in their career.
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What were the first instruments you fell in love with?
The first instrument for me was probably the harmonica, introduced to me by my grandad. Can’t remember the name of the song, but just stuck with me. Alex’s was the drums, Jay had a 12 string guitar at home which he used to play a lot, and Sam’s was the guitar because his teacher used to get it out at the end of the day at school.
What has been the most prominent inspiration behind your music so far?
We’ve always wanted to keep evolving, so with the recent stuff we’ve been writing, we’ve added the electronic element and found a middle ground with the ‘band’ sound that works for us.
What kind of music did you love as a teenager?
In high school I was listening to bands like The Killers, Kings of Leon, The Smiths, My Chemical Romance, which led me onto bands like Bombay Bicycle Club, Bloc Party and Two Door Cinema Club, and loads more bands who were around at the time. Jay said he wasn't really interested in music until he got to school and met his friend Nick, could both play guitar and started making light hearted competition out of who could do what better than the other; playing indie guitar riffs better than each other etc. which further led him onto loving indie music. Sam said that he just used to buy whatever was in the iTunes charts at the time with the vouchers he used to get for his birthday, and Alex’s genre of choice was 80s classic rock; ACDC, Guns ’N’ Roses.
When you wake up in the morning, what kind of music do you like to listen to?
Depends what mood we’re in really. Jay said ‘Bang a Gong’ by T.Rex, which Sam had never heard of.
How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?
A lot of lyrical content comes from everyones personal experiences and people around us, but in general, writing about situations that people can relate to and interpret in their own way.
What have been the most memorable moments in your career so far?
Gig wise, playing big stages for the first time at BST Hyde Park and Camp Bestival. Aside from playing, we rented out an Air BnB one time in Norfolk to get away and write a load of new tunes. It was good to change up the environment, and I think having a timeframe pushed us to get stuff done. Definitely the best writing/bonding experience we’ve had so far.
If you weren’t musicians, what other path do you think you might have taken?
I’d probably be a day trader, or ending up in acting or something. Sam used to do Football Analysis at Arsenal, so perhaps something sports related. Jay wanted to be an architect but then realised you had to be good at maths, and Alex could see himself cooking steaks under Gordon Ramsey or something to do with interior design.
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The Curious' new single 'My Only' is available to stream and download now. Check out the new video for it in the player below.