Following a flurry of impactful offerings these last few years, emerging outfit Don't Wake The Neighbours are back on the grind once again to deliver their anthemic new single 'My Place In The Sun'.
Exploring more of that bold and driven indie-rock aesthetic they have been cultivating since they first emerged, 'My Place In The Sun' makes for a stellar return for them. With its raw and explosive textures, pulsing atmosphere, and killer hooks layered throughout, they are certainly looking to get us up and out of our seats with this one.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has been inspiring them most over the years.
-
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I grew up playing the piano, we have one in the study at my parents house and I used to sit and pick out melodies to songs I liked. As I grew up I started to teach myself how to play chords and play along to songs I’d heard on the radio and that’s how I started to write my own songs too. I always love going back home and playing that same piano, I love the nostalgia of it.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Growing up, my parents would play me some of their favourite albums, we didn’t listen to a lot of the radio, but lots of cds. I loved Elton John, Queen, Bowie, and the likes. I remember listening to ABBA Gold on repeat for weeks. I think that’s really influenced how I write songs now.
What was the first album you remember owning?
The first track I ever bought for myself was Highway to Hell by AC/DC, and the first album was the soundtrack to Begin Again, one of my favourite movies. Before I knew about streaming platforms, I would save £10 each month to buy 10 99p songs on iTunes, so it was quite an eclectic mix of genres.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
God Only Knows by the Beach Boys is (and will always be) my favourite song. Every time I hear it, it makes me peaceful, and every word is so beautifully crafted into the arrangement of the song.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I like to have something playing in the background while I write, something that’s not going to distract me, but something to fill the silence while I’m not playing. I find old sports games where I already know the result very helpful, just noise that’s constant. I also often find myself thinking of a melody or a lyric moments before I’m about to go to sleep, so I’ve got tons of 2am voice notes of me just humming something random in the middle of the night. One thing that helps me write is to have a title before I write the song, I find it always gives me something to come back to when I’m not sure of the direction I want to go in.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
My favourite band right now is The Hives, I saw them 4 times on their last tour and I’m seeing them 4 more times this year. Their energy on stage is something we as a band try to replicate in our own way. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Ghost, their musical arrangements are so interesting and well thought out and recently a lot of what I have been writing has lots of those elements in. I tend to find that my music replicates a lot of what I’ve been listening to while I write it, but carrying over my own style too.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
There’s so many bands I would love to open for, but having said The Hives are my favourite band already, I think it would be wrong not to say them. They have inspired the way I write songs so much, and I think our music would compliment very well with theirs. If not The Hives, then I’d say AM era Arctic Monkeys. Again, I think the music would compliment very nicely, and I think just being in a room with them would make us better musicians.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
The most rewarding thing for me, personally, is getting to meet new people through making music. I’ve found that hanging out in the smoking area after a gig is the best way to speak to new people and actually build connections with those who have enjoyed our set. Getting messages from fans online saying they love our songs and they can’t wait to see us play is such a wonderful feeling. I love getting to share something I love with people who love it too.
And what is the most frustrating part?
The most frustrating part has to be putting in so much work for very little reward, but at the end of the day, getting to make music is a reward in itself, so I can’t really complain. On a more general note, trying to make 17:00 soundchecks on the other side of the city after finishing work at 16:00 is tricky.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Finish every song, no matter how bad you think it is. If you’ve got writer’s block, and you can’t write something good, then write the stupidest thing that comes to mind, and just finish a song. Keep going until you feel like you’re back at your best, and then you have all that material to revisit, maybe the chorus is great? Maybe the melody is really catchy but you just need to change the lyrics. Even at your worst you can create some of your best, it just needs time to grow.
-
Don't Wake The Neighbours' new single 'My Place In The Sun' is out now. Check it out in the player below.