Photo credit: readdork.com
Over two years since their electrifying debut album “My Love is Cool”. A Grammy Award nomination later, Wolf Alice are back and better than ever. Their upcoming second album “Visions of a Life” is out at the end of the month and I was extremely lucky to catch up with drummer Joel Amey about the new album, recording out in LA and relentlessly touring the globe.
Your second album “Vision of a Life” is out at the end of the month, would you say there is a big difference between the new album and “My Love is Cool”?
I think your two years older, all these things have happened to you and stuff, it can all kind of all become a heightened sense of reality kind of thing when you’re on tour. It’s going to affect you in a personal way and Wolf Alice’s writing style tends to look very inwards. Even as musicians we all just kind of got better – it’s something I would have never said in the past! We can actually play things we wouldn’t have been able to of played for ‘My Love is Cool’. Even having more time in the studio meant we can explore more ideas and try out things even if they didn’t work, it didn’t really matter. We’d say, “Let’s have another go tomorrow” and that’s the absolute luxury and we knew it was and we just utilised it basically. I think the whole record is bigger and bolder.
Obviously, you’ve had less time with these new songs…
Yeah, “Don’t delete the Kisses” had so many different forms. If it was the way we did the first record with that amount of time, it probably wouldn’t have ended up being how it is now. The fact was that it kind of sat in different ways for like a month and a half in the studio, let alone what it was like when we were writing it. So, it was lucky that we had time to do that.
What influenced this album? Anything musically, politically or an experience that you’ve had?
I think all these songs have had their own influences from over the last couple of years. A lot of the ideas were started whilst we were on tour, so there were different experiences there and stuff like the songs and lyrics. I think my main influence was just to try and get better on the drums and a become a better songwriter, writing stuff on tour and on the road. We all tend to write to emotions and the way we’ve been felling. Rather than writing to other bands that have been influencing us. That rarely seems to come into it with us really. Ellie is influenced by books and people she meets. It’s the same with records, we definitely didn’t sit down and try and write and plan out the record we’d made.
You went out to L.A. to record the album, what was it like recording out there?
I have a bit of an obsession with Los Angeles, so I had a really good time. In all seriousness, working with Justin was a really wonderful experience and with Carlos and Mike the engineers. They were all great people to work with. It couldn’t have been more different to the cold, wet December we recorded “My Love is Cool” in. But both were great and very different. The joy of doing it is getting different experiences.
What was it like working with Justin Meldal-Johnsen, especially knowing he’s worked with so many great artists such as Paramore and Beck?
I was nervous to start off with. He became the fifth member almost. He was very involved and very encouraging and accommodating. He wasn’t the type of producer to be like “No, that’s wrong and I’m the producer so, that just give that up we’re going to do something different”. He basically wanted to bring the best out of us and not to do his version of Wolf Alice and that was great.
You guys have been on tour recently, doing smaller, intimate venues around the UK. How does it feel going from the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury to somewhere like The Venue in Derby?
I’m probably more comfortable in the venue in Derby than I am than on the Pyramid Stage. I’ve done more venues like the Boiler Room than I have than the Pyramid Stage. Obviously, it’s very different. The Pyramid Stage was amazing it was a real highlight and buzz. We love playing small venues and I thought it was really good to go somewhere we’ve never been before, it’s fun.
How are the new songs going down on recent tours?
I’m so surprised that people know the lyrics like the moment the song comes out. I always struggle to remember lyrics, it’s a bad problem of mine, so it’s always kinda funny when I see people singing the words. It’s really positive and fun to work and to see all these songs fir in with the old ones. It’s really humbling to watch.
As a band, you’ve had many surreal, pinch yourself kind of moments, what’s the one thing that has made you think wow, this is crazy?
I dunno, there’s been some weird stuff because obviously like Brits and Grammy’s all that kind of thing. I still think going to America for the first time properly was such a trip. Going to New York and playing a gig for the first time, it’s like “We’re in New York” it’s mad. That means so much more to me than award ceremonies and that kind of stuff. Selling out shows across the world and seeing all these people in Japan coming to our gigs is crazy. They are always the real ones that stick with me.
What misconceptions do you think people have about you as a band?
I always forget a lot of people probably see us as a mainstream pop/rock guitar band. But as individuals that is so far from what we listen to and what we kind of see ourselves. The one that used to wind me up was that we were just a grunge band and that’s all we really want to do and that’s all we’ve played which is just even further from the truth. Music speaks for itself and any misconceptions, you just have to listen to the record and that kind of clears things up.
Finally, what advice would you give to bands/artists that are just starting out?
I think just to play as many shows as you can and rehearse as much as possible. It sounds really boring but they are the key elements to us going up to the next level. We didn’t used to play instruments very well at all and it was always really noted in reviews that it was a bit shambolic. After a while we got bored of being that band, that naïve, shambolic band and after a while we got bored of being that band. We just went and sat in the rehearsal rooms all day, everyday practising. It takes everything to the next level. And if ands can find the time because it’s hard, like putting the work in. Treat it as professionally as possible and it becomes a profession.
Wolf Alice are playing Rock City on the 15th of November, and you can get tickets to their UK dates here
Follow them on their official website, Twitter , and Spotify .
By Becky Lumbard