BANNERS – All Back to Mine

By starrymag | April 16, 2024

By: Alejandra Gil M.

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I’d like to think it’s quite anthemic. I like making music with big spaces in it where people can sing along. I think there’s quite a lot of sing-alongey bits. I want to make music that makes people feel connected to one another. Welcomed and accepted. It’s easy to feel lonely and I think, when you make music, you have a huge responsibility to try to make people feel just a little less alone. Part of something, I suppose. So, I try to make my music as accessible as I can. That’s not really a sound, is it?!

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Ah. My opportunity to sound cooler than I actually am through the cool music I like. I actually don’t think I have any cool choices, which is a shame for this question! I just love music that’s made honestly. I love it when the lyric is uncomplicated and just says the thing. Lyrics like “when the truth is I miss you” in “Warning Sign” by Coldplay. Or all of “Sunshine on Leith” by The Proclaimers. Just really open and honest. “I need you more than want you and I want you for all time” in “Wichita Lineman” by Glen Campbell. I have a tattoo of Jeff Buckley like an absolute dweeb and another one that has some lyrics from “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” so they’re obviously influences. That Jeff Buckley one hurt! Here’s some advice if you’re thinking of getting a tattoo; don’t choose an album cover where on the cover the singer is wearing a sequined jacket. I really love Elbow and Regina Spektor, Joanna Newsom, the National, Bon Iver, Air, The Smiths, Taylor Swift, The Shins, The Strokes, The Killers, Vampire Weekend, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Led Zeppelin and David Bowie. Oh, and the Beatles – obviously.

Q) Your new album All Back to Mine will be out April 19th. What are some themes you explore on it?

 

A) I think it’s mainly about being around people I really care about. I made it in the UK after being away for a long time and I made it exclusively with my friends. The music, the videos, the artwork and my live shows are all with my friends. So, it’s all made with a lot of love. I hope that comes across. I hope people like it, but the main thing is I got to spend loads of time with amazing people and I think that’s what life is all about.

 

Q) The album is an ode to your homecoming to Liverpool after a whirlwind of success in North America. What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) I wish I knew. I imagine you must get a lot of frustrating answers to this question because I don’t think songwriters know how to do it. You know that you’ve done it in the past and you hope you can do it again, but I don’t really think there’s a formula for how to do it. If there was, I would write ten more “Someone to You’s!” But I can’t. Every song is so specific to the moment you’re in, and every moment is so different from the last. It certainly helps to have some lyrical thoughts before you start writing the music but the music often inspires the words so what comes first? I have no idea. I need to start writing the next album soon and I don’t know what it’s gonna be about yet! I don’t even KNOW if I can do it. I just have some faith. I suppose I’ll find all that out soon enough.

Q) I have been listening to your music for quite a while now and I’m a big fan. Your previous album Where the Shadow Ends is very special to me. In what ways has your music changed today with All Back to Mine?

 

A) Ahhh, that means a lot to me. I don’t really know. I think I’ve changed a lot as a person. I feel a lot more comfortable and confident in myself now I suppose. I don’t base how I feel on how other people feel about me as much. Maybe that comes with getting older. Maybe you figure out your place in the world more as you go. Making music has helped me so much in that respect. I think we all have an opportunity, every day, to make other peoples’ days a tiny bit better and I think making music is my biggest opportunity to do that. I feel so grateful to get to make music for a living. Who knows how long that will last so I try to be grateful for every day that I get to do that so maybe that’s reflected in my music now.

Q) The album includes tracks like “Tell You I Love You,” “There Goes My Girl,” “Name In Lights” and a personal favorite of mine “All That You Made Me.” Which song(s) hold a special significance for you and what makes them so close to your heart?

 

A) When you start out in music, and you work with a record label or a publisher for the first time it’s easy to fall into the trap of making music you think they want you to make. But that’s dangerous because it’s hard to make music that is true to you. As you go along you realize that the songs that other people love and that matter to them are the ones that you love and that matter to you. So, I only record and release songs that move me in some way. If they don’t do that then I don’t record them. There are a few demos that quite a few people liked and wanted me to record but I just wasn’t feeling them! So, I’m proud of all of these new songs. Personally, I really like “Best View in Liverpool” and “All That You Made Me. They’re very close to home for a number of reasons. They were written expressly for some specific people, so they’ve already done their job because those people loved them. But I hope everyone else likes them, too!

Q) What song challenged you the most creatively when you were working on this album?

 

A) I’m genuinely not sure any of them were a challenge to be honest. I worked hard on them and not all of them flowed out of me in minutes, but I really enjoyed writing them which was cool. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing!

 

Q) “Someone to You,” a track about simply being “seen,” has over 780 million streams on Spotify alone and collectively your catalogue has amassed over 2 billion streams. The single proved so unforgettable; you performed it on Season 16 of “American Idol.” Before that, other hit singles could be heard all over television, among them: “Ghosts” on “Suits” and “Teen Wolf,” “Half Light” on “The Royals” and “New Amsterdam” and “Got It in You” on “The Good Doctor” and “America’s Got Talent.” What has it been like to get more recognition for your music?

 

A) It’s a dream. Like an actual one where I’ll wake up in a minute and go, “Ah that was a nice dream.” I don’t really feel like I’ve done anything special, and I know I’m not special, particularly compared to my friends and people I’ve worked with. So, it’s very easy to feel like an imposter and that I’ll get found out soon. So, I’d say the main emotion is one of gratitude. It’s easy in this industry to feel under pressure and like you need to constantly be figuring out your next hit and stressing out about this or that but I realized that this is my dream life and who knows how long that will last. I don’t want to look back on it and think I didn’t experience it in the moment enough. So, I worry about the future a lot less now and just try to love it day by day because I’m so grateful to all the people that have listened to my music. I’m so lucky to have this small connection with all of those people.

Q) What do you hope lingers with audiences – either an emotion or message – when they listen to your music?

 

A) I just hope it makes people’s day a tiny bit better. I hope they feel as connected to me as I do to them. And to all the other people that listen to it. That none of us are alone and if we all look after one another then the world will be ok.

Q) You will be performing in Hamburg, Vienna, Stockholm and Oslo, amongst other cities soon. Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) Ok, this is going to be a very disappointing answer, but I can’t believe that people pay money to come and see us. It’s the privilege of a lifetime. I’ve visited all these places before, and I know for a fact that there’s a million amazing things to do there so the fact that people chose to come and see us is amazing. We have got a massive responsibility to make these shows as good as we possibly can. To give everything. And I promise that that’s exactly what we’ll do!

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) So many of my friends are better musicians and songwriters than me. They just haven’t had their break yet. So, I’m going to work with my friends as much as I possibly can because if my dream life can become their dream life, I’ll be the happiest lad in Liverpool.

Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why?

 

A) Elbow just released a new album and Vampire Weekend have just started releasing new music, so I’ve been listening to them because they’re two of my absolute favs. I recently discovered “Sunshine on Leith” by The Proclaimers. Well, I didn’t just discover it, I’ve known that song for ages. I’ve just discovered how deeply I love it and I can’t get enough of it. You know that thing where you only want to put one song on every time you go for a walk or whatever, but you have to ration it because you don’t want it to lose its magic? I’m not sure what it is about it that speaks so deeply to me right now. I think it’s just the honesty of it. The vulnerability. I just believe that what they are saying is true. That they believe it. It’s such a simple song but the simplest songs are by far the hardest to write. I’ll also be listening to “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Gerry and the Pacemakers a lot. It’s just that part of the football season.

Q) Why is social media such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) I suppose it’s just a very direct interaction. I struggle with it a little, to be honest. I think it’s because I wasn’t brought up in a place where you’re encouraged to say, “Here I am! Everyone look at me!” So, it’s a constant battle but I’m trying to figure it out because it’s really important. I like doing Instagram lives. It’s nice to play songs to people and to feel like people are right there and we’re all connected. It’s easy to feel a little disconnected when your only way of knowing people are listening is Spotify streaming numbers or something. I suppose that’s why playing live shows is so important.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Well, this is boring but thank you for being a part of this with me. I’m so grateful that I get to make music and that people listen to it. I hope you know how privileged I feel to be so connected to all of you. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.