With over a decade of evolution beneath their belt, Bristol-born indie-electronic outfit The Ramona Flowers have carved out a sound that blurs the strains between stadium-sized anthems and late-night synth pop.
Identified for his or her emotive hooks, slick manufacturing, and cinematic power, the band return right now (October tenth) with their fourth studio album, ‘Made By People’ — a report that feels each deeply private, and sonically expansive.
Mixing disco, funk and indie flavours with uncooked lyricism, 13-track assortment captures the contradictions of contemporary life — connection and isolation, know-how and intimacy, humanity and machine. It’s a title that speaks volumes: a reminder that behind each digital beat and polished melody lies actual emotion, actual tales, and, in fact, actual folks.
We sat down with band members Steve, Sam, Dave and Ed to speak in regards to the artistic course of behind ‘Made By People’, how their sound has matured since their debut, and what it means to remain human in an more and more digital world.
Lads, ‘Made by People’ is lastly ours! Regardless of this being your fourth studio album, is it nonetheless nerve wracking releasing new music?
Sam: It may be, however perhaps not that nerve-wracking as a result of to be sincere, I hold forgetting it’s popping out! However it’s thrilling, actually thrilling. We’ve been working laborious on this album for a very long time now, so I’m simply completely satisfied that it’s lastly being launched.
Steve: Yeah, it’s a pleasant feeling realizing that it’s out and everybody can hear it. I really feel like we’ve created an actual physique of labor this time round, so I’m excited to see what folks consider the brand new materials.
What does the LPs’ title signify, and the way does it tie into the themes of the album?
Steve: The title displays the truth that lyrically the songs on this album contact on real-life topics, that each one folks undergo, and that solely people can expertise. In a world of AI, it felt like the right title.
Sam: It emphasises the truth that we’re the actual deal. We’re a band that’s been round. We’ve performed all the pieces. We’ve toured, we’ve performed each shit-hole, and we’ve realized tips on how to get good. We needed this album to showcase that we’re an actual band, writing actual songs, enjoying actual devices, and being the actual deal, and solely people can do this.
Had been there any specific feelings, tales, or real-world occasions you felt compelled to put in writing about?
Steve: I feel we simply needed to do what we’ve at all times performed, and that’s write music that displays our personal private experiences, in addition to how we view the world in it’s present state. From my perspective, I went by way of a number of issues through the making of this album — I had some habit points, and I had a toddler, so I undoubtedly needed to verify I addressed these issues in a few the songs.
Which tracks really feel most private to you?
Steve: I might say ‘Sings of the Father’ and ‘Luna’ as a result of that’s about my daughter.
Sam: For me it’s gotta be ‘That Summer time’ as a result of among the lyrics have been impressed by my relationship.
Dave: I like the entire songs on the album. It’s like when you’ve kids, you possibly can’t choose your favorite one.
Ed: If I needed to choose one, then it might be ‘Mirrors In The Mansion’. It’s laborious to decide on a favorite or a music that feels probably the most private, as a result of all of them contact you in several methods. Steve was actually fairly open and weak on this album, and after being his mate for therefore lengthy, I class him as mainly a brother, so I’m moved by all the pieces he writes and creates.
The Ramona Flowers — Mirrors In The Mansion (Lyric Video)
Are there any tracks you’re particularly excited to play stay, and the way do you handle translating them to the stage with out issue?
Dave: Issue being the operative phrase (laughs).
Steve: Yeah, it’s laborious for me to reply as I’ve nothing to do with placing our stay exhibits collectively (laughs).
Ed: It’s troublesome, I’m not going to faux it isn’t. Fortunately, we work with some actually nice individuals who assist us to make all of it occur.
Sam: Once we’re writing a music, we don’t essentially take into consideration how we’re going to convey it to life in a stay setting. We simply write and produce our music to the most effective of our potential, and it’s solely afterwards you suppose: “shit, how are we going to do that stay?”
Ed: We’ve all written individually and introduced our personal concepts to the desk on this album. We’ve by no means actually performed that earlier than. So with regards to performing stay, I suppose we’ll every simply put our personal stamp on the songs and see the way it sounds.
Sam: Ed wrote the guitar solo on ‘Mirrors In The Mansion’, and it sounds epic. However as a drummer it’s actually troublesome to maintain up with. So I do know once we play it like I’m going to be considering: “Am I going to get this proper tonight?”
Ed: There’s a second on one of many tracks Sam wrote referred to as ‘Sins of The Father’ — it has this rhythm to it that’s superb, nevertheless it’s laborious to groove with in case you’re a drummer or base participant, so they have an inclination to hate it (laughs). Certainly one of our buddies performed bass on it once we recorded it, and he practically had a breakdown attempting to grasp it! He needed to take a minute afterwards, and go discover somebody to have a dialog with!
Sam: After we’d recorded it, I keep in mind the producer tried to straighten it out and I used to be like “what have you ever performed?” And he instructed me he’d made some adjustments as a result of it sounded bizarre, however I used to be like “no that’s the entire level, it IS bizarre!” So we modified it again. Nonetheless, the issue we now have is, everybody struggles to play it stay (laughs).
As a collective, do you know the type of report you needed to make this time round?
Steve: Not in t he starting, no. I feel we have been completely satisfied to only experiment and see what we got here up with. Then we wrote a music referred to as ‘Up All Night time’, and that type of grew to become a cornerstone of the album. I’d say all the fabric we wrote after that got here from the sensation we acquired from that one specific observe.
Sam: I feel we knew although that we needed this album to be a bit extra upbeat didn’t we? We needed the songs to be a bit extra danceable, and enjoyable.
How would you say your songwriting course of has advanced since your earlier albums?
Ed: Properly, I’d say my course of has completely advanced as a result of I truly write songs now (laughs).
Sam: You have been at all times concerned in although — particularly when it got here to arranging the rhythm and drum sections. However yeah, it’s good now as a result of everybody writes extra so it spreads the load somewhat.
Ed: I suppose everybody’s turn out to be extra assured in what they do. And since we’ve identified one another for therefore lengthy, we’re extra snug having these troublesome conversations that we generally have to have. We’ve acquired a significantly better bullshit filter now that’s for positive!
Steve: Yeah, if one thing’s not ok, we simply say it… as tactfully as attainable, we don’t need to purposefully damage anybody. Up to now I feel we let sure issues drift on for longer than they need to as a result of we weren’t being as sincere with one another as we are actually.
Your sound usually blends cinematic, digital and indie rock parts. Did you push these boundaries in any new methods on this report?
Ed: We by no means got down to do something like that. We simply write music we need to make.
Sam: We began out an indie band, after which transitioned into experimenting with extra digital sounds. Now we’ve type of come out of that and have gone again to being an actual band. However all that shifts as we develop and evolve.
Had been there any sudden sounds or devices you experimented with for the primary time?
Ed: Our producer introduced alongside a few outdated synths in the future, which all of us fairly loved experimenting with.
Sam: You’ll usually discover that anytime you’re in a studio, you’ll discover one thing and suppose: “let’s mess around with that and see what we are able to give you”, and yeah, it’s normally a synth (laughs).
Dave: It’s humorous how totally different sounds and concepts can seemingly seem out of nowhere. Sam was placing his guitar down throughout a session, and the producer recorded the sound of it as a result of it created this distinctive rhythm. When he performed it again to us we have been like “what’s that noise, it sounds superb?” We truly ended up sampling it on one of many tracks.
Sam: After which there’s a door slamming pattern (laughs) We discovered that the keys echoed each time the door slammed, and it sounds epic. So we recorded it and used as one of many downbeats.
How do you see ‘Made By People’ setting the stage on your future sound and tasks?
Ed: I feel as a result of it’s taken such a very long time to put in writing this album and put it collectively, among the songs on there are two, perhaps three years outdated, and a few have been written within the final six months, in order a accomplished report it’s an actual reflection of who we have been, and who we are actually. I’m excited to see how we evolve on the following one to be sincere.
Sam: I really feel like we’ve created a extremely robust basis that we are able to construct upon. We’ve undoubtedly discovered our sound as Ramona Flowers now, and this album solidifies that.
How do you hope listeners will join with the brand new materials?
Steve: We clearly need everybody to adore it and revel in it. But in addition, I need folks to know the lyrics, and listen to the tales we’re telling in a means that they will relate to them to what they’ve happening in their very own lives.
Sam: I need folks to take heed to the album as an entire, from begin to end. It worries me that folks don’t appear to purchase albums anymore, in order that they by no means fairly really feel the affect of a full physique of labor. I feel that’s a disgrace. There are some lovely songs on this album, notably those nearer the top, so I actually hope folks take the time to take heed to the entire report and never simply the singles.
Obtain / stream ‘Made By People’ right here
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