One of the most exciting bands from Manchester, The Covasettes are pushing the boundaries of indie-rock. Featured on publications like Vents, RGM and Indie Central Music, the lads are certainly building a strong reputation and loyal fanbase. In the midst of their Virtual Tour (to replace the cancelled UK tour), Chris Buxton (vocals and guitar), Matt Hewlett (guitar), Jamie McIntyre (bass) and Matt Buckley (drums) spoke with us about their new release ‘Spin’ and much more!
‘Spin’ is your first release since the 2019 EP It’s Always Sunny Above The Clouds. How do you feel your music has evolved from that to now?
Our sound is always changing depending on what songs we’ve been listening to and what is going on in the world. For It’s Always Sunny we were writing feel-good summery tunes, whereas ‘Spin’ and ‘Irate’ show that we still like writing heavier, rockier songs. The songs we are currently working on are different again.
What is your creative process?
Chris writes the chords and lyrics then we play around with the idea at a rehearsal adding riffs and dynamics, then we record a demo version. The process is very rarely the exact same for any two songs, but this is usually the structure we go through. The song will change throughout the process before it finally gets recorded and released.
What is the concept behind the song ‘Spin’ and the music video?
We wanted the song and video to be striking and different from what we had down before. It’s a strange one for us because we wrote it over a year ago. We never really write things with a concept beforehand, we just do what we want to do and work on the best ideas. Chelsea Ness from The Music Files wrote a great review of it if you want a more in-depth answer to the question.
What was the recording process like for your official ‘Spin’ music video?
We found the location and went with a rough idea of what we wanted and on the day we just cracked on. We had two very talented videographers (Josh and Olly) who directed it and tried to make us look cool. We also had our good friend Dec there helping us set things up and work all the lights. Josh and Olly pretty much told us to go as crazy as we could on stage and they went around getting the shots.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGiaSZLQvPo%5B/embedyt%5D
You started a virtual tour as a substitute for the cancelled April tour. What inspired this`?
We are gutted that we can’t be out on tour playing live for everyone, so we thought it would be cool to mix things up a little bit. We wanted to give all the people who bought a ticket a little something to say thank you rather than just rearranging the tour and forgetting about it.
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard of The Covasettes?
Hopefully, there is something for everyone. We base our songs around the big choruses and catchy vocals that Chris writes and then add big riffs and rhythms that we hope people can dance and sing along to. All of our music is written to be played, and hopefully enjoyed, live.
How do you think the coronavirus lockdown impacted you on a personal and professional level?
Personally, we are impacted in the same way as everyone else. Professionally, we are very lucky that we live together so we can keep making content and writing new music.
What is your most exciting achievement to date?
We won ‘Most Exciting Band of 2018’ and got the chance to play at Leeds Arena which was very cool. We were treated like rockstars and met a load of famous people and had fireworks go off while we were on stage. The whole experience was awesome!
What do you do when facing writer’s block to, well, de-block?
Thankfully, it’s not something we’ve really had to deal with. If ever we do have moments where we get stuck, we just revisit something old or move on to the next idea.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Chris Martin from Coldplay without a doubt!
What can we expect from The Covasettes in the future?
Lots of new music and some belting live shows as soon as we can get out on the road. Keep your eyes peeled for the next single.
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