upsetmagazine.com Editor: Stephen Ackroyd (stephen@upsetmagazine.com) Deputy Editor: Victoria Sinden (viki@upsetmagazine.com) Associate Editor: Ali Shutler (ali@upsetmagazine.com) Writers: Alex Bradley, Dan Harrison, Danny Randon, Dillon Eastoe, Heather McDaid, Jake Richardson, Jasleen Dhindsa, Jessica Goodman, Joe Henderson, Lauren Donaldson, Rhys Buchanan, Rob Mair, Steven Loftin
EDITOR’S NOTE
Photographers: Brendan Walter, Corinne Cumming, Ryan Johnston, Sarah Louise Bennett
IN THIS ISSUE...
Cover Photo: Sarah Louise Bennett All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Upset or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally. P U B L I S H E D F RO M
THE BUNKER W E LCO M E TOT H E B U N K E R.CO M
RIOT!
4 C O N V E RG E 8 N E W FO U N D G LO RY
ABOUT TO BREAK
14 B L AC K F U T U RES 16 G O L D K EY
2018 PREVIEW 18 26 28 28 29
M A RM OZ ETS FA L L O U T BOY M U N C I E G I RLS P U P PY AG A I N ST T H E C U RRE N T 30 WAT E RPA RKS 31 M I L K T E ET H 31 B L AC K FOX X ES
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OF MICE & MEN T H E XC E RTS B RI A N FA L LO N TO N I G H T A L I V E P I N EG ROV E
BEST OF 2017
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It’s been a difficult month for rock music, but a necessary one too. Abuse should never be tolerated, and so - as you’d expect - those guilty of such disgusting acts will not find a home in the pages of Upset. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other, happier things to celebrate. 2017 has been a year packed with great bands - in this issue we celebrate a whole bunch of them, and look forward to even more in 2018. There’s our cover stars Marmozets, getting ready for the release of their second album early next year, and Creeper, who already made 2017 their own. Add to that Fall Out Boy, PVRIS, Waterparks, Diet Cig and a whole bunch more and it’s set to be a Merry Christmas.
E V E RY T H I N G H A P P E N I N G I N RO C K
“WE DON’T PLAY THE GAME”
BOSTON-BASED HEAVY-MUSIC INNOVATORS CONVERGE ARE BACK WITH THEIR FIRST ALBUM IN FIVE YEARS. WORDS: RHYS BUCHANAN
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t feels like metalcore favourites Converge have been away from the recording process a bit too long. Although if you look properly into the void over the last five years, they’ve actually been very busy in the run-up to their emotionally taught ninth album ‘The Dusk Is In Us’. The Boston band are mightily hard to pin down, but we finally get in touch with vocalist and frontman Jacob Bannon down a crackly international phone-line. You might expect a reason for the fiveyear wait, but Jacob is very blunt about this. “It came together just like any other
record. We’ve been a band for almost thirty years now, and that’s a considerable amount of time so you just write songs organically when you can.” It was down to logistics as much as anything. “If motivation and schedules permit then we come together, and we craft an album,” he says. There’s no denying that this one took a considerable amount of time though. He proudly reels off the list of things they’ve done in the interim. “We’ve been releasing some disks like a 7 inch, a Blu-ray box set, a live album and photographic book. We’ve re-mastered a few bits and have done multiple US and European tours. All of our other bands and projects released
music in that time as well.” Despite approaching thirty years in the game, the new album is full of all life and anger they packed around their emergence in 1990. He says that going back into the studio very much felt the same as it always did. “We’re still in tune with what we are and how we do things. It’s certainly not a surprise. We self-record, we self-produce, self-do essentially everything but fully manufacture the releases.” Once again there’s an enormous pride coming through in his words, “It’s an all-encompassing aspect of our lives that we undertake. It’s not just a few weeks 5
T HIS IS A P UBL IC SERV I CE A N NOU NCEM E N T . H ELLO , ‘T HE B A N D S ’. (AND E V E RYO N E E LSE TB H )
W E W ANT ED T O MA K E TH IS VERY C LE A R INDEED. SEX U A L ASSAU LT I N ANY FORM IS NOT OK A Y.
HAR ASSING P E O P LE I S NOT OKA Y. P R ESSU R ING U N D E RA G E F A NS FOR NU D E P HO TOS - NOT O K A Y. R EALLY BLO O D Y GROSS . AND IL LE G A L. RE A LLY V E R Y I L L E G AL .
TREA T EVER YO N E W IT H RESPE CT . Y OU R S , U P S E T .
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OH GREAT, IT’S TWENTY ONE EIGHT W I T H E AC H NEW YEAR COMES MORE NEW MUSIC F RO M YO U R F AV O U R I T E NEW BANDS. OV E R T H E NEXT FEW PAG E S W E ’ V E CAU G H T U P WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF TH E M TO F I N D OUT JUST W H AT T H E Y H AV E I N S T O R E FOR A BUMPER 2018. 19
MARMOZETS THEY’VE BEEN AWAY PREPARING THEIR NEXT ASSAULT, BUT AS 2018 COMES INTO VIEW, MARMOZETS ARE BACK. THEIR SECOND ALBUM IS PRIMED TO DROP, AND THEY’RE READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. PHOTOS: SARAH LOUISE BENNETT
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e can do whatever we want ‘cos we’re free,” sings Becca Macintyre with a knowing grin as she leans back into the sofa at the HQ of the band’s record label, Roadrunner. Jack Bottomley smiles next to her. “Quote of the day!” But it goes beyond that. It’s an attitude that Marmozets have had right from the start. Early EPs captured a band on fire, still finding the beauty in the ashes while belief and command came to a head for their debut album. The band took that control and wrote their own story with ‘The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets’. Capturing something electric, the gang had waited years for their moment and swiftly made sure that each and every one mattered. From ‘Born Young & Free’, hammering dynamite meets twisted anthem of rebellion, to the moment they pass it ‘Back To You’ carrying hope despite the scratches, the album is a fierce, furious and relentless blitz of statements and intent. Scrawled messages that mean the world. Its title, a little bit flamboyant, a little bit tongue in cheek, a little bit confident, explained everything you needed to know about the band and what they’d achieve. No bullshit, no messing around, they got right to the point because who’s got time for anything else? It might have taken them two years, but it’s the same for album two, ‘Knowing What You Know Now’. “It’s one of those phrases that came
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up in conversation and just seemed to fit everything,” explains Jack. The time between disappearing after Reading & Leeds in 2015 and now hasn’t been the easiest for the group, full of personal struggle and questions of self-doubt, but they’ve come out the other side intact and determined. “If only we knew what we know now, the start of making this album would have been way easier,” he continues. That’s never really the Marmozets way though. “It feels like we’re onto something here because of what we’ve discovered and learnt. It’s knowing what you know now, innit,” adds Becca. “You realise you always adapt and you always learn something new. It’s a bit of arrogance and a bit of confidence,” she continues, before realising it’s more than that. “There’s loads of confidence in what we’re doing.”
There was no fear in coming back to a muted reaction. “We believe in what we do,” offers Jack. “We were worried ‘cos we were away for so long,” starts Becca, “but at the same time, I really wasn’t. It’s not like we’re just messing people around and can’t be arsed or would rather be sat at home or be in LA.” From the first hit of ‘Play’, all that passion comes flooding back. “It still sounds like us but at another level.” Stoking the flames, it didn’t take people long to remember just how breathtakingly exciting Marmozets are. That instant reaction and full-bodied embrace, “because it’s real.” It sounds different to what the band have done before, switching grimy attack for neon joy, because “we injected a bit of groove into it.” “I came from a performing arts background,” starts Becca. “I love to dance, and I used to do street dance, ballet everything. Josh is an amazing dancer, everyone loves to dance, and we don’t just sit and listen to Black Sabbath and Queens Of The Stone Age. We listen to stuff that we love that makes us want to get up and groove. We love the groove.” Using Josh’s skills as a producer, it felt like ‘Play’ was meant to be. “It just works for us,” states Becca. “It’s more fun for us, and we’ve got to make it enjoyable. We love the music we write. I listen to our album all the time. It’s the one album I listen to all the time.” “We’re happy that everyone is behind it, for sure,” continues Jack. “However many years between albums, we’re happy that people understand that we’re bound to
“WE BELIEVE IN WHAT WE DO” progress. Some people think they might want the same album again, but you get the others that are more receptive.” It might be because Marmozets have never bothered with definitions, it might be because they’ve never given anyone a reason to doubt them. Either way, “our fans are up for something different and want those new flavours.” “You can’t sit and eat cheese toasties every day of your life.” “You might want a salad.” “Or a bit of rice.” ‘Knowing What You Know Now’ once again sees the band changing direction again and again, but it never retreads old ground or echoes promises already made. It presses shuffle on expectations. “These songs shouldn’t work next to each other, but for some reason, they do,” starts Becca. “We never walked into a room and said, ‘This is how it’s going to be’.” There was never a plan to follow or a vision to chase. “You don’t have a fucking clue what’s going to happen, you just want it to be awesome, and you want it to be completely you. The whole feel needs to be there, and we did it. We’re always just going to write whatever the fuck we want to write. I think we’re good at doing what we do and we love it. It is really exciting.” Considering they “magically came together as a band anyway” all those years ago, Marmozets have no reason to question it. “We’re always going to progress, we’re getting older and learning more about life in general,” explains Jack. “We’ve got ideas for a third [album] already. That’s all different, but it’s all sorts of new different. We don’t really know what it sounds like at the moment because it’s us again.” “We want to be a band that’s around forever,” promises Becca. “We don’t want to be a band that has maybe one single that makes it, and that’s it. That’s not what we’ve put ten years in for. We’re already so far gone with it; we want more. We want to do more. We want to make more of a difference.” In their time away, more have heard 21
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t feels like Tonight Alive’s ‘Underworld’ is the record they’ve been threatening to make for a decade. “It has the polished, cinematic soundscape of [2016 album] ‘Limitless’, but we’ve returned to the angst and aggression that the other two records had. It’s the perfect balance for us,” explains Jenna McDougall. “It’s interesting to have done those two polar opposite records, ‘Limitless’ and [2013 album] ‘The Other Side’ and then meet in the middle for ‘Underworld’.” As always though, Tonight Alive aren’t retracing their steps. They’re on a journey, and you’re part of that adventure. “I’m exploring my darkness a lot more. On the last record, I was scratching for light at a time where I really needed it.” Issues within the band, with their label and going through personal things left Jenna asking, “How can I enjoy my life more? How can I take control of my life? Becoming vegan and getting into
spirituality, I was drawn into the light. Once you’re on that journey though, you realise there’s deeper work to do. The shadow work.” ‘Underworld’ sees Tonight Alive explore that pain, take those unspoken truths and give them a voice. If you wanted proof that the band are properly digging down into their issues and confronting them head on, you just need to look to Whakaio who, after recording the record, stepped away from the group to work as a songwriter, producer and engineer in Nashville. “It’s weird that this is part of our story now,” starts Jenna. “Whak was always the leader of our band, and I do feel like the core of Tonight Alive has been pulled out. But the four of us have been really integrated to that centre and have created a new one. We’re more united than we ever have been, and that’s out of necessity. Whak’s drive is in the studio. He’s such a good songwriter and I know he’s a lot happier being creative than he is being a
performer.”
OH GREAT, As for Tonight IT’S Alive, “it felt TWENTY like we were in ONE the eleventh hour of the EIGHT band. I know people on the outside see things differently, but when you have a dream, a vision of where you want your band to get to, we don’t feel like we’ve reached our peak, the goal or the finish line yet. We’re approaching that ten-year overnight success story. We wrote the record we wanted to write, and it didn’t feel like we were finished yet. I know we’re not. And I know our fans know that as well. We’re not finished yet. We’ve got a lot more to do. It was never an option for me to step away from Tonight Alive.” Instead ‘Underworld’ sees the band stepping up. First single ‘Temple’ is a fiery
TONIGHT ALIVE IT’S BEEN A TUMULTUOUS TIME FOR TONIGHT ALIVE, BUT AMIDST HEALTH ISSUES AND A LINE UP CHANGE, THEY’VE BORN A BRAND NEW RECORD. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER
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bloodletting, written at a time where Jenna “felt like I was war with myself and my body.” Tonight Alive’s music have always offered a light in the dark but for the first time, the band name their demons. “I’m intoxicated by my depression,” starts the song, before admitting: “I’m consumed by the fear that I might never find the answer.” There’s no silver lining here. “It was a case of either I own this thing or this things owns me. I don’t truly believe that now, but at the time, I felt saturated by depression, darkness and lack of health,” Jenna explains. Her eczema, the thing that caused a lot of the pain behind ‘The Other Side’, returned. “It was this chronic state, full body discomfort. When you’re itchy, it creates anxiety. You’re constantly irritable. Using energy for anxiety is exhausting, so you get fatigued and that causes head spins and heart palpitations because your body is working overtime. I was highly strung, I couldn’t sleep and I developed a food allergy to everything.” With everything she ate giving her an outbreak, “over the past couple of years I developed what you’d now call an eating disorder. I got into this bad habit where I had to throw things up because I was terrified it would get worse. I was in a state of fear for two years that anything I ate was going to trap me, make me worse, less happy and less comfortable so I found myself addicted to that habit of rejecting everything. It was bad.” Jenna started counselling. “I’m on a much better path now. Finishing the record, my health has improved so much. I’m no longer battling with that addiction but it’s so fresh. It’s only been a few months since the last time I made myself sick. ‘Temple’ was written in May, recorded in June and was released in October. It’s full-on, being onstage and singing ‘I make myself sick just so I can hate this a little bit more’. It’s such a self-destructive habit, you throw up, you look in the mirror, and your eyes are bloodshot, and you say I hate you. It’s such a negative place to be, but it’s actually so freeing to sing and talk about it. And for it to not have been written two years ago and only just come out. This is a new chapter for us, with this sort of honesty.” P
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GATHERING NEW FANS WHEREVER THEY GO, IT’S AN EXCITING TIME FOR PINEGROVE. WORDS: JESSICA GOODMAN
hen Pinegrove released ‘Cardinal’ in 2016, they opened the door into a world of verbose observation and innate emotion that continues to resonate with listeners the world over. “We had suspected there was something special about this music because it moved us,” Evan Stephens Hall reflects. “When we started showing friends and family and playing small shows, people in town were excited about it.”
Playing in front of increasingly bigger crowds, presenting their music to an ever-widening audience, that sense of excitement that comes with encountering something special has only grown under the spotlight. “We suspected that it was just a matter of platform, and if we could reach more people, then they would respond to the message,” the frontman comments. “It’s exciting that that turned out to be true.” It’s not just the band that are excited. In the nearly two years since the release of ‘Cardinal’ Pinegrove have held audiences enchanted across several different continents. While new songs have been working their way into the band’s live performances, that excitement has been steadily building to fever pitch. “I’d say people have been pretty excited to hear new songs more than ever,” Evan enthuses. “Maybe because finally, they’re starting to get tired of the ‘Cardinal’ songs,” he laughs. Rest assured, anyone excited for new material from the outfit shouldn’t have to wait for too much longer. With work on a new release completed, as documented by the band through a series of video diaries, now is the opportune moment to plug in
and switch on to the world that Pinegrove have been creating. “I’m challenging myself to be more honest and be more open,” Evan portrays. “This is maybe a reflection of that type of approach.” Dubbing the process “radical transparency,” the as of yet unannounced release seems set to present Pinegrove at their most open yet. “I’m making music that I want to hear, and I really like this new thing,” the frontman expresses. “I feel creatively and emotionally fulfilled from this project.” As for what we can expect, the band have left a trail of ample-sized breadcrumbs to keep their audiences sated. “This may be an artefact of a wider listenership,” Evan explains. “I’m really interested in understanding that music can actually actively change things in our reality. I feel like if it’s exciting to me, then maybe it’s going to be exciting to other people,” he conveys. Delivering new music with their own sense of enthusiasm, it’s only natural for that same enthusiasm to catch on. “More than anything, we want a wide listenership because I think we have an important message,” Evan continues. “In a world that values speed and quantity, we want to encourage deliberation and introspection and compassion and consideration and a true evaluation of love and how we can do that as well as we can.” “We’re just psyched about the opportunity to spread that as widely as we can,” he summarises. “We have a microphone, so it’s time to talk about what we consider important. We want the world to hear this.” P 35
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y Miser usiness B C R E E P E R H AV E H A D Q U I T E T H E 2 0 1 7 - F R O M D R O P P I N G T H E I R D E B U T A L B U M TO TO U R I N G A R O U N D T H E P L A N E T, W E TA L K W H AT ’ S B E E N , A N D W H AT ’ S T O C O M E W I T H THE BAND OF THE YEAR.
WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. P H OTO S : S A R A H L O U I S E B E N N E T T.
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ILL GOULD IS THINKING ABOUT THE END OF CREEPER. It’s not the first time he’s thought about the demise of his band, and it definitely won’t be the last. This year has reinforced every shining light that we’ve held up to them. From the fantasy epic of debut album ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’ to the ever-shifting gleam of their live shows, they’re a band who find inspiration in emotional extremes, who see the importance in the everyday and crave excitement in every moment. “Things are going great for us,” grins Will. “But it’s important to keep in mind that nothing lasts forever and that’s exciting now. These things have a lifespan, and that’s important to remember. The band will have a day it dies. We’ve got a limited timeframe where this thing holds together, and while there’s a momentum behind it.” Their music longs for misspent youth and misplaced love, wanting to take those moments of life-affirming feeling and make them eternal. Those flickering dashes of joy, hope, love and togetherness are temporary but live on for an eternity in your heart. There’s always something to treasure and Creeper are both narrator and protagonist in this tale. “This isn’t going to last forever,” repeats Will. “That’s why it’s significant now. I can’t be this age forever. I can’t be this able forever. We have to do it while we can. That’s why each show is living on your heartstrings. That’s why you throw yourself into it every time ‘cos we’ve all seen those bands that hang on too long and they don’t have it in them anymore. And that’s sad. Go on and do something different. ‘To die would be an awfully big adventure’,” he beams, quoting Peter Pan. “It’s really apt. That storytelling, it’s what Creeper is all about. I hope that long after we finish the band, we’ve done our work, and the project resolves; I hope that people will look back and think, ‘Oh, do you remember that experience we had with Creeper?’” It’s a small wish, but sometimes they’re the most poignant. “I hope that people will remember it fondly,” he smiles.
After years of setting scenes, character introductions and leaving frayed ends, Creeper gathered them all together for ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’. Eleven tracks of fantastical storytelling and personal memories, it marked the completion of a world that’s still being explored. “The world’s on fire, and you need culture and art more than ever in those times.” You can lose yourself in a good book. You can find yourself in a great album. “There’s a crossing over period where you give your records to your audience, and they take it then make it their own. People claim things for their own, and that’s the magic of music. You have a personal relationship with the records that define you as a person. They’re part of you.” ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’ might be telling the stories of fictional people, but they reflect something very real and everyday. There’s something special about a universe that understands you. “That’s one of the great things about the album, people have made it theirs. It’s become part of their world, and that’s a huge privilege. I’m proud to be part of these kids lives. Those years where you grow up are so important. It starts off the way you intend it; then the audience make it into something else.” The band always knew what their debut album needed to be. “We’re super proud of it. I’m proud of the guys and Hannah [Greenwood, keys], their work is absolutely fantastic, and some of the best songs Ian [Miles, guitar] has ever written are on that record. It’s varied, challenging but still accessible. It’s a difficult balance and I’m proud of what it’s done. Making the record was stressful; it was hard work because we were very specific about what we wanted. It had to be right because the EPs had propelled us to a point where I didn’t want to let anyone down but at the same time, I was adamant that I wasn’t going to think about anyone else.
record had so many different things on, and we got away with putting it all out.” There’s the hardcore swing of ‘Poison Pens’, the fourth wall break of ‘I Choose To Live’, the torching empowerment of ‘Crickets’ and the theatrical pomp of ‘Black Rain’. Every track is jagged, taking from the well-read book of their influences but then twisted, reimagined and doing something unique. “It’s a thoughtful record, and it’s the most challenging record we could have made in that instance, we’re not a math rock band or anything,” he adds. “Stylistically it’s very interesting. It came from a place where I was very stressed out, and I was really worried.” Recording the album in secret, trying to maintain their hectic tour schedule and match their own stargazing expectations, ‘Eternity, In Your Arms’ almost killed the band then and there. “When things are about to fall apart, that’s when things happen. If you’ve never been in a position where you feel like you’re on the brink of collapse, you’ll never appreciate anything at all. If you live a life that’s sheltered, you never learn to appreciate anything.” 2017 has forced Will to live in his own art, away from the shelter of moving onto the next thing without looking back. “You’re constantly reminded of it. You know all the things that are wrong with it, and it drives you mad after a
“Me and Ian shut the record label out of every conversation and floated the idea of an hour-long odyssey with a song that was just all organ. At the time we thought that was such a good idea,” he laughs. “What I’m really proud of is that we didn’t compromise on anything. Our
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hen you’re feeling horrible, or you’ve had a hard day, you can get on stage and everything changes,” starts Alex Luciano. “Okay, we’re doing this thing. Usually, there’s at least one person in the crowd who is so stoked, so excited they’re dancing and singing. I just zone in on this one person, and even if I’m tired, I’m doing it for this person who’s so happy to be here.” 2017 has been hard work for Diet Cig. They released a record back in March and haven’t been home since. Today they’re seven weeks into an eight-week tour and “it feels like we’re floating.” They’re still the best of friends and still excited by absolutely everything. “It’s the people that come to our shows that keep us inspired; they’re so fun. It’s a whole room of people who get me,” beams Alex. Their debut album ‘Swear I’m Good At This’, all community action, holding people to account and protesting for your right to safety, is a rip-roaring burst of energy, excitement and electrical charge. In real life, the pair are the same. Their live show starts with instructions about the evening being a safe space, inviting people who disagree to leave and pointing out who to speak to if you’re made to feel uncomfortable. The floor is littered with balloons the band have spent the afternoon blowing up, and Alex has to climb on a table to check if the ceiling is covered in real glitter. It is, by the way. Despite being on tour together for at least five weeks, both Alex and bandmate Noah Bowman are in the crowd watching The Spook School, diving forward when the moment takes them. Their positivity is relentless. Their music, raw, powerful and change affirming.
O N E O F O U R F AV O U R I T E T W O S O M E S - A N D F O R M E R U P S E T C O V E R S TA R S , N O L E S S - D I E T C I G A R E CHANG ING THE WORLD WITH THEIR SENSE OF FUN AND C O M M U N I T Y. WORDS: ALI SHUTLER. P H OTO S : S A R A H L O U I S E B E N N E T T.
“It’s so cool to meet people who have gone through the same stuff,” continues Alex. “This record has so many emotions, from happy to angry to lonely to stoked or furious; it has every feeling that I feel on it. Meeting people who say it resonated with them is super cool and super validating, especially ‘cos we wrote it just for us. To have anyone say ‘I love this song’ is like, you get me. It’s felt very special meeting everyone; this is why we do it.” “It’s a very human record,” adds Noah. 47
W I T H O N E O F T H E M O S T A N T I C I P AT E D A L B U M S O F 2 0 1 7, P V R I S A R E F I G U R I N G O U T T H E I R P L AC E I N T H E WO RL D.
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forgot what month it was for a moment there,” starts Lynn Gunn. “A lot has happened this year, in all aspects.” PVRIS have just turned up to tonight’s venue, Zurich’s Dynamo, and they’re “just trying to figure out what the fuck’s going on. The usual, y’know?” They’re currently in the midst of a world tour for second album ‘All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell’ that started back in May and, if the tour cycle for debut ‘White Noise’ is anything to go by, will run on and on. “It’s been exactly a year since we were in the studio. We were finishing up ‘AWKOH’ around this time last time. It’s crazy just being a year later from that, being out on the road and playing these songs. There was never really any gap in between. It’s been incredibly go go go and busy, so like the last record, I haven’t had a chance to reflect on anything yet, but I’ve been trying to here and there.” PVRIS’ second album sees the band build on everything that made ‘White Noise’ such a glorious wonderland. Acted out on a bigger screen, the record digs down into the bones of fear, self-doubt and loneliness. Stories of heartbreak, dull aches and stabbing pains tightly wrapped around turbulent waves and screaming lightning bolts. There are shards of PVRIS’ soul left on the record and releasing it didn’t heal those wounds. Not completely, anyway. “It felt strange that it was out. It felt like it had almost leaked. Obviously, it hadn’t, but yeah. It was Reading & Leeds that weekend, and that in itself was incredibly stressful. It was probably one of the most hectic weekends of my life,” offers Lynn. “So far,” she adds, knowing things can always get worse. “To me, it was scary because I’m still reflecting on and trying to figure out a lot of the record and the contents of it, and it was already out to the world. It felt intimidating and vulnerable, but now
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that it’s been out for a bit, and seeing how it’s translating live it’s been comforting to see how people are connecting to it. That’s been a really positive thing. It’s interesting, playing live sometimes disconnects you from the song and puts you in that moment instead. It’s helped me step away from them for a moment and just be in whatever present moment is happening onstage. “Putting them out and finally having those songs brought to light, and those feelings shared, that’s been a really healing, helpful thing. Not just for me, but for everyone listening. I’ve just been looking at it in that way. It’s very comforting. I wouldn’t say I made peace with it fully, but it’s very comforting to have shared it and know that I at least tried to get those emotions out there and express them. I think what the songs mean slowly pieces itself together. Sometimes they come full circle. ‘Anyone Else’ always comes full circle and is relevant. In fact, all the songs really still feel pretty personal, like they’re being healed from. Seeing people connect with that, it’s beautiful and comforting.” On the first record, PVRIS felt like an idea shrouded in an ambitious mist. This time around, they shine as three united individuals, each with something to say. “That comes with, not maturity, but we’ve just been doing this for a while now. We’re figuring out our place and identities more. It’s a little less fuzzy now. It’s a little more defined and hopefully that just keeps uncovering over time. We’ve all found our flow and our dynamic, and have sat into those a little better. Especially live, we’ve all figured out our strengths and weak points and worked how to arrange that, so it’s all balanced out and complementary.” As much as it struggles beneath the surface, ‘AWKOH’ is constantly trying to find a place of self-love. “And there’s a lot of attempting to find that right now,” smiles Lynn. “That was such a heavy theme on the record, and also
just touring off it now. I put a lot of pressure on myself. I definitely struggle from that, especially on this tour and I have been finding that a really difficult struggle this past year that I’ve been working through. I try not to show it onstage, but sometimes I can’t help it.” Learning to love yourself is “definitely one of the hardest things. It’s ironic, and it’s backwards that one of the hardest things for us as humans to do, is be kind to ourselves and love ourselves when I feel like we should always be able to do that. It should be effortless, but it’s the complete opposite.” As the band grow, they’ve found space to have fun too. A cover of Foo Fighters’ ‘Everlong’ was aired for Radio 1 while a version of Tegan & Sara’s ‘Are You Ten Years Ago’ was recorded for ‘The Con’’s ten year anniversary. “It was refreshing to step away from our stuff for a second and focus on something else. I love covers; I wouldn’t say they’re challenges but I love little tasks like that, being given guidelines and still trying to make it your own, it’s a fun test.” As always, PVRIS “have some things up our sleeve that I can’t share yet but after this tour, we go back to the States, and we have the holidays and a bit of January off.” As always, Lynn is only “kinda” taking a break. “It’s never really time off. I’m going to be going out to start writing. I’ll be posting up in different areas to start working on some new material. But I would also just love to get out, take some pictures, paint and do anything else creative just for myself. We’ve obviously got some touring lined up as well. I can’t say what it is yet, but we’ve got some stuff planned.” P
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