Dublin five-piece indie rock band Brass Phantoms have released their new single, Hurricane. We asked them the BIG questions . . .
With influences ranging from Joy Division to The War On Drugs, the track is from their album Holding Out For Horrors, which is set for release on September 18.
Speaking about the new song, band member Greg Whelan says, "Hurricane is definitely one of the songs we're most proud of on the album. It has quite an accessible sound, yet retaining some depth and openness in the words, and the energy in the music accompanies that nicely. We’re so excited for people to hear it, and the entire album."
Tell us three things about yourself?
There’s a serious temptation to play a game of two truths and a lie with these . . . So we’re a five-piece act from Dublin. We met through a mix of things like school, college and the 'music scene’ here.
Two of the band have emigrated, so given the current climate, it's looking like the celebrations for the album release on September 18 may include a zoom call. Wild!
The first time I met James (guitars) was the same day we met two members of The Strokes and the first time Colleen and I met was the day she came into the studio to sing on our track Waiting Up. She came in, said hello and then hammered into vocals - a real powerhouse move.
How would you describe your music?
It’s one of the first questions I get asked when talking to people about it and I’m still awful at giving a straight answer. There’s indie rock and post-punk in there with catchy melodies. The guitars try to open up for a spacey atmosphere. On drums, we like different styles. On the album, for instance, there are points where a verse may have a hint of a hip-hop beat followed by a more driven or anthemic punch in a chorus.
There are subtleties in the melodies and rhythms so there are some little ideas in the songs to help the sections stand out in their own way. We try to create moments or hooks as the songs progress. I think we have some insecurity of being branded as a ‘typical’ indie guitar band just because of the sheer volume of that kind of music 15 years ago. So, we sometimes get a little moodier with the tone. Lyrically, Ryan likes to both speak from his heart but also tell stories, and we’ll add to it.
Who are your musical inspirations?
There are a few that we share. We used to do a Talking Heads cover for instance. Part of the fun in a band is the individuals coming together. So when I might love The War On Drugs, Colleen is a huge Enter Shikari fan, that kind of thing. Ryan might come in with a new idea inspired by a book he’s been reading. It keeps it interesting. There are not really limitations in how a song is supposed to sound and that’s always been valuable for me when it comes to the song writing process. I hope we’ve captured that on the album.
How did you occupy yourself during the coronavirus lockdown?
It's mad seeing the progression of it. We released a song called Wood Words at the start of the lockdown, and we had started the promotion just before. It quickly felt like a weird time to be trying to promote something. It has felt a bit better getting ready for Hurricane now and our album in September.
In terms of keeping occupied, I went from working all the time to having all this spare time. So, I had some song ideas I was finally able to sit down with and demo. And then I wrote a lot more. There were a lot of Zoom calls and running in the early days. And listening to a lot of music I had missed. I’m happy to now be speaking from a point where I’ve been able to see friends and family. Even being able to watch live sport again, do a gym class - little things that you never realise you had been taking for granted.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Right now it's probably I Know The End from the new Phoebe Bridgers album. The build after the second chorus is outrageous, still getting goosebumps.
Favourite lyric of all time?
When I was a kid I was captivated by the opening line "Is it cruel or kind not to speak my mind and to lie to you, rather than hurt you?" in Music When The Lights Go Out by The Libertines. I have a notebook of lines that I love so I could write so many here. There’s an artist Hazel English who has a song called Waiting. The chorus is "Even though we don’t talk right now, you know you’ve already got me". That’s probably been the lyric that struck me most in 2020. It's simplistic but it says everything.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life what would it be?
Hurricane by Brass Phantoms for sure… no, sorry I’ll be serious. Over lockdown, I would say the song Telefono by Phoenix was my most played track, so I’ll say that.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Our music is on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Deezer, SoundCloud all the streaming platforms. You can keep up with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We’re yet to use TikTok. There’s a band discussion to be had for that.
