Barking Poets On the Making Of “Arizona”
How did you come up with the theme?
"Arizona" was written quite quickly on a couch with my Fender Strat. Like most people our age in the U.K. and Ireland we were raised on American and British T.V. just plonked in front of a T.V. from an early age. I wanted to capture that culture, that idealistic, romantic version of America. I love lyrics that deal with escapism so that's the reason for the lyrics in the middle eight of the song. I don't know why Arizona, I don't know where that came from but it just happens sometimes. We wanted to bring the song to life in the video which we pulled off really well.
How do you feel "Arizona" represents your artistic identity?
It's pretty spot on. We pride ourselves on being a "Song" band. We love bands like Weezer, Fountains of Wayne, bands who play loud guitars but also write amazing hooks with fantastic lyrics. That's what we always aim to do. The chorus is a prominent, current message to the world.
What was your favorite moment in making the music video?
The joy, excitement and relief when we finally figured out the projector and we realised how cool it looked. The background footage and projector is such an integral part of the video. We had no idea if it was going to work or look good until the day we turned up to Audio Underground for the shoot so it felt like a real victory. We had a vision and we managed to pull it off very very well.
Can you tell us more about you as a trio?
We are based in London U.K. and have spent the past 4 years playing shows all over the U.K. We have released 2 e.p's thus far via Engineer Records so go check it out! We all love 90's punk,alt and pop punk bands so if you like loud guitars, quality hooks then check us out.
Are there any specific themes or messages that you aim to convey through your music?
We do like to point out the injustices on our doorsteps, the constant shenanigans in Westminster and beyond but always with a cynical smile and in the end a positive uplifting message.