Feature: Palejoy Decodes “Max Payne Au Chocolat”
What was the creative process like for this particular song?
Jamie: I think this song was one we made pretty early on, Dale played the riff in practice when we were still finding our feet musically and it all clicked together pretty fast from there.
Kieran: It felt super natural and paved a way for our sound and its development.
Dale: It was a riff I had been sitting on since Covid times and it didn't really fit any of my other projects at the time. Thankfully, we formed Palejoy and I thought it was the perfect fit. After showing it to Jamie and Kieran, we all seemed to be on the save wavelength and it all came together pretty quickly after that. Lyrically, I had some pretty deep and persoanl stuff locked away that I desperately wanted to get off my chest so I started plucking bits from my notes and it all fell into place.
How do you feel "Max Payne Au Chocolat" represents your artistic identity?
Jamie: I think this track is sort of a showcase of our combined influences and dynamic range.
Dale: It nails down who we are as a band. It's a deep and emotional song that can make you move and pump you with adrenaline.
Kieran: It’s a great example of how we can make you sad and happy all at the same time.
What was your favorite moment in making the music video?
Kieran: There's quite a few. It was just super fun.
Dale: We had so many goofy moments during the filming process that just sum us all up. What started out as a serious video shoot just became a really fun time. We couldn't include every silly moment but there is enough to showcase our fun side and reveal that we're just normal people who don't take ourselves too seriously!
Jamie: It was just such a laugh start to finish.
Can you tell us more about you as a band?
Kieran: Three guys who like to play emo-grunge music and want to bring something a little different to the table. I know I can speak for all the guys on this one, we are all super proud of the music that we’ve been making.
Dale: We are the hottest emo band ever to be made up of 2 boys from the Scottish Highlands and a North East loon!
Jamie: We're just some goofy guys with big feelings.
What role do you feel emotions play in your music, and how do you channel them into your performances?
Jamie: We have a huge energy on stage and I feel the emotion behind the music, the idea that along with throughly enjoying the music we make the fact we really mean what we're singing about I think is super important. When I see it in other bands it's the difference between me thinking "yeah that's cool" and me falling entirely in love with the band.
Kieran: We all love this band and what we’ve built and that comes across in our performance massively. We all have a huge input in the creative process so we all feel connected with every song which brings a real and authentic feeling to our performances.
Dale: Our songs come from the heart and I think that's important when it comes to performance in a live setting but also when recording. If you feel every word when you perform then as a listener you can believe it and relate to it. For me, that emotional connection to a song can add so much more to the quality, enjoyment and engagement of a performance.
