Lurcher On the Making Of “Stone Island”
What was the creative process like for this particular song?
Spen: I had a list of phrases I felt were striking at the time. I headed round Chris' old flat n he came up with a similar riff on acoustic. We came up with a baseline next practice.
Alex: When the riff was brought to practice, we jammed over it a few times until we got a really cool feel for it. I added this weird little quick jab solo that became a sort of interlude between the second chorus and third verse. I still get a buzz from it when we do it live.
Spen: When Jono came on board and gave it the firepower it deserves everything fell into place. Lyrically it changes all the time, every iteration of the song recorded happened amidst the height of specific sex scandals within popular culture, so the endings threw a jab at a few different villains.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for "Stone Island?"
Spen: I remember it being an absolute bastard, I guess the standout moment being amidst the chaos. About take 7 or summit, 4th track of the day. Guitars detuning, Chris's exposed nerve like fingers, voices breaking and Jonos arms liquifying. That moment of genuine exhaustion within a loud, sweaty battle of attrition is the standout moment, not sentimental, it was a ball ache but, a one I'm happy to have had.
How do you feel "Stone Island" represents your artistic identity?
Spen: I feel the song isn't polished and doesn't strive for any ambiguity. It's expression over technique and sonically direct. I feel that honesty encapsulates who we were at the time of making it and bits of who we are now. It's our first love.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
Spen: The best thing about performing live is the crowd. It's sharing something we love and care about with strangers and putting on a show for them. It’s nice that multiple generations of live music fans enjoy our gigs, drawing references to old and new influences. That's dead cool I guess. No better feeling than people compare you to the artists that inspire you.
Are there any upcoming projects or releases that you're particularly excited about?
We have another single coming out at the start of May and our debut EP ‘with love’ out May 31st. The EP is a love letter to Hartlepool, it's our first-born and we couldn't love it more.
