“There were a lot of nerves there,” Gunship’s Alex Westaway admitted whereas discussing the discharge of the band’s first single in years, Monster In Paradise. “Because there’s a bit of a different sound in this new record, an evolution.”
Any band could be nervous about releasing new music – however Gunship are a particular case. The techno/rock/ambient/cinematic trio, comprised of Alex Westaway, Alex Gingell and Dan Haigh, are one of the aloof bands within the trade. And that is by design.
Although they have been round since 2014 (and are passionately adored by their followers) no person actually is aware of them; the artists. They’ve by no means toured. The identities of its three members usually are not a thriller, however they hardly ever (if ever) do interviews. And but, their legacy is astounding (and rising).
So far, Gunship have launched two albums (2015’s self-titled and 2018’s Dark All Day), and amassed a staggering fanbase who’re each devoted and utterly seduced by the synthwave-esque band, giving them a staggering 518,000 month-to-month listeners on Spotify. Again: they’ve by no means been on tour, by no means performed stay, and do not do interviews. Their energy has come via word-of-mouth promotion alone, and to realize what they’ve in such a brief period of time is nothing wanting astonishing.
Speaking completely to Express.co.uk over Zoom, Haigh, Westaway and Gingell defined how their followers’ need for brand spanking new music had change into “palpable”. As a consequence, it was tough for them to come back out of the shadows, gentle a candle within the darkness and (lastly) launch the mission they’ve been engaged on for over 4 years.
Unicorn, the band’s third album, is a robust, feature-rich journey that not solely packs a punch at each flip, but additionally accommodates quite a lot of coronary heart, delicacy, and a fully unbelievable quantity of depth. Despite how unbelievable Unicorn is (and it actually is unbelievable) their third document has quite a lot of stress atop it. Quite a lot of that clearly comes, lovingly, from the fandom, but additionally the expectations of their may throughout the style.
“Personally,” Westaway confessed. “I don’t feel very comfortable being perceived in a genre. When someone tells you you are something or you’re supposed to do something it makes you not want to do that. But it’s about trying to figure out and respect what we’ve become and where we sit.”
Unicorn actually bucks the Gunship development a bit of. Sure, it nonetheless has the brooding, effervescent staples present in each Gunship music, but it surely’s a fuller expertise. Each monitor could possibly be its personal style (if we’re nonetheless speaking about that), and lots of the album’s 14 entries are enhanced with featured artists. Not solely is Busted’s Charlie Simpson again, however so, too, are John Carpenter, Lights, Gavin Rossdale, Health, Power Glove, and extra. Gunship are a band that thinks about all the things they do with self-discipline and dedication, so this characteristic checklist was not constructed evenly.
“If it doesn’t blow your hair back, don’t bother,” Haigh mentioned of their inside motto. “It’s the same with collaborators: If [a feature] can genuinely enhance the art – by meeting someone and interacting with people who can bring a dimension you couldn’t – then, ultimately, you’re going to love that thing more as a result. And that’s the reason to do it.”
Haigh, who was beforehand in Fightstar alongside Westaway, known as it their “zero compromise attitude”. But, actually, it simply appears like pure, unfiltered ardour. Have you ever launched somebody to Gunship and watched their face contort into ecstasy as they realise that is really a band like no different? It’s fairly an expertise.
When Gunship lastly determined to carry Unicorn collectively as their third album, they began with this ardour and evocative feeling, whereas additionally drawing from their very own lives.
“We were knocking around a lot of different ideas,” Haigh recalled. “But ultimately I think we were looking for something that encapsulated what we were trying to do in a singular word. And it’s fairly established that the unicorn is an icon of fantasy, and the record is about the power of imagination.”
Through this lens of the fantasy style, heavy steel, and – after all – Blade Runner, Haigh recalled an previous quote he heard as soon as: “It’s better to light a candle than to curse the dark.” With a smirk, he added: “In this record, we do both. We curse the dark – p***ed off about everything, lockdown, COVID, all of that disruption – dealing with some difficult stuff in our personal lives maybe. And then also through the darkness trying to light some candles, it’s both light and dark.”
Westaway agreed: “We have been working on this for four years, and we put a lot into what we do, emotionally. It has been a crazy four years, and I think there is a depth to the work that’s probably benefitted from that time… It’s a bit of a time capsule for us in these last pretty f****ng crazy years.”
Gunship have spent years pondering meticulously about their music, their new album, and what that appears wish to them. But the query that has been seared into each fan’s mind is: Are they ever going to play music stay?
“That’s the plan,” Westaway sighed, drenched in expectation. “Nothing is locked in yet but it will be a real shame if we didn’t sort something out really soon.”
When I pushed the band on even a ballpark date or yr, they had been resolute of their defence. “Like everything we do,” Haigh roared in. “We’re not going to half-a*s it, so we need to figure out the most compelling way of doing it. We’re interested in doing something original with what’s happening on stage.”
Westaway laughed: “It’s a theatrical thing for me to hide.” He went on so as to add: “It’s felt like [live shows have] needed to be that from the beginning of the band. I think that’s why we’ve probably not gone down that avenue – yet.” Westaway pressured that the band know their music is so well-loved, however they want the stay exhibits to match the power and pleasure or they might be doing themselves a disservice.
The ever-stoic and considerate Gingell broke his tempered silence: “We feel a responsibility. We saw [the Monster In Paradise music video] as almost putting our toe in the water. Let’s imagine what that could look like in the future. A kind of representation of what that could look like.”
Westaway agreed: “Maybe we’re getting close now.”
Beyond that, is there extra music? Well, type of. There’s actually extra thriller, at the very least. Haigh teased a “missing link” between Dark All Day and Unicorn. He bared his enamel: “You may get to find out what that link is.”
Westaway cautiously added: “It won’t be another five years time [until fans get more music]. There’ll be a rhythm to it, to the releases.”
Honestly, at this level, per week is simply too lengthy – however we’ll must be affected person. Especially when the tip merchandise are simply so good.
Content Source: www.specific.co.uk
