North Londons The Silence have shared their debut single ‘Winter’ and are set for big things. We put some questions to the band to find out about them and where they are going.
Give us a potted history of the band
The band technically formed in early 2022 – at the time it was just myself (Vocals / Rhythm Guitar) and Oli (Bass), and we had nothing save for a handful of riffs, basslines and lyrics between us. Around July, Lee (Drums) and Luca (Lead Guitar) joined up, and immediately we got to work writing the tunes. We had our first gig in October, and we’ve been hard at work ever since, preparing releases, working on more material, and getting ready to take 2023 by storm.
Who inspired you to start making music
I think we all sort of just naturally fell into it. For myself, I really got into music early on, and it wasn’t long before I had my first guitar. I never really tried to learn songs, though – instead I was content to just make up the odd riff here, the odd chord progression there…and somewhere along the line I started getting more serious about it. It stopped being a hobby and started being a passion.
And the one or maybe two records that inspired you artistically
‘Juju’ by Siouxie and the Banshees has been a big influence on our own music. The strange mix of explosive dissonance and haunting melodies coupled with catchy, danceable grooves really resonated with us – and we strive to capture the same ‘teetering-on-the-edge’ feel that encapsulates that record (with our own twist, of course!) On the more modern side, ‘Relatives in Descent’ by Protomartyr has been another big influence. The seamless transitions between chaotic musical outbursts and hauntingly beautiful moments of harmony are masterfully done, and Joe Casey’s gritty, evocative urban poetry droning over the instrumentation is just the cherry on top of it all.
If you’re trying to explain whom you sound like to someone that’s never heard you, what do you say
We’d describe ourselves as primarily inspired by classic Post-Punk (Siouxie, Killing Joke, Gang of Four, Bauhaus, etc), but with a healthy dose of modernity (Savages, Fontaines D.C, Dry Cleaning, etc). Moody and dark, yet grooving and dancey.
Tell us about your new track
‘Winter’ is essentially a cathartic inner monologue turned into a song. As the title suggests, I came up with the lyrics for ‘Winter’ on a particularly cold winter’s evening as I was walking home, letting myself become lost in introspection. I liked the idea of capturing that brief, fleeting moment in song form. When we decided to take ‘Winter’ into the studio, we got in touch with Alan Smith of Crunch Studios. Alan was fantastic to work with, and we think he really resonated with the sound and feel we were going for.
Where can we get hold of it
‘Winter’ is available on all music streaming platforms, as well as on YouTube, where we’ve released an accompanying Lyric Video.
Tell us how you write
Our process seems to vary from song to song. Sometimes one of us will come up with a riff that we later flesh out, sometimes we’ll meticulously toil over a song, attempting to get every little part just right – and sometimes (as was the case with ‘Winter’), the song just seems to write itself!
Tell us about your live show
We like to think of our live show as being a half-hour of controlled chaos, blending driving, pacey tunes with moody slow-burners to keep the audience on their toes, while also giving them something to dance to!
What can we expect from you in the near future
We have plans to release more music in the near future, and, of course, we’ll be playing plenty of shows in the coming months! Our next gig is a free show on December 15th, at the Finsbury in North London.
Tell us your favourite records that’s rocking your headphones/tour bus/stereo
I think each of us has a different answer to that! But among some of our favourites would be Skinty Fia (Fontaines D.C), Joy as an Act of Resistance (IDLES), Arrangements (Preoccupations), etc. We also like to keep an eye on acts that are still upcoming – artists like Average Life Complaints, Junodef, Oliver Marson, Hallan, Opus Kink, etc, have put out some great stuff this year.
Find out more via the band’s Instagram
Tour Dates:
15.12.22 – The Finsbury, London, UK (Tickets)
14.01.23 – Fiddler’s Elbow (Camden Rocks All-Dayer), London, UK (Tickets)
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