Being Bold Vs Being Cheesy And Overwrought

Right from the beginning of Everything Everything, there’s been a mandate to provide something to the listening public that would defy expectations and solidly set them apart from their contemporaries. The original intention was to design something “with a sort of Paul Morley-inspired, poptimist aesthetic” — a kind of sound and structure that would explain them beyond the usual “bunch of white guys from Manchester with guitars.” It’s pretty hard to argue with that sentiment. Over their first two albums, Everything Everything have explored influences as diverse as Krautock, contemporary R&B, jazz and British electronica, with an intense and aggressive edge that belies the angelic voice of leadman and artistic driver Jonathan Higgs. With their upcoming third release, Get To Heaven, they want to do nothing more than throw the rules out the window again.

"It was very hip hop and R&B influenced – a lot of Rihanna-esque tempos going through it."

“I just think we had to push forward,” Alex Robertshaw says of the new album. “When we did [2010 debut record] Man Alive, we really just wanted to bamboozle people and do something crazy to stand out. No one knew who we were, and we were releasing around the same time as countless other bands who were doing similar things, which was very difficult. So with Man Alive our whole kind of role was doing something that would really catch people’s attention. With [second album, 2013’s] Arc we were thinking more like, ‘Ok, let’s bring this in a bit.’ And I think we really stuck to our influences on that album and produced something that really gave an idea of where we were coming from as musicians. With Get To Heaven, I think we we’re trying to meld ideas from both of those records, but still produce something that was unique. I doubt we would have been able to make this record if it wasn’t for the… adventures we took ourselves on with the two previous ones. I think we’re finally finding our feet now.”

Working with veteran producer Stuart Price (The Killers, Pet Shop Boys, Madonna), Everything Everything have stretched their sound back once again to their core influences — namely various ‘80s and ‘90s new wave and guitar-driven indie acts. But, as one would expect, there’s a whole lot of looking forward and exploration of just what constitutes the band’s aesthetic. And, in deference to the relatively safe, media-savvy sound of Arc, Get To Heaven isn’t afraid to get a little eclectic.

"It’s a little-by-little thing: pushing on every corner and teasing it out until you have something that works."

“It’s a lot more energetic than it’s ever been, actually,” Robertshaw suggests. “I think when we set out to make this record and having made Arc before, that record was all of a certain tempo. It was very hip hop and R&B influenced – a lot of Rihanna-esque tempos going through it. What we found is that when we played it live, it settled in and went really steady. We found that we really wished we had a bit more upbeat energy. We really kind of focused on moments instead that would be just like, ‘Whoa!’ Just pushing and pushing against the boundaries. Just to have that palette to choose from now, we have a lot more freedom to transform the vibe of each set and raise the energy higher than it’s ever been.”

First single, Distant Past, has already made a significant impression here, topping the triple j charts, but there’s a whole lot more on offer, courtesy the oft-mentioned organic and powerfully artistic songwriting process the band go through to produce their music.

“We locked ourselves up for a year to write this album. It’s pretty hard to spend that much time on something and not come up with just a ridiculous amount of material. But I think it was the music — the beats, the melodies — that really stuck with us through all that time that allowed us to make this album, and I think that’s one of the main reasons that we’re all just so proud of how it turned out. You know, you’re trudging through thirty, forty songs trying to find stuff that works, but there’s always those elements that you just cannot let go: you know it’s good. And, you know, you get rewarded by putting all of your effort into those elements, because they just grow and grow and grow. It’s a very difficult balance between being bold — moving people and having those big melodies — but without it being too cheesy and overwrought. It’s a wonderful kind of experience. It’s a little-by-little thing: pushing on every corner and teasing it out until you have something that works. It’s a slog, for sure, but we’re right in that time of looking back and just seeing how much work we poured into it, so it’s very rewarding.”