Landmarks - Sound In The Signals Interview

Manchester alt-rockers Landmarks are set to release their third EP in August. Despite a setback when the studio was robbed, the band emerged with an EP that features the lyrics that they are most proud of in any song up to this point. In Spite Of It All features a more somber, mature sound and is sure to please fans. They were kind enough to tell us how Avengers: Age of Ultron inspired their song "Cutting Strings", how having their recording equipment stolen brought them closer together, and how fans can expect two more videos in the next few months.

I've read that the band shares the desire to create music "which means something and makes people happy no matter what situation they find themselves in". That's an admirable goal. Tell us about your background and your music for those who may be unfamiliar.

Brad: Me, Tom, and Adam were playing in a few local bands before we put together Landmarks. I was in an indie rock outfit called Dead Kicks while Tom and Adam were in a pop punk band called Chokeslam Charlie. When they lost their guitarist, I joined up with them and we became Landmarks which is when we added more of a pop element to the band and turned down the punk. When our original guitarist James McCormick left last year we brought in Nic and his introduction led to us changing the direction we were heading in musically. All 4 of us are huge fans of music because of how it makes us feel, and we wanted to inspire those same feelings within our listeners.

Your upcoming EP, In Spite Of It All debuts on August 12th via Scylla Records. It's your third EP and it sees a slight departure in sound. How did your approach change with this EP and what inspired the departure from a more pop punk sound?

Brad: We all still enjoy pop punk but it feels like the genre has become a bit over saturated in recent years. We wanted to stand out a little bit so we went for a more alternative rock sound which suits us a lot more. If you look at some of our favourite bands they're all a part of that genre, so we took inspiration from them and it just feels a lot more natural. We still try to write our songs with a bit of bounce in them though, you've got to give people something to move to when they see you live!

You recently premiered the video for "Cutting Strings". Bassist and co-vocalist, Adam Long said, "it features the lyrics that we are most proud of in any song we've written up to this point". Can you take us through the process of writing this song and tell us why you're the most proud of these lyrics?

Brad: This always makes me laugh when I say it but the line 'you've been cutting my strings' was inspired by Avengers: Age of Ultron. I also like to reference some of our older songs when I write which is where the line 'I said I wouldn't write for love' came from, it's a callback to a song on our first EP called 'Better Men Have Tried And Failed' which starts with the line 'this is the last song I'll write for love.' The majority of the song came to me while we were driving through Germany on our European tour last year and though it's about a pretty common subject, I'm proud of it because some of the words and phrases I chose to include aren't ones I hear in a lot of break up songs. I like to steer clear of conventional lyrics whenever possible because there's always a more interesting way to phrase something.



"Cutting Strings" started from a line from Avengers: Age of Ultron. It's a pretty epic scene when James Spader (as Ultron) says "there are no strings on me". How did you build upon this line? What are other things, people, or places that inspire the band?

Brad: I did creative writing at university so I write my songs as stories because I don't have much to complain about in my own life. I'm a pretty lucky guy! I've always been inspired by other people's lyrics, bands like Taking Back Sunday and The Hotelier always find clever ways to say simple things, so I tried to do the same when writing Cutting Strings. A lot of the melodies are inspired by pop music to be honest. I always tell people that I write pop songs then add a guitar into them. I think too many people are scared of taking inspiration from generic pop music but it's important to take reference from it if you want your songs to get caught in people's head.

As the band was finishing recording someone broke into the studio, twice. That event partly inspired the EP's title, In Spite Of It All. What was this experience like and how did you make the best of it?

Nic: It was a pretty traumatic experience for all of us. The EP was nearly complete, we were putting the finishing touches on a couple of the tracks when it all happened. To come from that feeling of achievement and elation only to be brought back down to earth, hard, was tough. We thought we had lost it all. We thought that everything we had worked on for months had just disappeared over night. Although we were worried about our own hard work going to waste, we were more worried about our producer and good mate and Suff Studios, Matt Heap. He put so much effort into this EP and now his livelihood was on the line. Thankfully, due to an unusual twist of fate, Matt managed to recover the stolen equipment and the culprits were brought to justice. I'm relieved that everything turned out well in the end and, in a way, I'm glad we all went through that experience together. It brought us closer as a band and ultimately led to the naming of the EP, 'In Spite Of It All' - Our mantra for working through the hard times with determination and being thankful for the things that we've got.

You're releasing the EP on vinyl and digitally. The vinyl variants are really neat especially the aqua marine variant. I also really like your cover art. How much input did the band have with the vinyl design and cover art? What inspired it all?

Nic: We were on a tour of the UK in 2015 when we first had the idea to use the image of the girl in the small boat, looking ahead over the calm lake. At first we just thought it was a really cool image, but it later became particularly pertinent for us, after the whole break-in ordeal. Personally, I seen the image as a visual representation of us turning our back on the turmoil we have been through and looking ahead, with hope, to what the future holds. Scylla Records later approached us and told us they wanted to release it on vinyl, which allowed us to produce the cool 'Aqua Marine' and 'Frosted White' variants!

The EP comes out in August. What else are you planning as you prepare for the release? Can you tease anything for fans who are waiting?

Nic: We're planning a bunch of live dates around the UK around the time of the release. Plus, we've got one very special overseas show that we're looking forward to. We recently released a music video for 'Cutting Strings', the lead single from the new EP, and we plan to follow this with two more music videos in the next few months. I'm very excited for us to release these videos. We're really proud of both of them.

Thanks for the interview. Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Nic: Thanks! We're really looking forward to our upcoming gigs in support of our new EP's release. Check out these dates and locations and come on down if we're playing near you...

29th July - Ruby Lounge, Manchester
27th August - The White Bear, Middlewich
30th August - Gullivers, Manchester
25th September - Retro Bar, Manchester

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-L.Burden