NO:IR - Sound In The Signals Interview
I recently had the opportunity to interview Jake of NO:IR. We discussed his introduction to heavier music, how the band has grown over lockdown, writing, recording, and filming a video for new song, “Phantom”, what listeners can expect from their upcoming EP, and more. Check it out below.
First, thanks for the interview.
Jake - Thank you for inviting us!
Can you tell us a bit about how you got together and formed the band? How did you initially become interested in music?
Jake - We all met at university and just started writing music together because of a shared interest in heavier music. This instalment of NO:IR has really grown over lockdown and we have cultivated a new creative identity and branched out into a lot of other genres. Our writing has matured a lot and so has our entire persona.
My own personal interest in music goes way back and as long as I can remember music has been a huge part of my life. If I was to pick one pivotal moment in my life for my interest in music it would have to be when BMTH released Sempiternal which introduced me to heavier music.
You recently released your new song, “Phantom”. Can you describe the writing and recording process for the song?
Jake - We wrote the skeleton for Phantom almost two years ago now but the song sounds completely different now to when it first did, we were literally editing it while recording in the studio! The lyrics really do reflect where we are as a band and in essence set the tone for the rest of the EP which follows a similar narrative. The song was recorded by Josh Gallop at Stage 2 who really pushed us to get the best takes.
You’ve also created a video for “Phantom”. What was the video shoot like?
Jake - It was a lot of work. Shooting a video during lockdown is hard and we had multiple locations cancel at the last minute. When we finally came to shoot Phantom we had 8 hours to do it in so it was very none-stop.
Do you usually enjoy making videos more or do you find them stressful?
Jake - It’s both really. Filming a video is a lot of fun and it is exciting to see ideas come to life but stuff does go wrong and it takes a lot of work to actually get there.
“Phantom” brings in a lot of classic sounds from the nu-Metal genre, but you are also trying some new things. Is that something we’ll hear more of on your upcoming EP?
Jake - The EP is very experimental and progressive. We’ve moved away from 90s Nu-Metal with the EP and it takes a lot of influence from modern hip-hop and various other genres. Phantom is a good overview of what to expect from the EP with heavy breakdowns, melodic lead parts and a wide palette of synth sounds. Some songs on the EP take more influence from trap and hip-hop while others really stray away from those influences, it’s a big mix really.
What can you tell us about your EP so far? What can listeners expect?
Jake - Expect something new. People who already know our music expect an evolution from our old sound. To people who have never heard us before expect a huge range of different genres and a lot of dynamic switches.
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else that you would like to add?
Jake - Just to expect more, this EP is just the start.
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