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theseventhhex · 6 years

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Editors Interview

Editors

Photo by Rahi Rezvani

British indie-rock 5-piece the Editors are back with album number six. ‘Violence’ was produced by Leo Abrahams, with additional production from Benjamin John Power (Blanck Mass, Fuck Buttons). The band’s latest captivating release marks an intriguing stylistic shift for the Editors, all the while offering a diverse range of striking compositions and an enthralling level of remarkable musical understanding. Equipped with powerful post-punk numbers, symphonic and haunting tracks and a beautiful piano ballad, ‘Violence’ is a bold, confident and absorbing album. Having established an ambition to consistently sell-out mainland Europe via playing arenas and headlining festivals across the continent, there is no doubt that the Editors latest work is destined for the biggest of stages this summer… We talk to Russell Leetch about having a free-form approach, performing live and Aston Villa...

TSH: Was it once again a case of having a free-flowing approach as you readied ‘Violence’?

Russ: Yeah, absolutely. It certainly flows whenever we work on new music. I’d say we definitely have our own pace, which can mean it takes a while for new music to come together at times. However, we always try to mix it up a little bit and offer some sort of variety. I guess it often depends on our moods. Nonetheless, we really did enjoy making this record and it was nice to go for a more in your face type of feel.

TSH: From an instrumentation standpoint you’re covering brutal electronic ideas alongside a band orientated feel. With Blanck Mass on board, was it key to get the right balance between the two?

Russ: Definitely. Obviously in working with Blanck Mass we had his production on board. He worked on almost all of the songs and did versions of the songs himself, which helped us to realise which brutal and electronic elements we wanted to use and incorporate. We didn’t want to have Tom’s vocals over too much programming because that would be a shock to the system for listeners, so the balance was definitely key. It’s also worth noting that we decided to pull the band back in and we each chipped in with various ideas to tie the album together.

TSH: Speaking of Blanck Mass, do you still listen to a lot his music, as well as the likes of Nils Frahm and Jon Hopkins?

Russ: Totally. Nils and Jon are both excellent. I also like older stuff like The Blue Nile too. But yeah, as a band, we really like what Blanck Mass does with his music. I’ve been a fan of Fuck Buttons for years and his ‘World Eater’ album from last year was truly incredible.

TSH: Whilst working on this record, the band was located in a farmland rehearsal room in Oxford for months, where you each tinkered away with the songs and various ideas. What was the level of focus like out there?

Russ: It was just nice to be away and to knuckle down to get the work done. It was a good 10 to 5 every day type of routine and we’d really work hard on the music. We’d basically go over these songs for a long time and see what would work out best. It was certainly a nice way of getting things done.

TSH: Have there been notable changes with your personal approach to this record?

Russ: Yeah, in addition to my work on bass, I was programming and putting drum machine ideas together. You know, there wasn’t anything that was off limits this time around. If someone wanted to create a lead part, it didn’t just have to be Justin or Eliott, it could be anyone, that’s how we did it this time. We each had the freedom to explore and hone in on our selected ideas.

TSH: The track entitled ‘Magazine’ touches on human connection and coming together as people. It’s also a song that is pretty much a pointed finger aimed at those in power...

Russ: Yeah, the intention was to go all out. It’s strange because we’ve been working on this track for quite a long time. It’s been around the bush for quite a while. Tom has a lot of ideas that are stored some place and sometimes they don’t work out, so they go back into the box and come back out later down the line, which was the case for ‘Magazine’. Also, given all the political and notable newsfeeds being broadcast daily in the U.K. these days, this song definitely felt apt and suitable.

TSH: What was it like to flesh out ‘Counting Spooks’?

Russ: It was a very organic process in bringing this song together. I actually wrote the riff for that song and a lot of the drum programming too. Since the song is sequenced late on and is kind of like an outro, we needed Leo’s help to make sense of it. I’m so glad with how it came out.

TSH: The ending of the record is slightly more dramatic and drawn out, it was important for you guys to show a different side of what you’re about with the last two songs..

Russ: Yeah, for the last two songs it was. They are pretty epic I guess and are placed at the end to achieve a certain effect, for sure. Again, the programming for both of the final tracks was quite key. In fact, the programming on ‘Belong’ was done by just the band whilst we were in Oxford. It was one of the only songs that Blanck Mass didn’t do anything with, it was solely us. All in all, I feel like we managed to get a good broad-stroke of all of the things that we were up to with this album.

TSH: With your live shows constantly evolving, is the idea of being present and switching things up very essential?

Russ: Yeah, certainly. We always aim to keep it fresh and engaging for ourselves and the audience. We use a lot more technology now, in addition to mixing the electronic parts with the guitars. We really are bringing our instruments right to the forefront in a way that we haven’t really done so before. Also, we spend a lot of time road testing too. We did 5 weeks of rehearsals for this tour beforehand, simply because we like to go onstage and feel like the songs have been planned out. It’s always better to establish the strengths of the new songs and to present them in the best way possible for our fans.

TSH: How do you like to spend time outside of music?

Russ: Outside of music, I like to surround myself with my loved ones. I especially like spending time with my girlfriend. We tend to go out for meals and catch up with friends and family over drinks, it’s a pretty normal life really. Also, each band member has a studio at home, so music is never that far away if we ever get the itch to start crafting new tunes.

TSH: You’re a proud Brummie too...

Russ: Yeah, I love being located in Birmingham. The city has changed a lot over the last 10 years or so. It feels quite vibey and there are so many interesting art, food and music scenes that are present to keep me occupied.

TSH: Moreover, being a big Aston Villa fan. How do you feel about the team’s promotion chances?

Russ: I’m hopeful, that’s for sure. I’m also a bit nervous going into the playoffs, but fingers crossed we’ll perhaps get that second place. Personally, I think it’s going to go down to the wire.

TSH: Like Tom, you’re also very much into your movies. Paddington 2 almost brought Tom to tears, have you seen it yet?

Russ: It’s funny you should mention Paddington 2 because I’m going to watch it tonight! Especially since Tom keeps going on about it, haha! I have actually seen a lot of the Oscar movies recently. I saw Ladybird, which I thought was excellent. Although, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Three Billboards or The Shape of Water.

TSH: Are you constantly looking to in some ways reinvent the band’s sound with future music?

Russ: Yeah, it’s always important to show that we can pull from a range of different angles so to speak. I guess we just hope that people will stick by us with each passing album. The attention span of the U.K. audience is always kind of unpredictable as they mostly like a band for only a couple of albums. However, it’s been going well for us for quite a while, so we’re very appreciative and happy about that. I guess we’ll just try to keep doing interesting things, and hopefully our fans will keep paying attention and still be interested.

Editors - “Magazine”

Editors - “Hallelujah (So Low)”

Violence

#Interview #Editors #Tom Smith

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