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Goldsmiths University was the catalyst for the formation of National Service, with Fintan Campbell meeting guitarist Iain Kelly there in 2009. The band expanded their sound by adding in drummer Matthew Alston in 2017. Their latest track “Repeater” is an infectious offering. Featuring chorus-soaked guitars, thundering drums and softly penned but emotional vocals.
Elaborating more about the process behind the track, National Service share:
“At the start of the first lockdown back in about June 2020, we started a ‘Round Robin’ to freshen up our writing and get out of a bit of a slump. We’d been using the same writing formula for years, but we were conscious that if we didn’t mix up the writing process, we’d end up with a load of songs that were formulaic and uninspired. We took it in turns to write a fully formed part, with a verse, chorus, bridge and maybe a pre/post chorus idea too, then we’d pass it to the next person who’d write their lines on top. Repeater was the 4th Round Robin we did.
The simplicity, and forthright, unencumbered approach to writing was what really got us going, and that’s what inspired the chorus really. We just wanted to keep smashing at the four chords and write a pop-tastic melody over the top. Obviously, we roughed it up with some fuzz guitar and a killer guitar line from Iain, but essentially it’s a pop-chorus. The sound is worlds apart, but harmonically and melodically, it’s always reminded me of MGMT funnily enough. In terms of the verses, it’s just straight up hip-hop. Matt’s drums, mixed with our old bass player’s line just make me want to bop my head and two step – this had a big impact on the melody and phrasing of the vocals.
The overarching driver of everything was that the whole song hammered from start to finish with a palpable sense of cathartic release. We wrote, recorded, mixed and produced it all ourselves too, so although the process was unique, it’s a big slice of National Service through and through.”
Arriving the following year, the gently upset debut EP ‘Foreign Love, quickly followed by sophomore ‘Meltwater’, featuring a selection of music racked with yearning and restrained torment. Eloquently confessional, the latter release marked a shift in direction – “It’s lush, angry, more urgent, deeper instrumentation, more ambitious production and a more collaborative, expansive composition.” The EP enjoyed an in-depth interview feature from Dan Alani’s Reprezent Radio (www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-L2o6UDoME).
