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1.) We’re super-happy to be speaking today with acclaimed indie rock group Amber Run; greetings and salutations, gang! Before we dive down the proverbial Q&A rabbit hole, could each of you say ‘hi’ and introduce yourselves to our ever-inquisitive readers?
Hi, I’m Joshua.
Hey I’m Henry, I play keys in the band. Fun fact about me, I’m actually the tallest of the three of us.
Hi, I’m Tom, please buy our album.
2.) Congratulations on the upcoming February 24 release of your brand-spankin’ new album How To Be Human! Joshua, what was the genesis of Amber Run’s fourth album? How did this gem come into being?
We wanted to challenge ourselves with this record. We wanted to write and then record each song in the moment that they were conceived so that we, and the folk that listen, could better hear the ‘innocent’ beginnings of the songs and the themes we were trying to attack. We wanted to talk about the moment we felt we were in. This quarter life time. When you feel old enough to know what you should be doing, but not quite wise enough to get there.
3.) Tom, how is How To Be Human different than 2019’s Philophobia? How is it similar?
We approached the writing and recording in a completely different manner – How To Be Human has been created over the past couple of years, allowing us to be in and out of the studio for a week or so at a time and extend the creative process, rather than cramming it all into a 4-6 week period. We all wanted to give it a go this way round, keep things fresh, and I think the record really benefitted from that. They’re similar in the sense that it’s the three of us still peeling back layers, creating what we feel is honest, emotive music.
4.) Henry, who was the producer on How To Be Human and what was the collaboration between band and producer like in the studio?
We decided to go back in again with our long term friend and guru Ben Allen, who’s been working with the band pretty much since the very beginning. He produced our second and third records, so we definitely understand the working relationship and how to get the best out of each other. That kind of dynamic between the four of us allows us to push each other a bit harder with a bit more honesty than you might be able to with someone new, not having to worry about skirting around telling someone if a part, sound or idea just isn’t the one.
5.) Joshua, what distinguishes How To Be Human from everything else on the current-day music scene?
It’s honesty. It’s integrity. And it’s the fact that it’s a different person saying it. There’s a lot of shared experiences, triumphs and tortures that we all go through. But these are ours, in this moment. Hopefully people can see a little of themselves in it, but that’s entirely up to them.
6.) Tom, Amber Run is a tight three-piece rockin’ band. How do you and the other guys in the band get such a full sound from just three pieces?
So Henry, Joe, and I will dabble across other instruments when we’re in the studio for a bigger sound. A lot of it comes down to our producer Ben Allen and his sonic wizardry + programming. We’ve had the good fortune of working with some incredible session musicians too – Glyn Daniels is one of the best drummers in the business, and brings unmatched finesse and energy to what we do, and Michael Blackwell is prodigious on guitar, playing with us live a lot, and on Philophobia.
7.) Henry, what does the touring dance card look like for Amber Run in the coming weeks and months?
We have a UK tour lined up for April, festivals in the summer and (fingers crossed, nothing yet confirmed) get out of the country and revisit our favourite places in Europe and the US hopefully. We did a short UK run at the end of 2021, but we’ve not properly toured for a long, long time, so the excitement for playing shows this year is very real. We can’t wait to get out, back in front of the fans and we have a bunch of fun new songs to show them. It’s going to be good.
8.) Joshua, what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving How To Be Human many-a spin on their turntables?
I hope they walk away seeing a bit of themselves in what we are trying to talk about. I hope they could put their own names and experiences over the songs and see them play out. We wrote this as a bit of a how-to manual for ourselves. We’d hope that maybe people might see situations turn up for them that they might be better prepared for after hearing about them in the record. But who knows. Most of all I hope that the time they spent listening was quietly enjoyed.
9.) A question for all of you: Musically, who are you inspired by?
Tom: I’m sure it’s the answer that everyone gives, but it’s so varied. I’m always inspired by film score for its ability to dictate the emotion and pace of a scene, taking things from minuscule and close, to widescreen and cinematic and the journey in-between. It’s hard not to cite Hans Zimmer as an inspiration when it comes to soundscapes, but also post rock bands like Explosions in the Sky and This Will Destroy You.
Joshua: Glimpse of Us – Joji has me in a chokehold at the moment. But in general, bands like The National are what I love to listen to. I love when a collection of songs in an artist’s catalogue touch on the faster and harder but then can strip it down to a voice and an instrument.
10.) Tom, we’re gobsmacked over the beautiful new music video for the single, ‘Hurt’. Did you all have complete creative control on this music video?
We love it too – all we came forward with was that we wanted it to be performance based, high energy, with some examples, and the magic all came from the team behind the camera, all credit to them.
11.) Henry, how did Amber Run come together as the tight unit we hear now? Is there a Secret Origin story you could share with readers?
I’m not sure if it’s a secret at this point but the three of us were best friends at Uni and it hasn’t really changed since then. I love these two boys like family, you know, we’ve shared a lot together and it really does make being on stage or being in the studio so much more rewarding. I know it’s cliché, but that’s the truth.
12.) Final – SILLY! – Question (for all of you): Favorite movie about the music scene – This Is Spinal Tap, Oliver Stone’s The Doors or Almost Famous?
Joshua: Definitely Almost Famous. Love it.
Henry: That really bleak documentary, Dig! If it had to be of those three though then Spinal Tap, come on.
Tom: School of Rock?
