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1.) We’re super-excited to be speaking today with acclaimed Northern alt rockers extraordinaire DRENCHED; greetings and salutations gang and welcome to Vents Magazine! Before we dive into the Q&A mosh-pit, could you each say hi’ and introduce yourselves to our ever-inquisitive readers?
Hi I’m Mak and I play the bass and sing backing vocals. I’m Mike, I am the drummer. Hey I’m Callum, I’m the guitarist and also do some vocals. Hi I’m Marc, I am the lead vocalist in the band.
2.) Major kudos and congrats on one of the very best new singles of 2024, (in)sane which debuts this June 21! Marc, can you talk about what inspired this stunner of a track?
The working title for insane was literally the “heavy one”. We were playing with a lot of heavier bands at the time, and it inspired us to write something that would really hit hard when we play live. We also wanted to have a song in our catalogue that showed the band’s musical range.
3.) Callum, who did the producing honors on (in)sane and what did the collaboration process between band and producer look like while in the studio working on this new gem of a ditty?
George Collings of ‘In Heart studios’ produced the song. George is great not only at recording and mixing the tracks but also giving his creative input in on the writing and structure of the tracks. The initial breakdown section sounded totally different before we came to George. George then nicely told us that it was simply not good enough and guided us into writing some something more fitting for the song.
4.) Mike, in your humble opinion what differentiates (in)sane from the Distinguished Competition on the 2024 music scene?
I would say we can stand out due to our raw tones. A lot of songs you hear at the minute are often heavily sample replaced, fully programmed parts or all just written by one person. While we all enjoy music and bands that fit into this category, we feel that it has become extremely over-saturated in recent years and try to keep everything as raw as possible.
5.) Mak, in the wake of the June 21 release of the new single, what does the touring/performing dance card look like for DRENCHED?
So we have a gig coming up this weekend (14th June) in the Lake District which Ive been looking forward to for a while. I’ve never played there and it’s a chance to meet new people and play our music for a new audience. Then 2 days after the release, we are playing the 10th anniversary veritas festival at trillions in Newcastle, with friends Dutch Elm and headliners headcage. The 12th July takes us home to headline an event which debuts a new venue in Berwick. One more stop in Berwick on the 10th August to support Mantra and then finally an exciting gig for ourselves in Newcastle for our EP launch at Zerox on 24th of August.
6.) Marc, word ‘round industry campfire has it that (in)sane is but the opening volley for what will ultimately be the debut EP for the band, Grey, and which is set to drop on August 23; congratulations! Can you give fans a hint or three as to what they can expect and look forward to with this eagerly anticipated release?
I would just say to be prepared for the emotional roller coaster that this ep is. It goes from solid head banging riffs to having a tear in the eye. Opening with The Change, showing our proggy influences and tastes, to insane being our heaviest song yet, and cycles being the chorus to remember. Tonight closes the EP with a track that lets you sit in your feels.
7.) A question for all of you: Who inspires you, musically-speaking?
Bands that we all share a love for would be Tool, loathe and Deftones. However, we all have very different individual tastes, all ranging from metal, RnB, pop, electronic. Pretty much anything.
8.) Callum, DRENCHED proudly calls Newcastle, England their creative birthplace! How do those particular stomping grounds inform the sound and energy of the band?
The music scene in Newcastle right now is stacked with great bands such as Negatives, headache, LN and too many more to name. Being in and around these bands has definitely helped shape us and sparked creativity within the band.
9.) Mike, with the new single dropping on June 21 and the debut EP on August 23, should the oddsmakers in Vegas put some money on an LP release from you guys premiering before the end of the year?
Before the end of this year might be a little soon for us unfortunately due to our resources, however, an LP is something we’re definitely keen on doing but we also need to make sure we’re all 100% happy with every song we put out. We’re always looking to try and improve on our songwriting as a collective, with that comes a little patience and work from ourselves.
10.) Mak, any final thoughts you might like to share with readers about the new single (in)sane and the upcoming EP Grey?
(in)sane – for me – incorporates a lot of aspects of music which I love. It has a driving riff, lots of space, dissonance, a raw breakdown and dynamic vocals the whole way through. I’m very proud of the song and how – with the genius of our producer George Collings – we wrote something which ties a lot of different styles together.
