Getting To Know... The U Club

After receiving huge amounts of praise for their debut single 'Dirty Laundry' near the end of last year, London-based outfit The U Club recently returned to deliver their vibrant sophomore offering 'Found Someone'.

Channeling a bright and energetic indie-pop aesthetic throughout, 'Found Someone' makes for an incredibly exciting return for the group. Packed full of full flavour, killer hooks, and an instantly recognisable chorus, this lot look set for big things in the months to come.

So with the new single available now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has been inspiring most over the years.

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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?

Emma: For most of us, our first point of contact with music was with a classical guitar, except for Callum – it was a piano for him. We all worked our way outward from there (picking up electric guitars, bass, synths, drum machines...). We all like experimenting with different instruments from time to time. Our first two singles are clearly electric guitar-driven, but our upcoming release will be a bit less focused on that type of sound.

What was the first song that inspired you to make your own music?

Javi: We were talking about this the other day, and we all agree that hearing music written by someone you know gives you a special type of inspiration to create. It feels way more personal, and whenever we hear something that someone in the band has written, it kind of sets up a foundation for all of us to bounce ideas off each other and see how the song evolves with each one of us in it.

What kind of music did you love as a teenager?

Emma: Javi’s taste and mine overlap the most. We both grew up listening to typical indie rock artists. I listened to a lot of The Vaccines and Foals, Javi listened to Arcade Fire and Bon Iver. I remember one of the first interactions I had with Javi was splitting headphones listening to Foxygen together, I think we were both trying to get the other to think we were really cool – and it definitely worked. Jack grew up listening more to noughties metal and punk, and Callum listened to a mix of Muse, Foo Fighters and 2007’s Good Girl Gone Bad.

What do you find is the best environment to find inspiration for your music?

Javi: We have slightly different requirements when it comes to initially coming up with ideas. Callum and I just need to be able to play and record something, so if there’s a guitar or a piano and a voice recorder we’re good to go. Jack and Emma are more particular, and need to be in a space that’s quieter and private. Once a demo is built, most of the magic happens when the four of us are in the studio and we try to add new elements to someone else’s track.

Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?

Emma: I’ve been listening to loads of Porridge Radio at the moment, and a couple of my consistent favourites are Nilufer Yanya and Marika Hackman.

Javi: I’ve found myself listening to some oldies (Julie London and Sinatra) and some Blood Orange, Mitski and the Marias recently.

Jack: My favourites at the moment are King Princess, Biffy Clyro and Jacob Collier.

Callum: I have been listening to Gaz Coombes, Beene and All We Are.

How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?

Callum: We don’t tend to write songs about specific people we know. We take inspiration from interpersonal dynamics we’ve seen or experienced, and we’ll usually write about themes that apply to many different relationships. Sometimes that means we end up interpreting the lyrics of each of our songs quite differently.

What has been the most unusual moment in your career so far?

Jack: Except for a story or two that are maybe too unusual to share, our experience as a band has been quite tame so far – not very rock and roll. The way our band formed was pretty impulsive. Javi and I just created a group chat out of nowhere, added Emma and Callum, and said “Hey, we’re starting a band”. That was kind of it.

Callum: I remember Emma and I weren’t sure of how serious they were - and they probably weren't sure either - but we just started getting together, practicing and having loads of fun, and it just sort of happened.

If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?

Jack: Anyone who can put on an insane show. Javi and I have seen The 1975 live a few times, and they put massive amounts of work into their visuals and making their shows an immersive experience. Another artist would be King Princess - she brings a wild amount of energy and stage presence to her performances.

If you weren’t a musician, what other path do you think you might have taken?

Callum: None of us are full-time musicians at the moment, so I imagine in an alternative reality we would be working on our art full-time. Maybe that way we would be able to stick to a release schedule.

And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?

Jack: No music is bad, and all songs have their place.

Emma: It’s not advice I’ve directly received, but it’s something I saw in an interview with Porridge Radio, where the singer (Dana) was talking about her writing process and vulnerability in her songs. She essentially said to not restrict yourself when you write – to be open and explicit if you want to be, then revisit it later and figure out whether or not you might want to strip back some of the honesty, and how so.

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The U Club's new single 'Found Someone' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.