After introducing themselves earlier this year with their stunning debut single 'Transmission One', Northampton-based outfit The Comms are back to do it all again on their follow-up offering 'Pulled Apart'.
Channelling the bold and rip-roaring sound of acts like The Amazons and The Murder Capital, 'Pulled Apart' sees them return in anthemic form. Filled with a driven pace, pulsing hooks, and a brilliantly catchy sound, this new jam is set to see them grow even faster in the months ahead.
So with the new track available now, we sat down with them to find out more about their background and what has inspired them most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Liam: It has to be the guitar. It was one of the first instruments I learnt to play; always more to learn but I’m loving it.
Jack: It was actually my brother that wanted a drum kit, so my parents bought us a CB drum kit when I was 10. He ended up getting bored and I fell in with playing. After years of playing and saving I bought my Tama Superstar Hyperdrive kit.
Oliver: The first instrument that I fell in love with was the bass guitar – it was the first instrument that I got when I was 16 at Christmas that year and it’s always been there, even after moving more over to guitar in recent years.
Tommy: Bass ever since I was first going gigs I always found bass more interesting and the rhythm it keeps with the whole band.
What has been the most prominent inspiration behind your music so far?
Liam: A lot of the inspiration from our music comes from emotion, personal experiences and life in general. I want our music to be as real and relatable to as possible.
Jack: My inspiration for music was definitely my mum as she sings in bands and taught me the guitar. Lyrically I’m very inspired by James from Deaf Havana, his rhymes and melodies are really emotive and relatable. In terms of drumming I was massively into Avenged Sevenfold so Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan was a massive influence as well as Travis Barker, Keith Moon, Tommy Lee and Joey Jordison.
Oliver: Outside of the music I love itself, I would just say the primal urge to express myself (and ourselves as a collective) through our music and its raw aggressiveness.
Tommy: Joy Division because mainly on how Ian Curtis wrote songs and mainly the rest of the lads making it really work especially hooky!
What kind of music did you love as a teenager?
Liam: As a teenager, I listened to a lot of 60s music especially The Beatles, The YardBirds and The Kinks. As I got a bit older, I moved towards more varied genres of music varying from post-punk to Britpop.
Jack: As a teenager I went through an Emo phase where I was really into heavy metal and Screamo music. My first ever live gig was to see Slipknot.
Oliver: The music I grew up on as a teenager was mostly heavy metal, mostly the NWOBHM stuff from the late 70s early 80s like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Then I got into punk and post-punk, like the Sex Pistols and Joy Division. The music that has inspired me has always been of the heavier variety but I have actively branched out into genres like hip-hop and funk as well. Nowadays I enjoy most things.
Tommy: Sex Pistols, The Stranglers and Buzzcocks.
What do you find is the best environment to find inspiration for your music?
Liam: Inspiration can come about from many sources, I could be in a drunk-ish state and could start writing a set of lyrics and completing it by the end of the night. It depends on the day or my mood.
Jack: Most of the lyrics and melodies I write are in my car driving. I hum along and sing them and then write them in my notes once I’ve stopped or voice note them. Musically I usually write the basic chord progression in my spare room. I usually record and finish writing all my songs with my best friend Rob (Guitarist in Castells).
Oliver: I usually find it to be local gigs; there’s an oddly inspired feeling I get from a local music gig that I don’t always get from a much bigger O2 Academy gig for instance (although they’re still fantastic too).
Tommy: Mainly being inspired at gigs and coming home in my living room banging out tasty riffs.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Liam: At the moment, I am loving Silverbacks, Girls in Synthesis and Kenny Hoopla. I also love following and supporting our local bands in Northampton, big favourites at the moment are Rolling Thunder, Tragic and Deaf Trap.
Jack: Deaf Havana are my all time favourite so they always feature. I’m really into Yungblud at the moment, I love his attitude and how relatable his songs are and they’re properly catchy. I also really like The Hunna and ‘I don’t know how but they found me.’ As I’m new to the area I’ve been listening to some local bands and I am really into Sarpa Salpa, Naked Next Door and Rolling Thunder.
Oliver: At the moment I have been listening to a lot of IDLES, Fontaines D.C., The Chats, Metallica, Death Grips, Swans, Kanye West, Gorillaz, KennyHoopla, Weezer… the list is endless and it keeps growing!
Tommy: Show me the Body, Idles and Fontaines D.C.
How many of your songs have you written about people you wish you’d rather forget?
Liam: None at all.
Jack: Most of them! All the songs I have written are about people or experiences I have had or witnessed first hand.
Oliver: Liam writes the bulk of the lyrics at this point in the bands lifecycle so he’s the one to answer that!
Tommy: Pulled Apart being written in the 3rd eye etc.
What has been the funniest moment in your career so far?
Liam: Every moment in The Comms is a comical moment.
Jack: I don’t know about funny but I was featuring in my mum’s band for a few songs mid set and I was very drunk, I completely missed a break but luckily the band noticed and carried on. After the gig I was so drunk I fell down a set of metal stairs and broke my elbow but didn’t realise at the time.
Oliver: Probably when we tried rehearsing in my garage, and 50 seconds into the first song we immediately got shut down by the neighbours. Classic story.
Tommy: Doing the drunken can can with EGO at Craufurd Arms.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Liam: It has to be Idles, as a massive influence on our music it would be a fantastic opportunity; fingers crossed.
Jack: Bon Jovi back in the 80’s would have been mental. I think nowadays it would be Yungblud. The energy of his shows looks mental.
Oliver: IDLES. Without a doubt. If we wanted to go a bit over the top then maybe Metallica.
Tommy: Open for the Stranglers.
If you weren’t a musician, what other path do you think you might have taken?
Liam: Not entirely sure? I spent three years studying Animal Welfare and Management at college, maybe something within that industry.
Jack: Probably as a Chef, I used to work in a kitchen but never pursued it as a career.
Oliver: If I weren’t a musician I think I’d probably be a radio disk jockey. I think that’s actually what I envisioned my career as prior to properly becoming a musician.
Tommy: Be a professional Sausage Roll maker because sausage rolls are life.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Liam: After the band lost its original singer, we struggled to find a replacement. Numerous friends had been encouraging me to bite the bullet and take over on lead vocals; It certainly took some persuading. Lead Vocals is a role within the band I am growing into and enjoying.
Jack: Always have a back up plan and network as much as you can by supporting the local music scene. It is massively who you know in this industry.
Oliver: To put the same amount of effort into one note as you would into a thousand (paraphrasing, but still the essence of what I was told).
Tommy: Never give up on what you enjoy because maybe one day you'll be living your dream.
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The Comms' new single 'Pulled Apart' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.