After following up their highly-praised 2020 studio album 'Cruel Hearts Club' with their stunning comeback single 'You Already Know' last year, Welsh duo Paradise Walk are back once again to deliver their soaring new effort 'Talk Talk Talk'.
Capturing more of that bright and breezy pop-rock aesthetic they have built for themselves over the years, 'Talk Talk Talk' makes for a rousing return from the pair. With its bright and dreamlike textures perfectly complimenting their vibrant vocals throughout, they are returning for this year with one of their most uplifting offerings to date here.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has been inspiring them most over the years.
-
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Christian: Being the guitarist, I would have to say Guitar. When I was about 12 or 13 my mum got me my first guitar, called a Rockster - it had all these really cool dragons and skull graphics printed on it. I haven’t looked back since.
Lee: Although my first instrument was a guitar, I first learnt to play upside down as I am a lefty, my first love would be piano and keyboard. I fell in love with its intricacies and its ability to evoke such varied emotion with the lightest tap of a finger to the stab of a powerful chord - that is to say, when I’m not playing it!
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Christian: Growing up, I was surrounded by many styles of music being played around my home. However, The Beatles became my go-to on my dad's record player. As a teen, I discovered emo, which still gets a good rotation to this day. I loved the shows back then; they had so much energy and everyone pretty much looked the same.
Lee: I’ve listened to all sorts growing up: dance, hip-hop, r and b, rock, pop. I settled on rock/metal in my teen years and that would account for the largest chunk of time spent listening to one genre. It's still my go-to on a commute in heavy traffic - breathe and smile, breathe and smile! For me, it has a strangely cathartic quality to it in those situations.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Christian: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I remember one Christmas asking my Nan & Gramps for the PJ & Duncan ‘Psyche’ album. That’s all I have to say about that! (However, I did love it at the time). But, if we were to go off the first album I remember buying and loving until it fell apart, then it would be Blink 182’s ‘Enema of the state’ album; man, what a banger.
Lee: Dangerous by MJ - not Bad, but not his worst. See what I did there? Apologies!
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Christian: This is such a tough question as there are so many to choose. I’ll narrow it down to two: 'Purple Rain' by Prince and 'Somebody Else' by The 1975. Feels!
Lee: I agree with Chris; far too many! But let's go with 'Midnight City' by M83 - it’s such a vibe and never gets old to me. I can imagine the writing process being so much fun. It was probably one of those songs you start to make, and you just know it’s going to be big.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Christian: I tend to just strike when an idea starts to form; whether I grab my acoustic, sit at the piano, or even just record a melody through my voice notes - which is how a lot of songs have come to be.
Lee: In the early stage of writing there is not so much of a ritual as such, as the ideas come in a multitude of ways; sometimes it's a beat, sometimes a vocal, sometimes a melody or something and it's just a case of getting it down as fast as possible and going from there. Once established, we tend to try and track parts in a specific order; usually resulting in guitars near the end, just before we finish with vocals (don't tell Chris this, but I’ve designed it that way as to minimise the amount of awful guitar playing that goes on).
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Christian: I’m always on the lookout for new music; I love discovering new artists (to me), and at the moment it’s bands like: The band Camino, Jimmy eat world, the WLDLFE, Ellur and Charlie Adams.
Lee: Jimmy Eat World, Lany, Elton John, The WLDLFE, Thrice.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Christian: Right now, I’d say the Band Camino; their shows just go off! And they seem like real nice dudes to be able to hang out with.
Lee: Queen, do I need to say more? What a feather in the cap it would be to share a stage with them. However, recently, the great Lewis Capaldi has garnered an enormous amount of respect from me in doing what he is doing and the awareness he is raising - I’d love to open a show for him.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
There are so many to choose from: the freedom to be creative, the energy and emotion, the great opportunities it brings, to name but a few. However, the most rewarding part has to be hearing the reaction and feedback to your work.
When you have a specific vision in mind for how a song should naturally be perceived and someone totally gets it; they get the emotion and the driving factors behind it. It's something that hits home for them, and they can relate. That is the best feeling, and a very rewarding byproduct of that is having this idea in your mind that you may have somehow helped them in their journey. Music is therapy!
And what is the most frustrating part?
It is not being our 9-5 and having to fit it in around very busy lives! As we all know our minds are a complex organ and there is no switch to turn on the creativity when you have a spare hour or so to get down to some writing. That said hour is then spent painstakingly scrolling through thousands of sounds to find that one that is just right....and then just opt for the very first one anyway!
Often the creativity switch does flick on when we're, frustratingly, not in a position to do much about it. Although, we shouldn't criticise too much; someone has always got a phone nearby, and strangely, some of the best ideas start out as a voice memo created in a car park, a supermarket or even an office bathroom - often a voice message will be accompanied by the words 'ignore that flush in the background'!
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Christian: The best advice I think I’ve been given is ‘to always be yourself and just do you’; there’s no one else out there like you!
Lee: ‘Believe in yourself and stay true to yourself'. It's a big cruel world out there and it would be very easy to let it consume you! It is notoriously difficult to stand apart in the music world and when things aren't going your way, it's very easy to think you've peaked. It's also very easy to conform and follow trends, just to appease people or groups; but you must follow your heart and be who you want to be!
-
Paradise Walk's new single 'Talk Talk Talk' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.