Following on from an impressive run of bold and anthemic indie-rock singles over the last few years, Nashville-based outfit The Thing With Feathers now return with their latest euphoric offering 'Midwest Daydreams'.
With notable hints of Sea Girls, The 1975 and Circa Waves, 'Midwest Daydreams' makes for an incredibly loud and thunderous return for the group. Blending catchy hooks, stunning production, and some truly engaging vocals, their latest delight is surely going to find them a ton of new fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
So with their new single doing the rounds right now, we sat down with them to find out more about their background and what has inspired them most over the years.
-
What were the first instruments you fell in love with?
Well, in all honesty I fell in love with the piano first. My mom had me start taking lessons when I was about five years old. Some of my first attempts at writing songs happened on my grandma’s old piano that held firm in my parent’s house throughout my childhood. The lessons weren't exactly for me, I was a bit more interested in Coldplay than I was Chopin and shortly after that I finally threw in the towel on reading sheet music and started playing by ear which pushed me into other instruments.
What has been the most prominent inspiration behind your music so far?
Hope. Music is a place where all of us found a connection to something bigger than ourselves. Honestly, the true reason why we do what we do is to keep chasing that. The stories and characters in the lyrics might have different ways of showing that from time to time but the reason we make music is because it is the one thing above all else that we've found that makes us feel whole and, simply, we just want our music to share that with our fans.
What kind of music did you love as teenagers?
Haha like most teenagers in the 2010’s, I flirted with some pretty hardcore rap music but honestly punk-rock was where I found my musical identity. It started with a lot of pop-punk bands like Blink-182 and Sum 41, eventually though I matured a bit into the Sex Pistols, Bad Brains, Social Distortion, Nirvana, etc..
Can you remember the first song that made you want to pursue a life in music?
Honestly it is hard to pin-point that first song that truly made me want to pursue a life in music simply because there have been so many moments like that throughout my life. However, Dave Grohl was the first musician I looked up to that made me feel like I could actually do it. I think it's the combination of the emotion in his lyrics, his D.I.Y. demeanor, and his outspoken personality that really was what I needed at that point in my life. I haven't met the man but when I do he’s getting a big hug and a thank you.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I love love love love love Phoebe Bridgers. She’s a badass. Her lyrics hit you like a truck and her melodies even harder. I really appreciate the fresh take she offers to a lot of the emo and pop punk styles I grew up loving.
How many of your songs have you written about people you’d rather forget?
Haha. Is all of them an executable answer? Writing songs is really a way that I process a lot of stuff that sits with me for a long time. For example, let's say I experience some kind of trauma, my emotional self-defense system has a lot of ways of processing things before it makes it to a song. So if you think a Feather’s song is about you, you probably really hurt my feelings. Haha in all honesty though, I pull lyrics from a lot of different places and a lot of the times the “characters” in them I create internally. Nevertheless, I think songs are about sharing the way you felt at a moment in time, hopefully with a message and meaning for those who hear it so I would never want to forget anything I felt I needed to share with others. If any of the characters I write about are based on real people, I’d rather outgrow the situation as an individual than forget it happened.
What has been the most unusual moment in your career so far?
There’s been a lot of weird stuff, but most recently we got to play one of John Mayer’s guitars before a livestream we did for Jam In The Van, but that was more cool for us than unusual.
Outside of music, what are your biggest passions?
I like hanging out with Sean (bass), Chris (drums) makes friends, and Alex (guitar) likes to cook.
If you weren’t musicians, what other path do you think you might have taken?
We’d open a restaurant. Alex would cook and we’d all get food poisoning. The pay sucks. It’s a bad plan. (We really hope music works out).
And what advice would you give to other musicians looking to start a career in music?
I think the most important thing is to believe in yourself. Once you do that, set out to be badass at what you can. Not everyone is going to sing like Freddie Mercury and play guitar like Hendrix, but it is important to find what you are good at and work your ass off at it. I’ve never really been drawn to natural talent, probably since I am not one either, but I have always preferred to be around people who have worked really hard to be who they are. I think that is a more inspiring path to follow because you are not limited by some born into thing. You are you, there is only one you, and you can be whoever you want to be.
-
The Thing With Feathers' new single 'Midwest Daydreams' is available to stream and download now. Check out the new quarantine performance of their latest track in the player below.