In Conversation With #132 - Coach Party
Isle Of Wight four piece Coach Party have just released their brand new EP ‘After Party’ via Chess Club Records. Having gained huge support from the likes of Jack Saunders, Steve Lamacq and Annie Mac, the band have shared this EP with the news of a huge twenty-four date UK tour that starts this September. They took a moment to talk to us about the EP.
Hey there Coach Party, how are you?
Yo, Guy here (drummer). Doing alright thanks; just finished season 8 of “House” and am left thinking, what now?
So your new EP is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Feels amazing for a lot of reasons. Firstly we just really love making music, and releasing a record puts us in the mood to get back in the studio, big time. Also it’s nice to step back and see how we’ve progressed as a band over the last year and a bit; this bunch of songs have done us real proud with the reviews & streamy numbers and all that. It’s pretty mad.
So it is titled ‘After Party’ - does that hold a certain meaning to it?
We approached it as a sort of sequel to our debut EP “Party Food”, but it turned out darker and a little more grown up. We felt like “After Party” kind of summed that up.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process?
We recorded it at my studio on the Isle of Wight (that’s where we live). Can’t think of any specific stories right now, but it was a super fun time for all of us. Some of the songs were already well rehearsed and took no more than a day to record (Can’t Talk, Won’t / Sweetheart), whilst others took on pretty heavy re-inventions (I’m sad / Really Ok On My Own) before we felt like they really belonged on the record. Actually I guess there’s one thing; if you listen closely to the louder half of “Sweetheart”, there’s an explosion type sound which happens every now and then. It’s actually the sound of me doing (attempting to do) an ollie in the live room, with a shit tonne of distortion and reverb slapped on it. Sounds pretty funny when you take the fx off. Maybe you had to be there.
What are the key themes and influences on the EP?
A lot of frustration and self doubt. Sometimes wallowing in it, sometimes trying to make a positive out of it. Lyrically it’s very direct and not particularly metaphorical, like most of our stuff.
Do you have a favourite lyric on the EP? If so, which one and why? What does it mean?
My favourite is deffo “You’re a prick and I hate you” - the opening line of “Crying Makes Me Tired”. Like I said, direct and not particularly metaphorical. Jess had written the first verse & chorus before bringing it to the band, and when I heard that lyric I remember feeling how the guys in Sabbath must have felt the first time they heard the “Paranoid” riff (jokes). But I think that line encapsulates the way in which we generally say things. I think the phrasing is cool, too. It’s just the most unlikely line, which in any other band would have no place in a song, and I like that.
You have just announced a huge live tour for this September, however will Strings be getting a special show?
It is a huge tour for us. The home show will be as special as every other date, but maybe for different reasons. It’ll be great to celebrate the end of what will be an unforgettable 5 weeks with a crowd largely made up of people we know, love and grew up with. Might even have an after party (there, I said it).