Band Of The Week #169 - Island
This week’s Band of the Week of London based ISLAND, who have just released their new album ‘Yesterday’s Park’ via Frenchkiss Records. While these collections of songs cover a number of themes, it’s core is rooted in the band’s formative memories. We had a chat with James Wolfe from the band about how the album came together.
Hey there ISLAND, how are you? So your album is finally here, how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Well hello there and thanks for having us! Honestly feels so surreal that the day finally came - we finished recording about 10 months ago so yeah, feels like it was such a long time coming.
It is called ‘Yesterday Park’ - is there a meaning behind that name?
We find it super helpful to set a theme for the album early on, so we all know where we’re trying to go with the tunes. The theme of nostalgia came about while Toby was trying out this really beat driven, 90s hip-hop feel. It felt really good in the room and kind of just evolved from there. ‘Yesterday Park’ is that place in all of our memories - it’s not tangible - it’s like a place with no context in our minds that makes us feel the most nostalgic. Hopefully the artwork portrays that, it’s hard to describe!
Where was the album recorded? Any behind the scenes stories you are happy to share with us from the creative experience?
We recorded most of the album at Hackney Road Studios and did 4/5 days at Goldsmiths to try and lay down the foundations for most of the tracks in a bit of a bigger space. We’re a live band first and foremost, so we’re most comfortable when we’re all playing in a room together. This is probably a ‘you had to be there’ moment, but one of the first things was create this abstract soundbed for ‘When I Gave You My Heart’. It basically consisted of us all singing really high, long held notes (there’s a reason we don’t do backing vocals), which was honestly painful to listen to, then our producer reversed the recording and suddenly it became this super smooth soundbed you can hear on the track now. Doing this straight off the bat really gave us confidence in the process and opened the door to more creative ideas that we probably would have stayed away from in the past.
How does it differ from your previous releases?
This was the first time we worked with a producer and really let someone else in on our creative process. We’d always put these restrictions on ourselves, trying to capture our live sound and put that straight on the record, but we knew we needed to push the boat out this time, and let someone else steer…
The album was produced by Mikko Gordon, who has worked with the likes of Thom Yorke, how did this partnership come about? And what was it like working with Mikko?
Our manager reached out to a bunch of producers and sent them some demos we had recorded pre-lockdown. If they liked what they heard we’d setup a little virtual ‘speed-date’ over Zoom and try to get a feel for each other. We chatted to Mikko a couple of times and things just seemed to click. We actually decided to go with him before even meeting in person so it was a pretty scary moment for us. I think taking that leap of faith was really important for us - we were moving into unchartered territory and it was nice to know we were all onboard. Sorry, don’t know where all these sailing metaphors are coming from…
One of the key themes on this album is memories, or past experiences. So what are your earliest childhood experiences when it comes to music?
Listening to CDs in the car on long journeys is definitely one that springs to mind. My parents aren’t super musical but the variety of music they had on when I was young definitley sparked my interest early on. Buena Vista Social Club in one car, Van Morrison in the other, gives you a bit of an idea!
What are the key themes and influences on the album?
We honestly went hard on the prep for this record, as we pretty much had the entire first lockdown to just talk about everything. We ended up with this fat spreadsheet of influences, references, lyric ideas and production techniques, before we’d even set foot in the studio. We’d never have taken the time to talk about all this stuff otherwise, so in a weird way that time really helped form this album. Some of the references we had down would probably surprise you - stuff like All Saints, Weezer, Eminem, Leonard Cohen. It might just be a particular guitar tone, or the feel of a particular section that we were referencing, but it all helped in the end.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the album? If so, which one and why?
‘Where did my young days go? I didn’t say goodbye.’ For me, this lyric really encapsulates the whole theme of the album. It’s so simple and relatable; something we probably all feel when we get older and wonder where the times gone. It’s kind of beautiful at the same time - we are powerless against the sands of time but at the end of the day that’s just part of life. We’d never learn and grow if we didn’t have the ability to look back and reflect on simpler times.
Now the album is out there - what next for you?
Live shows baby! We just can’t wait to be back on stage, whipping our lockdown-locks back and forth to all these new tunes, live for the first time! Keep your eyes peeled for us at a festival near you this summer, and if you haven’t already, go grab a ticket for our intimate little UK tour at the end of October. We’ll be finishing up at one of our faves, Oslo - Hackney, and if that’s not nostalgia, I don’t know what is.