“There are a great deal of issues on the earth I hate, and there are different issues I’m offended about, however I get it throughout another way now,” Jonathan Higgs tells me. The frontman of All the things All the things is discussing the inspiration for the band’s new album, Mountainhead, which got here out on 1 March earlier than the Manchester art-pop quartet’s UK tour.
“One thing like Mountainhead is clearly not a optimistic outlook however it’s not solely unfavourable both. There’s quite a lot of humanity on present.”
It’s a file that matches the zeitgeist: full of debate about highly effective figures, “crypto wankers”, and Andrew Tate-esque people. Wild Guess opens the file, and it begins with a drone sound courtesy of guitarist Alex Robertshaw.
“It was a pattern of my voice singing that I made a synth out of. I’ve had it since 2014,” he tells me. “And I’ve all the time preferred the sound of it – how foolish it sounds. Particularly when you may edit the MIDI to bend. I’ve all the time been a fan of early Aphex [Twin] and that form of stuff, all of the Ambient Works. There’s a load of these types of choral voice synths, So I made my very own which isn’t anyplace close to pretty much as good, however it’s obtained its personal really feel.”
Robertshaw has been EE’s guitarist since 2009, and he takes care of manufacturing too. It’s at his studio at house the place I meet him and Higgs, the principal songwriters of the band. He describes himself as all the time having been “the man in entrance of the pc,” and he’s taken a extra outstanding manufacturing position for the reason that band’s 2015 album Get To Heaven.
He explains that the 2 of them will work in Ableton Dwell and “get an concept going,” sending it between one another and step by step constructing the tune up. To start with, they simply use Ableton’s inventory sounds, earlier than utilizing their gear on the subject of recording the observe.
With Mountainhead, Robertshaw anticipates a false impression – individuals could assume an absence of guitar recordings, however there’s possible greater than on 2022’s Uncooked Knowledge Really feel. “However quite a lot of these guitars are run by means of modular synths,” he says, “Or they’re performed in a means that makes them sound like they’re not guitars. I noticed individuals saying they just like the synths on the finish of Chilly Reactor, however it’s really guitar.”
Although the extra techy facet of issues sit firmly in Robertshaw’s area, Higgs chimes in right here: “[Robertshaw] doesn’t actually use basic guitar tones, which was once what individuals say you’re meant to do. Now, individuals can’t even inform what’s the guitar anymore.”
In comparison with Uncooked Knowledge Really feel, Mountainhead avoids an excessive amount of sign processing. “I like the thought of monitoring into Ableton and conserving the quantity of EQ’ing and every part to a minimal … You’re frequently fixing issues while you put issues in. And in the event that they’re not proper once they went within the first time, you’re forcing one thing.”
And Robertshaw prefers to not use synth plugins, describing them as “tremendous complicated.” He says, “You get the gentle synth however there’s additionally a layer of results, or there’s some loopy routing you could’t redo.
“I discover that these massive sounding synths that – they sound nice on their very own, clearly – don’t work with a band. You’ve obtained 4 guys lined up with their devices. And also you wish to put some synths on it. Rapidly, you’ve obtained quite a lot of stuff in a observe, and also you wish to maintain it. You wish to be certain every part’s obtained its personal area.”
I ask whether or not the band has maybe gone again to fundamentals with Mountainhead, however Robertshaw says it’s extra that the method has turn into streamlined.
“I really feel like I’ve all the time needed to get away from the pc,” he says, “And as our profession’s gone on, I’ve amassed sufficient gear to have the ability to try this. However once we began, it was such as you simply use what you’ve obtained, and there’s nothing unsuitable with that.”
He explains that, now, the band will lay down drums and bass in a studio earlier than he works on the tracks at house. He may return and alter the drums and synths earlier than they lastly add the vocals.
The gear the band use on Mountainhead is identical because the gear they used for Uncooked Knowledge Really feel. “The Strymon stuff is what I exploit for many of the file. Like, I’ll put all of the guitars by means of there and use the filters to EQ … I exploit what’s there. There’s nothing actually new within the studio.”
That stated, their course of of constructing music has developed over the past decade and a half. Subsequent 12 months marks 15 years since Man Alive was launched, and Robertshaw explains that it’s a gradual evolution. He describes listening to youthful bands making music collectively in a single room, maybe simply with a guitar and a laptop computer, and it makes him really feel nostalgic.
“Now, it’s a distinct course of,” he continues. “You’re writing for a number of devices – your head’s not like, ‘I’ve obtained a guitar, right here’s a chord sequence, let’s write!’”
We had to speak about Higgs’ use of synthetic intelligence on Uncooked Knowledge Really feel. Higgs developed an AI bot, Kevin, which he fed info from 4 key sources with a view to it composing lyrics. Ultimately, it produced the album imagery, about 5 per cent of the lyrics, and a tune title.
Nonetheless, for Higgs, it was a gimmick that “overshadowed” the album. “Everybody latched onto it. Folks have been initially fairly shocked that it was attainable. I stated it was, after which there was plenty of confusion about how a lot had been accomplished.
“It opened quite a lot of questions on AI in music, however it was actually a small a part of that album. The album is a extremely private, emotional journey of redemption, trauma, and all these things. After which fairly lots of people simply needed to speak in regards to the AI.”
What does Higgs take into consideration the way forward for AI in music? “It’s obtained a gift and definitely a future,” he says. “Do people have a future in music, is the query? Realistically, I feel there’s already perhaps extra generated music on the earth than human music now.
“There’s plenty of it uploaded to Spotify each day by machines. Nobody’s ever even heard these things, not to mention made it. It’s being generated and swamped within the hope that a kind of billion tracks generates some cash.”
All the things All the things have been collectively for nearly twenty years now. Higgs and Robertshaw describe themselves as “fairly proud” of their earlier materials, although Higgs did admit that within the early days, they have been all “thrashing about in each route.”
Higgs says he needs to “transfer on” from their earlier work with out forgetting or dismissing it. “That’s nonetheless a giant a part of why we wish to make music,” he explains, “We wish to destroy every part and we wish to have enjoyable and talk. I really feel like we’ve accomplished that each one alongside, however it’s extra relaxed now. We’re assured about what we do. We all know methods to get what we wish.
“We really feel fairly in management now, which perhaps isn’t the most effective factor to be,” he jokes. “I’m glad that Alex is making an attempt to push manufacturing and writing into areas that I don’t wish to go. Issues I wouldn’t consider – put it that means.
“In any other case, you simply get too snug. It’s a effective line between feeling relaxed and feeling snug. We really feel like masters of it now, however you’ve obtained to maintain pushing.”
Having the producer within the band actually helps too, says Higgs. “The band are going to attempt to make [the album] into the most effective factor they’ve ever heard as a result of it’s actually their band. You possibly can’t all the time belief {that a} producer will try this.
“You’ve obtained a restricted time with them and so they’re costly. With Robertshaw, he’s right here on a regular basis and it’s his band and you may discuss to him – it’s not like he’s some sizzling shot from LA you’ve obtained three weeks with. It’s totally different and makes so many extra issues attainable.”
Robertshaw explains that they’ll deliver so many concepts to the desk that want to come back collectively, which he’ll sit down and kind out earlier than presenting the thought to the remainder of the band and getting all people’s ideas. “You must re-work out how one can make it work and maintain all these bits in. And generally that may result in this extremely bloated music,” he says.
Higgs jumps in, “It’s simple to only pack a load of bollocks on extra bollocks. Simply layer every part up and have 80 guitars, 50 voices and a great deal of concepts. That’s the straightforward means out.”
However, in the end, all of them have their outlined position within the band, and that is why they’re nonetheless going robust over a decade and a half down the road. “We’re excellent at what we do individually, and every part that folks do individually is totally different,” he says.
For Higgs, “There’s not a lot stepping on one another’s toes, which is the kind of factor that causes bands to resent one another. And every part we make goes 4 methods – I feel [inequality] destroys bands as properly. We’ve all the time been open about that and caught to that as a result of it fucks teams up. And I feel that’s one of many keys to our longevity. Considered one of them.”
Mountainhead is out now