Scottish band Cold Years are set to release their new EP Death Chasers next month 13th August via Fat Hippy Records. The Aberdeen blue-collar punk quintet were formed in early 2014, members of the band came together from the remnants of other local acts with the goal of writing uplifting rock music that wouldn’t feel out of place on any bill. Shortly after forming, the band soon found themselves locked away in T-pot Studios hidden away in the glens of Perthshire where their debut EPMile Marker came to life. Over the course of the next few months, Cold Years set out to play as many shows as possible establishing themselves as one of the live bands to see in the North East of Scotland. With the band due to head back into the studio in the summer of 2015, disaster struck as drummer Fraser Allan suffered a serious back injury. The band were not to be set back by this; instead of sitting around waiting for Fraser to recover, they set about writing new songs for the next record, taking what they already had and re-working the material into a set of songs that would push the boundaries of what they had ever done before. Now with a new release on the way, Cold Years are as strong as ever! You can listen to their latest single and album title song DeathChasers below.
I managed to catch up with front man Ross Gordon for an interview about the upcoming EP, fans, inspirations and more!
Are you guys looking forward to the release of Death Chasers?
Yeah very much so. This record has been over a year in the making and we can’t wait to let people hear it. It’s something we are all really proud of.
How has the release of the single gone?
Pretty well I think. People seem to dig it. All the feedback we’ve had so far has been really positive and it’s really cool to have that from people who have taken the time to check it out.
How did you guys come up with your name?
We had a bunch of ideas, but the first record (Milemarker) had a really sombre kind of tone about it, and the name kind of seemed to fit.
What’s it like being part of an up and coming band like yourselves?
It’s great. We all believe in the ethos of being a hardworking band. There’s a lot of great bands out there, and we just want to get out on the road and hit it hard with some more of them. We wouldn’t be able to do any of what we’ve done without the amazing team of people we have helping us out. We love doing what we do.
What would you say to your fans that go to gigs and listen your music?
Keep going to shows, support your local scene and be open minded when it comes to music. Don’t shelve stuff in to categories or genres. I think live music is one of the most important things on the planet and it’s our generation’s responsibility to keep it alive in the digital / recording artist era. That and have a good time while doing it.
What music inspires you guys?
So much. We all have such a varied set of tastes, but a lot of them cross over. I’m really in to old Blues stuff like Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. My dad used to play me all those old records growing up and that’s what really got me in to music. But punk got me in to writing my own music. Bands like Against Me stand for something, and I really like that. We take a lot of inspiration from bands like the Menzingers and the bouncing souls. Those bands are timeless.
Where would you like to see yourselves in 5 years time?
I kind of tend to have the attitude of taking things day by day. But I’d really like to still be doing this! Writing good records and playing good shows.
Have you got a tour planned this year?
For sure. We are lining something up for late September and we have another couple of things in line for November and December too. Really looking forward to getting out seeing people at the shows.