Dubbed as the hardest working band in fuzzy pop, Clean Cut Kid will release their EP We Used To Be In Love this month on 30th August via Polydor Records. The group will be headlining ten shows across the UK in October and have already had a performance at Glastonbury this year. Clean Cut Kid will also be at Reading & Leeds Festival this weekend (26th – 29th August) for the second time having played at the BBC Introducing Stage last year. The Liverpool quartet consist of Mike Halls, Evelyn Halls, Saul Godman and Ross Higginson who all make up one of the most promising young bands in the UK right now. Clean Cut Kid are already working on a studio album before they have released the EP and they revealed that it is near completion. You can listen to the title song of the upcoming EP below!
We managed to catch up with Clean Cut Kid prior to their Reading & Leeds performance as they talked about the festival, upcoming release and full length album.
Are you guys looking forward to the release of We Used To Be In Love?
Course! We’ve been sitting on it for a while, waiting for the right time and it feels like that time is now. Can’t wait.
How is this EP any different from your previous releases?
There’s more material and it’s an insight into how the album is shaping up 😉 I think it shows a different side to the band, a side that is actually more “us” but that you don’t necessarily get many opportunities to put across when you’re constantly in single cycles. If you liked the B-sides on our last few releases, you’ll like this EP.
You guys have only really been going in the last 2 years, what has been your proudest moment so far?
Playing Glastonbury was a real good moment for us. A year ago to the day, we were just starting out really, playing small early stages at festivals, only on about our 10th gig, so to see 5000 people crammed into a tent singing back every word was a bit of a special one. Kinda made us realise that maybe it is spreading, maybe we are gonna make a thing of this! SXSW, CMJ festival in NY and when we play Radio 1 Live lounge have also been pretty incredible “pinch ourselves” moments. In all honesty though, our proudest moment will be when we deliver our debut album. It’s what you dream about doing, so I know that moment it all gets signed off will be a proud one.
Have you guys got any plans for a full length studio album next year?
yeh! we’ve been making it over the last year, we had most of the material before we signed our deal so straight away we were in the studio working on it. It’s almost finished and we hope to get it out early next year.
How much support does the guys at Polydor Records give you guys?
Constant support. They let us have the final say on everything, and they do their best to really take note of who and what we want to represent. Obviously there’s been times when we don’t agree or when we seem to be a million miles from each others thought processes, but we always come to an agreement. It’s a strange thing being in a band, because at the core of it you’re just 4 friends who used to slum it in a freezing practise room and made music because it was fun and made the world feel right, and there were no other factors involved, and then you’re thrown into this world where there are teams of people working for you and money being pumped into promo etc. So we have try our best not to think about it or let it inform any of our decisions. So on the one hand we take note of the support Polydor give us and are grateful for it, but on the other hand we kind of have to not think about it or the pressure would get too much!
If you could work with any artist, who would it be?
He’s left us so sadly it’s not possible, but it would have been Bowie. That man was gift to the world and music. I also think Mike would probably like to sit in a room with St Vincent and talk effects, guitars and pedals. And maybe write a song.
How pumped are you for Reading & Leeds Festival?
SUPER PUMPED. There might be something else exciting we announce on one of the days, so keep your eyes peeled on our socials…
Are you looking forward to the tour in October?
Yes. There’s cool stuff we’ve got planned and the whole shows gonna step up a notch. We’ve even got a backdrop now! haha. It’ll just be nice to get a proper sound check and play a full set! We’ve done festival season with no sound checks and just 30 minute sets so October will be a real treat for us!
How much does your fans mean to you?
They are everything. They are at the centre of every decision, every change, every sleepless night..they are what we care about the most in this whole thing. Our only goal is to build up a loyal fanbase that will sustain us so we can keep doing this. That’s all anybody wants. They truly do make it all worthwhile.
Clean Cut Kid will be playing Brighton’s Prince Albert on 25th October part of a headline UK tour starting on 19th October.