UK indie-punk/emo collective itoldyouiwouldeatyou recently announced their return with the news of a brand new EP, Get Terrified., set for release on Alcopop! Records x Failure By Design Records on 20th April. The EP will package all of the band’s physically-unreleased previous singles to date alongside brand new material.
As an early taster of the new record, the band have revealed a brilliantly kitsch music video for lead single Get Terrified. Directed by Chevy Blazer and produced by Clumsy Bodies, it’s a tongue-in-cheek pastiche of 80s high school America that hits the mark perfectly.
Always keen to foster a community aspect around their releases, ITYIWEY have slowly but surely been assembling a family of like-minded fans and friends across the country. Building on their previous material, the new EP is a further exploration of the band’s talent for finding balance within their own sound, as they straddle a range of genres from punk, emo and math-rock to wall-of-noise guitar parts and lo-fi indie.
The band’s previous singles Mourn and Divine Violence presented their most confrontational work so far, addressing vocalist Joey’s experiences of being discriminated against as non-binary and bisexual, while also taking aim at what the band sees as ‘cowardly’ centrism in British politics.
Dealing with issues of alienation and the pervasiveness of an often troubling, prevailingly-capitalist system in modern society, the new material examines the lack of separation between the personal
and political, often drawing directly from the band’s own experiences. All fair game in the band’s art are topics of living life and forging relationships in the delicately balanced new geo-political landscape of 2018, exploring gender identity and sexuality, and the prevalence of mental health issues that are being fostered by the unnatural systems we surround ourselves with.
This new work might seem a radical leap from 2016 EP I Am Not Your Fault, but whilst the band might be shifting their tone in some places, they continue to flourish musically, delving further into their post-hardcore influence, all the while maintaining their talent for balancing intricacy with catchy hooks. Check out the title track off the upcoming Get Terrified below!
We managed to catch up with lead singer Joey Ashworth as he talked about the band’s upcoming EP and more!
Hey Joey, thanks for taking the time to do this – so, first things first how pumped are you to finally be releasing ‘Get Terrified’ as a collection of songs?
Very pumped! As pumped as they come! We’ve been sitting on these tracks for a ages now and it’s so nice to finally have them in a physical form – it’s our first ever 7”.
How has the title track/new single gone down so far with fans?
Good, I think. It’s funny, I never thought that ‘Get Terrified’ was much of a single – it’s my favourite song we’ve ever released, but I was worried that it was a bit too meandering in structure for people to really connect with it as a single. But luckily I think I was totally wrong, and people seem to get it. It’s our most popular song on Spotify by a big margin, and increasingly at shows we’re getting lovely big singalongs to it, which warms my heart to no end. Of course they could just be humouring me while they wait for ‘Get Out of Bed’, but I hope not.
Can you tell us something about the EP no one else knows?
The songs ‘Mourn’ and ‘Get Terrified’ respectively contain my second and third references to orgasming in our work so far. The next thing we put out will have many more. ‘Get Terrified’ is the first time that I talk about sex positively in a song also, which is (unsustainable) growth for me.
What is your personal favourite track from the EP and why?
I think ‘Get Terrified’. It really constitutes a big step up in my lyric writing, and is definitely the most technically complex track we’ve released so far. It doesn’t sound like it, but the verses especially are deceptively hard to play and I am in constant awe at how easy the band make it look.
How have the guys at Alcopop! Records and Failure By Design Records been helpful with this release and for you as an independent band?
They’ve been amazing! FBD took a chance on us a couple years back with our EP I Am Not Your Fault and we’re really happy to still be working with them on the new stuff. Alcopop have been mates for ages and we’ve always wanted to do something with them, so when it came to possibly working with both of them it seemed perfect. FBD know where we’ve come from and Alcopop know where we’re going, which is a perfect combination.
If you could work with any band or artist on a new song, who would it be and why?
I can’t speak for the others, but I would love to work with Neil Young. He’s been through so many iterations of his sound and been instrumental on the formation of so many genres. His album Le Noise was huge to me when it came out.
If not, Neil Young, Jack Antonoff (fun., Bleachers, Steel Train). He gets a lot of shit for being super poppy but I fucking adore his production style. The Bleachers record ‘Gone Now’ from last year is fantastic, and his work on the new Lorde record is exactly what I wanted from her, fantastic record.
How excited are you for Washed Out Festival in Brighton this month?
Mate, so excited. We played last year and it was such a nice atmosphere. We live round the corner from Happy Accidents in New Cross but we never hang out?? So we’ll for sure hang out with them because they’re lovely. And Lex’s band Yr Poetry are playing right before us, which, while exhausting for him, is great for me cos I love them and want to get pumped to their music before I get on stage. I love Sticky Mike’s too. I don’t like that narc who told me not to bring water to my friend in the smoking area though. He’s the worst.
You’ve also been announced to support Nervus in June, are you looking forward to this one?
Seriously, when I got the message from Em asking us to play, Ollie and I literally shrieked. We love playing with heavier bands, and Conjuror are just one of the best bands we could ask to play with. I’m also a huuuge fan of the new Nervus record so I’m for sure gonna be at the front crying for them. Em actually did a couple of my tattoos. Such a solid line up, and while I can’t say who they are, the other band who have yet to be announced are also so, so good.
What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
Honestly I study music, I play in ityiwey and have solo work as well as playing on and off in a couple other groups, so the idea of having a life outside music feels like a distant memory. That said, sometimes I get really anxious so I smoke hash and catch up on my favourite shows. I also make sure to watch Saturday Night Live every week and am very, veeery into that.
What inspired you to get into music in the first place?
Probably my dad playing me The Beach Boys and Neil Young as a kid, and my mum playing me Billy Bragg. Just real lyric-driven pop music with lovely harmonies. When I was a baby my dad used to tell me the Brian Wilson quote where he said that music is what it sounds like when God talks. That always stuck with me.