I Like Taylor Swift is a power pop anthem and debut single from Florida born, London based Coach Hop and channels the sounds of Fountains Of Wayne, They Might Be Giants & Weezer.
I Like Taylor Swift was premiered on Consequence of Sound, has received radio play by John Kennedy (Radio X), Tom Robinson (6Music) and features in next week’s Music Week Playlist – plus the animated video is a Vimeo Staff Pick.
There’s a pink vinyl 7″ version of I Like Taylor Swift available for Record Store Day & is the first release from London’s Scratchy Records Singles Club – to be celebrated with a show at the Hope & Anchor, Islington, London on Friday 20th April. Check out Coach Hop’s latest music video for I Like Taylor Swift below!
We managed to catch up with Coach Hop as he talks about his latest release and more!
How has the release of I Like Taylor Swift gone down with fans so far?”
It’s been overwhelmingly positive, from the fans and the reviewers. Less than 1% negative. My favorite was on Instagram this nice young woman said my song was the best thing ever and she went and listened to all my stuff I have online and she said each one was more wonderful than the last, and I was like, I have a fan!!!
Another thing is that people I know and really respect have told me the song is really something special, and that the video is amazing. That kind of validation is important to an artist. Kinda makes all the sacrifices a little easier to swallow. Though some people say, “It’s not your best track.” But that’s almost not even negative, why in fact, that’s practically a compliment.
What made you write this track?
I think it was Dave Grohl. Lemme just google this quote…
“I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. If you fucking like something, like it. That’s what’s wrong with our generation: that residual punk rock guilt, like, “You’re not supposed to like that. That’s not fucking cool.” Don’t fucking think it’s not cool to like Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” It is cool to like Britney Spears’ “Toxic”! Why the fuck not? Fuck you! That’s who I am, goddamn it! That whole guilty pleasure thing is full of fucking shit.” -Dave Grohl.
Yup, fucking Dave Grohl man. Anyway, I was feeling that. Not that I have any guilty pleasures. I don’t believe in it either. You see, I too am cool, much like Dave Grohl. By the way, thanks Dave Grohl.
But really I wrote it for the same reason I write any song, to express a sentiment, a feeling or emotion. To try to amuse or captivate, but also because if I don’t make music I start to feel like my life lacks direction and meaning. So I gotta make something.
Also I might mention that at some point I thought the song was a little too silly or that maybe it wasn’t that good, even though it kept getting stuck in my head. But over time I’d sung it a cappella to various friends here and there. Then, I threw a birthday party at my place and at some point got a little sleepy and nodded off. When I woke up all my friends had formed a conga line through the house and were singing “I like Taylor Swift and I don’t care who knows it…” in unison. It was at that point I realized, I should probably record it.
Can you tell us something about the video no one else knows?
Perhaps that scholars aren’t sure whether the bust in the video is that of Poseidon or Zeus. In the original sculpture, a Macedonian bronze from around 600 BC, the figure was throwing something which historians think was either lightning or a trident, but they don’t know which! I wouldn’t want to anger either god though by venturing a guess and getting it wrong. You know how petty those guys are.
Will you be releasing an EP/abum this year?
I’ll be releasing a couple more videos with brand new songs and working with Hollywood Director/Producer Billy Hanson, which I’m very excited about. I’m unsigned though, and self produce and record everything. However Scratchy Records, a record label, is releasing my songs “I Like Taylor Swift” along with the B-Side, “Everything’s Fine” on vinyl and digitally on April 21st, Record Store Day here in London. I honestly have so many songs already recorded, some are on my Coachhop bandcamp. I could release an album tomorrow if someone came along and said, “Hey I got you all these sweet gigs lined up. Oh here’s some money too! Now you can afford a bitcoin!”
Although I have this inkling that the deck is stacked against a single person doing it on their own. I don’t mean to sound cynical, but sometimes I feel like I might as well stand on a box in the center of the city and say, “Heeeey! I releaaaased an albuuuum!” Probably more people would hear me. At least until the cops came along and asked me if I had a license to stand there.
But don’t get me wrong, I’d love to. I honestly live to perform and record and play. It’s my favorite thing in the world.
What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
In my spare time I love to read, lately a lot of books about cryptids. And I just finished a great book called The Lost Books of The Odyssey.
But mostly I guess I bomb around Mill Hill and drink a lot of coffee.
I also do speech therapy with young people with developmental and cognitive disorders at a local college several times a week.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
I’d quite like to work with Weird Al. I mean I say work with, but actually he can do all the work, just parodying my songs. I’ll just sit there and collect royalties. I love that guy. National treasure.
Though I must say, some of my favorite songs in the last 10 years have been by Arcade Fire. Am I hardcore enough for them? My dad’s Canadian so that should count for something.
I’d love to work with a full orchestra live. In the studio I have used digital strings, harps, timpani, you name it, anything I can think of, but to hear that all live and and play it just so would be incredible to me. A dream come true.