Formed in 2017, Bristol-based rock two-piece Knave have made a stunning comeback with their latest, beautifully honest track ‘Plain People O.S.T’, due for release Friday 5th July.
debut album “Songs For Quiet Consideration” was met with much acclaim and saw them playing across the country alongside artists such as Feed The Rhino, Crywank, Slaves and more, and developing a loyal fanbase in the process. Inspired by a range of artists including Radiohead, The Smiths and The Cure, the band aim to mix these styles with slightly more overdriven, post-hardcore sounds heard more prominently on their earlier material, influenced by the likes of Brand New, Alexisonfire and Thursday.
Knave disbanded and subsequently reformed in 2018, stripped down to its core components and embraced as a writing partnership, made up of Lewis Dunn & Sam Lawson. The pair completed recording their new, currently unreleased album in the Spring of 2019, set for a Summer release which will see them put together a live band featuring some new and familiar faces, play a select few chosen shows in Autumn of this year.
Knave were previously known for a sensitive approach to song dynamics, a certain lyrical style and memorable live performance. Hoping to retain their original influences but more so, push personal and emotional boundaries and step outside, and away from the tropes and traditions that defined the band once before, Knave are hoping not to stray so far from those things that they’re unrecognisable as the same band.
Plain People O.S.T, recorded and produced with Adam Chinner of Freefall Records, hears the band introduce their new sound with the barebones of their process, just an acoustic guitar and vocals, but culminating in a critical conversation between Lawson and guest singer Katie McConnell of Hypophora about the current state that they find their world to be in.
Knave’s new music tackles a broader range of subject matter and challenging questions than before. Plain People O.S.T explores several topics and tries to cover a lot of ground. It delves into monotony, being defeated and overworked just to stay alive.
It also covers global warming and what we’re doing to the planet. The planet is referred to as a “she” that is being abused, having female vocals on the track makes this point just a little more haunting. Sam’s vocals are more chastising, critical of how damaging mankind have been whereas Katie represents fragility, and the voice of the ‘Plain People’, mostly the youth. After a lot of back and forth, the song finally sees both vocalists singing together, instead of against each other, showing ultimately that it’s about unity.
Composer and guitarist Lewis Dunn feels that Plain People O.S.T represents a feeling of isolation in attempting to overcome human errors but ultimately, no matter how hard we try we all end up following the same path of destruction, making the same mistakes as everyone we criticise. The idea that the path to hell is often pathed with good intentions massively impacted this song, as seen with the biblical imagery littered throughout.
Plain People O.S.T is due for release July 5th and will be available on all major platforms. To get a taster of what might be on offer, check out Knaves previous album below!
We managed to catch up with Knave as they talk about their upcoming single and more!
So how pumped are you for the release of Plain People O.S.T?
More nervous than pumped, in truth!
Can you tell us something about the single no one else knows?
It’s based on a Robert Newton Peck novel, “A Day No Pigs Would Die”
How much does Global Warming mean to you?
I feel like that is rheotrical haha!A great deal. I have covered it in a lot of music I have wrote, tracks like “Turnover..” by The Yu-Yi Band go into more depth. Really, it is the only important thing.
Will you be releasing more music this year?
Yep! Another single in August and an album in September.
If you could work with any band on new music, who would it be and why?
I’d be keen to force the System of a Down guys back into a studio, but who would I like to collaborate with personally? Maybe Thom Yorke or a band like Mogwai.
What’s the alternative music scene like in Bristol at the moment?
Pretty great. It always is if you know where to look. ArcTanGent festival and It’s fan base make for a really open minded and eclectic range of bands to go and see. I am also big into the post-punk scene there. Football F.C are the best band on the British underground now, let alone Bristol.
So being a duo, do you ever want more people to back you up when playing?
We actually already do! Some of our friends from our For the Oracle days will be in our live band.
Will you be touring at all this year
Yes, October or November!