Junk Food

About

“Our whole vibe is sort of happy/sad, realistic/dreamlike,” hard life frontman Murray Matravers tells Apple Music. “The whole idea of putting two things that don't belong together—our music and the aesthetic is kind of uplifting, but then I love to have a platform to speak about sad or concerning, troubling thing. I think this mixtape, or EP or whatever you want to call it, does exactly that.” He’s right. <i>Junk Food</i> is a collage of hip-hop swing, jazz flourishe, Vine sample, breezy vocal, and effortless melodies strewn across songs which tell darker storie. “It’s all about the culture of throwing stuff away,” Matravers say. “A nodding of the head to how f**ked up things are getting.” Join him on an immersive track-by-track guide. <b>7 Magpies</b> “I was in Wales or something with my girlfriend. We saw a magpie and I kind of got obsessed with it and put it in a song. I’m actually a little obsessed with old English idioms and dialects and the way people use them. We're from Leicester, which is in the Midland. Around here, the way people speak and the words they use are just so magical. And I think if you trace that love of dialect, it goes back to nursery rhyme.” <b>Nice Guys</b> “It’s the most upbeat song we’ve ever written. We were amazed that we'd actually written something with that energy. ‘Nice Guys’ is loads of fun to play because myself and Sam, we make up this horn section of [the band] and then start jamming on our trumpet. It gets a bit jazzy and a bit fun.” <b>Sangria (feat. Arlo Parks)</b> “It just sat on the hard drive for age. I felt like it was missing a verse and needed some fresh vibe, so I sent it to [South London singer-poet] Arlo to see what she thought. Literally that same day, she sent me her verse back, recorded on a s**tty mic in her bedroom. I was like, ‘Oh, do you want to come to the studio tomorrow to record this properly?’” <b>LS6</b> “This is super personal. LS6 is an area of Leeds called Hyde Park Corner. My brother has lived there for nine years now. Growing up, my brother wa, still i, an anchor and a spiritual guide and all the other things a young man needs in his life. I happened to spend so much time in the LS6 area, and one of those times we wrote this song. I was partying a lot and doing a lot of pharmaceutical drug. Well, not <i>a lot</i>. Not in a rock ’n’ roll way. I don't want to glorify thi. ‘LS6’ has a beautiful positive spin in the choru. I was laughing at the time, doing it. But when I listen to the tone of the verse, I definitely do sound a little upset, but I think it's a good thing.” <b>Dead Celebrities</b> “We were driving from our hotel to the studio in LA and went past this museum called the Museum of the Dearly Departed. Me and Rob [Milton, the band’s producer] were like, ‘What is the f**king obsession with dead celebrities around here? What is celebrity anyway, and why are people obsessed with it?’ We then got onto these cemeteries full of plastic and just how people just throw away everything. I think it’s the pinnacle of everything I despise about celebrity culture.” <b>Earth</b> “For me, the bridge is one of my favorite parts of the song because it gives it that lift into a different world. The lyrics combined with the melody and produced with all the reverb gives it a dreamy sort of spacious feel, which isn't usually a feel we go for. Usually we produce our vocal really dry and really upfront.” <b>Spiders</b> .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

Start your shelf to read the full take →