Artist Spotlight: And Now We’re All Doomed

Artist Spotlight: And Now We're All Doomed

And Now We're All Doomed is a band built around a thirst for playing guitar and learning that's carried them through years of being in bands together. We caught up with Cal to talk about The Hills Are Safe, their debut EP, which was mastered at Fabrik Audio, and about a guitar journey that runs from worshipping the Smashing Pumpkins straight through to Spanish fingerstyle and prog.

Q: Tell us a bit about yourselves and your music — who are you, and what would you want a first-time listener to know?

We're guitar enthusiasts and songwriters — we've played in many bands over the years and still have the thirst to play more and learn more about music, whether that's theory or playing live. A first-time listener should be prepared to know there will likely be at least one moment of distortion or weird timing in one of our tunes.

Q: How did you get started making music? Was there a specific moment that pulled you in?

I picked up a guitar at 11 and never looked back. The main moment was listening to bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Metallica, Incubus and Manic Street Preachers — they really struck a chord. I remember first hearing "Mayonaise" and thinking, what the fuck — we need more of that in our life.

Q: What does a typical writing or production session look like for you? Are you the type to work fast and intuitively, or slow and meticulous?

Very much a fast and intuitive process. We tend to write something during a session, then work on the riff or melody in our head for the next week, refine it and bring back the finished article. Luckily, we sometimes don't even need to go back to the guitar for that part, since we can compose music in our head. We've learnt that our first instinct is usually the best idea.

Q: Who or what are you drawing influence from at the moment?

We've "re-learnt" guitar recently through Spanish fingerstyle, with a touch of flamenco in the lessons. It's made our approach to music a bit more refined in terms of theory, harmony and technique. Our forays into prog have bled into the music too — Camel, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, and modern bands like The Ocean, Blood Incantation, Psychonaut and Elder have had a profound impact lately. Also indie rock — Ulrika Spacek, My Precious Bunny and Broken Social Scene.

Q: Is there a piece of gear, software, or technique you couldn't make your current music without?

The Carl Martin chorus pedal.

Q: What's the story behind the EP we worked on together — where did it start, and how did it change along the way?

It's our debut EP, called The Hills Are Safe. One of the tracks describes a feeling of innocence and serenity in youth — being driven by your parents, sleeping in the car, knowing you're protected — and how getting older pulls that feeling out from under you. Much of the record sits in that uncertainty, around real problems we've been feeling lately. At times, it's quite a forlorn record lyrically.

Q: Was there a moment during writing or recording it where something unexpected happened that ended up shaping the final result?

Using strings and working with a producer with perfect pitch really pushed us and took the tunes in directions we hadn't foreseen.

Q: What does the local or wider music scene look like from where you're standing right now?

We think it's strong in Brighton, and we're sure it is in Manchester too. We're sick of people saying there are no bands out there — it's just not true, and if someone says that, they aren't a true music lover. Go to ArcTanGent festival and then tell us there's no decent band-based music being made.

Q: What's next for you?

We've just finished two new singles that really build on what's gone before. One of them is a seven-minute prog-leaning epic, and it's certainly the best thing we've ever done.

Q: If someone's never heard your music before, what's the one track they should start with?

Probably Stress — it's got the catchiness, the weirdness, the riffs and the solos. Always goes down well live.

The Hills Are Safe, the debut EP from And Now We're All Doomed, is out now. Find them here.