As with all debut releases from bands touted as ‘the next big thing’, there are a few mixed emotions currently floating around the orbit surrounding Redcar’s The Shakin’ Nightmares. “We’re really excited to get the EP out so that people can hear it, that’s for sure” advises Nightmare vocalist and guitarist Ryan Pilot “but there’s a slight nervousness there too for me. You spend so long writing and then recording the music, not to say the time it takes waiting before being able to get into a studio to record the tracks, that you spend a while trying to reconnect with some of the songs. Some of the songs have been with us for so long that you become protective of them and releasing them feels slightly scary.”
Written, in some cases, three years ago ‘Revenge and Regret’ is made up of the type of rock and roll songs that conjure the spirit of early Cure or mid-point Interpol. Dark, atmospheric and heavily intense, ‘Revenge’ is a magnificent piece of work in its search for consistent musical themes and big ideas; an intent that consistently drove the band forward. “We had a definite idea with the EP, and a sound we wanted to create. That certainty was both a help when we were writing and recording the tracks, but it also meant that some songs we wrote had to be left off the EP as they didn’t fit with the overall spirit” continues Pilot.
Using the time taken to write then record certain songs as a motivator, Pilot acknowledges that finally being able to release them has kick started the band into an even deeper work ethic; “partly because we have a few songs already written, and partly because of how much we enjoyed recording the EP, we’re already in the process of working on new material for an album. We hope to get that recorded early next year and it’s most likely to build on Revenge’s sound but take us in new directions”.
Yet it’s not just the recording of a new album that’s fuelling the Nightmare’s fire at the moment, there’s also a November tour coming up, which will promote the EP to a wider audience (“there’s not really a launch party for Revenge, we’ll be playing a number of venues across the country including two in the North East which will both certainly be parties of a sort”) and three music videos on the horizon which will bring visual elements to their unique sound (“we’re working with Ste from Mouses on a video which we hope to release on Halloween and then there’s already plans for two more to follow later this year”).
Not letting future plans get ahead of the present though, Pilot’s next couple of months centre around the EP both in it’s launch and also its promotional tour “we can’t wait to get out there and play these tracks live, that’s our main focus at the moment”. Pushed for a personal favourite from the EP, and a track the band are looking forward to playing live the most, ‘I wish’, comes as an easy answer, “that’s the song we’re probably all most proud of and it’s a great song to play live. As much as we hope the EP connects with our audience, our focus is to not think about any expectations anyone might have with the band, but instead to get out, put on a great show, and hope that people enjoy what we do. If we do that then the rest should all fall into place”.
The Shakin’ Nightmares release their debut EP Revenge & Regret on Friday 1st November 2019. For more information about the EP and live dates check out http://www.musicglue.com/the-shakin-nightmares