17 Juil INTERVIEW – Coach Party on his next album and his relationship with France

Meet a band that has already played to hundreds of thousands of people in France.

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Sound of Brit: Sunday Eurockéennes, Tuesday Nuits de Fourvière, Thursday Beauregard, Friday Musilac; not too tired from this Tour de France Express?

Coach Party: I’m very tired. But very satisfied. Lots of long car journeys. Lots of petrol stations. Lots of coffee.

Sound of Brit: We found the public very receptive on these 4 dates where we were; how do you feel about the French public?

Coach Party: They are extraordinary. They love music. And when they’re in concert, they’re only interested in the music. They talk, they film. They are with you. It’s really nice. It really is.

Sound of Brit: In November, you’ll be back in France for a tour of venues all over the country, in addition to all the festivals you’re already doing this summer! Is it important for you to go to the four corners of the country, not just Paris?

Coach Party: Yeah, I think the opportunity we’ve had to do these festivals is just enormous. Last year was a monumental thing for us, it was our first time in France, in a place that’s already important to us. Yes, it’s a big thing. Like a house. But yeah, it was really nice to see lots of parts of France that most people don’t think about and don’t go and play. Yes, that’s true. People who find it hard to get to Paris or the bigger cities. Yes. So it’s great.

Sound of Brit: You’ve got some big bands trusting you to tour with them this summer, not least Indochine, a legendary band in France. Tell us about your relationship with them!

Coach Party: Yes, they’re lovely, charming people. I feel that the opportunities they’ve given us over the last few years are down to who they are as people. They’ve been very welcoming and supportive, they’ve always made sure we work and I think they just want the best for us. It’s been lovely. We’re delighted to be touring with such a wonderful band. Yes, they don’t have to. As you say, they’re a legendary band, so it’s great that they’ve got their own thing going on. They really love what they do and why they do it. Are they interested in us? Yes, but they really do. And yes, Nicolas [Sirkis, from Indochine] has supported us from the start, so that means a lot.

Sound of Brit: You were at Glastonbury a few days ago. What was so special about playing there?

Coach Party: Well, it’s, I suppose, being there for our music. We’re naturally proud of that sort of thing. You know, there’s Woodstock, there’s Glastonbury. And so you become part of history because you just have to be able to accept it. It’s like joining a family and being able to claim some ownership and share. It’s like something you always look forward to. And since the beginning of our band, almost every rehearsal we’ve had, we’ve always joked about starting rehearsal by saying « Hello, Glastonbury! » And it happened this year and it’s weird. It’s just unbelievable.

Sound of Brit: Tell us about Killjoy, we can’t wait! How did you go about writing and recording it?

Coach Party: The whole album itself, I think it encapsulates different moments throughout the recording process. Each song has its own personality, I think. And then, in a way, when I listen to it, I always think: « Oh yes, that moment ». And some of them are sad, some of them are happy, some of them are angry. But yeah, we’re super excited about it coming out and I can’t wait for people to hear it. First album! Each song is already like its own separate entity. It reminds us of the times when we were on tour for a long time, like it always did with all my friends. It also reminds me of the house where we stayed for a day off. This first album is a bit like having to choose from 30 songs you’ve written over the last five years and pick the best ones. Yes, that’s true.

Sound of Brit: We’ve already heard a number of tracks, including the hit All I Wanna Do Is Hate. What can we expect from the still-undiscovered tracks? Quieter tracks, perhaps?

Coach Party: It’s a real mix. Yes, it is. And probably a lot more than any EPS we’ve done in the past. We kept trying to do new things and not lock ourselves into one sound. As all four of us are involved, the songs all come from different places, and you kind of have a vision of how we want them to sound. So they all go in their own direction. The next song out on Tuesday is What’s the Point in Life. Which makes it sound a bit like an angry album, but it’s not really. The thing is, with the EPS and the period when we wrote and recorded each of them, they were pretty relaxed times. We have a feeling that’s pretty consistent from start to finish because there wasn’t too much going on in our lives at the time. So it’s like it’s some kind of grunge album, some kind of copy or something. The period when we made this album was so extreme, like the best times, the happiest times. It was really sad, really difficult, even financially. And so the songs reflect that. It’s like one of our most delicate selves and our most confident selves. And all that’s in between are all the emotions. Yes, that’s it. Because we’ve experienced every emotion. It’s emotionally taxing.

Sound of Brit: An exhausting tour, a long-awaited album just around the corner… How are you dealing with all this stress? Isn’t it too mentally difficult?

Coach Party: It’s a lot at once, like promotion. Group discussions and all that. It’s like it becomes your whole life and you’re trying to manage what you have to keep in mind to do it, at the same time as the tour. We’re under a lot of pressure, and we’re already getting a lot of notifications. The thing is, it’s also a sign of how enthusiastic the people around us are about the music, the label and the concerts. They’re all so enthusiastic. And that’s something that sometimes can get a bit overwhelming for us, with so many people trying to talk to us, get our opinion on things and ask us to do things, or when we’re really busy writing, it’s hard, but also when we have the time, it reminds us that we’re part of something that’s bigger than us, and that’s good. Yes, it’s good that other people are interested in us. But I think once September comes, it’ll get better. Unless the album drops and becomes number one ahah! It’s great to look back on the journey from writing and recording to making this record. The stress is still there. We have a few days off now and then, but it never stops. We’re even going on a record store tour. So yeah, we’ve got two big tours in the space of three and a half months. But we can’t wait.