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Interview // 2022-01-14

Burner

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Recently, I heard the single, Ingsoc, by Burner. It was just what I was looking for - the passion in the vocal, the movement in the song, the direct nature of the lyrics. So, I decided to reach out to the band and talk to them about their debut EP (coming soon), and their journey getting here.

I talked to vocalist Harry, and guitarist Nathan.

Here is our conversation. Check them out!

You guys are about to release your debut EP. Very exciting!

HARRY NOTT: Thank you! We've been waiting a long time for this.

Where did you guys meet? How did the band come to be?

NATHAN HARLOW: We met on a Facebook group actually. The group was mainly for people looking for musicians for function gigs, events and covers bands and stuff like that, but I saw Harry post that him and Hugo (drums) were looking for a guitarist and bassist for a mathy hardcore/death metal band and I just couldn't resist. I sent Harry a demo I wrote that night, we went for a drink and a jam and it all clicked instantly! Finn (bass) then joined after we auditioned a couple of bassists after seeing a similar post we put up online, he fit the group really well and he's a cracking bassist so it was a no-brainer for us.

Where did the name come from?

NATHAN: It's taken from the song Crossburner, by The Dillinger Escape Plan. We thought it sounded pretty cool, but didn't want to just use the song name so shortened it to Burner.

HARRY: DILLINGER BABY, YEAH!

I am assuming the title of your single Ingsoc is referring to the book 1984? Is this going to be the concept of the album or of just this song?

HARRY: That's right. One of the themes we're most interested on drawing on is the struggle between autocracy and democracy, especially with a lot more awareness in the world about human rights abuses. Ingsoc, as a song, felt like the best way to summarise the kind of brutality and practices that are still ongoing in authoritarian regimes, such as in China and Russia. Drawing on the book brings to mind a certain imagery and tone, along with the iconic phrases that you'll find in the lyrics: war is peace and freedom is slavery, illegal thoughts, etc. The rest of the album is broader than just that topic, but it's an ongoing idea for us.

How does the process of writing happen for you guys?

NATHAN: Usually I'll write and demo songs at home, then send it to the rest of the guys to get their opinions. We then flesh out the ideas in the practice room and everyone brings their own thing to the songs, so whilst the songs usually start with just one of us, they end up a sum of all our parts. Finn and Hugo write at home too so it's certainly not just limited to me, we're keen for all of us to have input during every step of the process. Harry takes care of most of the vocal writing.

HARRY: Yeah, Hugo contributed a fair bit to the placement of the vocals too. I'll always come up with a placement, but he's got a mind for rhythms, being a drummer. So, when we tried out some demos before recording the EP, we were able to make a lot of the vocal sections hit harder by timing them to the drums/guitar.

Have you been working on the material for a long time?

NATHAN: Yeah, a few years now actually. We first started jamming in 2018 and the first demo I sent become our first proper song which will be on our EP, A Vision of the End, out this year. We pretty quickly started writing the rest of the songs but due to COVID we've been sitting on them since. We honestly can't wait to release the EP and play these songs live then get back in the studio to record our debut full length, we've already got about 8 or 9 songs in the works for that.

HARRY: We actually had a strange moment when we first went to Lewis Johns, who we recorded drums with and mixed/mastered the EP. At his studio, he was telling us how good our demos sounded and it made us all think: "Damn, maybe it IS as good as he says," because we'd basically been working on our music, not showing it to anyone, for such a long time, it was strange to have an outside opinion praising what we were doing like that.

How has it been, getting this EP ready to release, considering the pandemic situation?

NATHAN: It's been difficult for sure. We've had to delay almost every step but thankfully we're over the moon with the final result. Now we're just excited to start gigging!

HARRY: We recorded the EP in pieces, but the drums were first recorded back in May, shortly after the third lockdown lifted in England. We were all so desperate to get out of the city that the four of us went to Lewis' studio, even though we didn't all need to be there!

Do you guys live close to each other, or are you spread out?

NATHAN: We're all based in London in the UK, although we originally come from all over, including London, Yorkshire, Ireland and France.

What influences do you bring to the table? Do you listen to completely different stuff in your own time?

HARRY: We all have differing influences, but we share a common love for anything that's heavy and there's a lot of bands we all like. We all went into the band with an idea of creating something distinctly mathcore, but over time we've each brought our own elements in a way that shapes the sound we've got. For instance, I'm big into powerviolence, so I wanted the lyrics to be more confrontational than typical death metal lyrics. On the side, I'll listen to anything - big fan of Drone and K-Pop, for instance. We all listen to a lot of other stuff, though, especially when we've been on long drives: the playlist is massive and varied.

What’s your favourite spice?

NATHAN: Sweet smoked paprika - that's the stuff right there. Also, garlic. Not a spice, but garlic. Lots of garlic...

HARRY: Peri-Peri salt. Undeniably god-tier spice.

Your favourite movie? Favourite book? Poem? Video game?

HARRY: On the EP, we actually have a spoken word sample of a poem that we felt fit the mood of the record - "Calmly We Walk Through This April's Day" by Delmore Schwartz. It's all about identity, memory and the ever-changing nature of time. The title track is about the ongoing destruction human beings bring to the world by just existing. It's very existential and violent, tapping into the same apocalyptic imagery of the poem: "Time is the school in which we learn. Time is the fire in which we burn." Poems like that one and Ozymandias get at a lot of the ideas on the EP: humanity won't last, we're just a blink in the eye of time, so do something about what's unjust today. Also, Neon Genesis Evangelion.

NATHAN: Movie - The Blues Brothers. Book - Mort by Terry Pratchett. Video game - Skyrim.

Myself, I often go to music for different moods - for example, when I am excited or upset. Can you give me an example of a song you might go to for a very specific mood?

HARRY: Anger, I'll go straight to hard-hitting hardcore records: Dangers, Weekend Nachos, Blacklisted. If I want to drift away into my thoughts: Boris, Earth, Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I like finding songs that give me visions of stories or worlds in my head, particularly when the sound they're coming from is unconventional. But whatever I feel, there's always music for it.

NATHAN: And if you need a good break-up song, Wither by Dream Theater will do the job.

I heard one of you ended up with COVID. How are you doing now? Sorry to hear this.

NATHAN: That was our drummer, Hugo. Thankfully, he's absolutely fine!

HARRY: Aye, he was gutted about us having to miss our first show, though. Happy to say we've had a lot of opportunities come up since then though! 2022 is the year when we're going to make it all happen.

What is the easiest way to get your EP when it comes out? What is the release date?

NATHAN: We can't say too much at the moment but we'll have a big announcement to make in the coming weeks. You'll be able to listen to the EP on all streaming platforms, or order a physical copy online. It won't be long at all before we have new music out. Make sure to follow our socials @burnermetal for all the news on the release!


Playlist Pick

After interviewing Burner, I decided to add the song Ingsoc to my playlist.

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