Employed To Serve: "I like having control of my band"

"We've never been a political band at all," begins Employed To Serve vocalist Justine Jones. "We have our views, but we've never felt the need to express it through our music." At a time when Trump, Brexit and an array of other political dilemmas are sweeping the world, it's very easy for musicians to claim to make political music at the moment. But Justine is looking closer to home when it comes to her lyrical inspirations. "I don't know much about politics, and I don't want to write on things I don't know about. Obviously it angers me when I see things that are wrong in the newspapers, however it doesn't inspire to create something in the way that emotional reactions to the people around me do; I feel a lot more connected to those things than I do a person on the news or in a paper." And what are those things that trigger an emotional response in Justine? "Social issues are touched upon; we talk about depression and homelessness. A couple of our family members suffer from depression; I personally haven't, I'm very fortunate in that respect. Depression is hereditary in my family, and a couple of the other band members have had issues with it with their friends and family. It's just such a common thing to have, and it's all around us. With homelessness, that's someone we knew from our school days; it's odd to remember them as the happy child they were, and then see them on the streets without a home." Employed To Serve will soon have the opportunity to spread their message about the issues addressed on their new album, ‘The Warmth Of A Dying Sun,' when they hit the road with punk-rockers Milk Teeth, and it's a tour which Justine can't wait to get started. "I'm really excited!" Justine gushes. "I enjoy being part of a diverse line-up; as much as I love metal, there's nothing as boring on a bill as five metal bands, and Milk Teeth are sonically very different to us, but also not so different that it doesn't work. I think they're a really good band; I've known of them for years, and it's good to see another young act taking over like they are. They've been going for about the same amount of time as us; they're fairly young, and we like the grungier side of stuff like Pearl Jam and Pixies, so it'll just be nice to see them every night. We've never played with them before, and I don't think I've actually met any of them! It's odd, because the UK scene is very small, and they're one of the few bands we haven't come into contact with."