Sometimes you just need a hit of good old-fashioned indie-rock. Something with driving drums, addictive riffs, and gigantic choruses. On their upcoming 'Dependent' EP, that's exactly what overpass are offering. Taking a turn into a darker, edgier world inspired by 90s and 00s stadium rock and the current wave of exciting guitar bands, the quartet are ready to kick it up a gear and expand into a crackling, kinetic new era.

It's already been an insane year for the band, starting with the release of their shiny, starry-eyed debut 'From the Night' EP in February, and ending with the band officially signed to Communion Records. Along the way, they've taken on support slots for Sundara Karma and Blossoms, and announced the biggest tour of their lives, too. Not bad, eh?

How do you even begin to reflect on the biggest year of your life so far? Well, for vocalist Max, it appears like it’s just water off a duck’s back. "It’s definitely been fast-paced and really exciting, but to be honest, it feels like we’ve always been building up towards this," he says nonchalantly. "We’re knocking down every milestone that we’ve set ourselves, so hopefully we can just keep doing that."

By their own admission, overpass aren’t a band to play it safe or to set themselves easy goals, and nowhere is that more apparent than in their upcoming second EP, 'Dependent'. Inspired by the stadium rock that raised them, they’ve delved deeper into the edgier side of indie-rock, reaching for earthier tones and more sincere lyricism to carve out their own space in the incredibly saturated guitar band scene.

If 'From the Night' was overpass feeling out their boundaries and growing into themselves as a band, 'Dependent' sees them reaching for the big time, demonstrating just how far they’ve come in the space of twelve months. The jangling guitar of 'Stay Up', or even the Catfish and the Bottlemen-esque frenzy of their 2022 single '3AM', make way for huge riffs built for huge rooms.

"I think this one sounds more like us; there’s more depth to it," Max states. "The first EP showed our lighter side, but we could sink our teeth into this one a bit more and it has an edge that we haven’t tapped into before." Guitarist Elliott adds, "We’re really inspired by anthemic pop-rock, that stadium noise, and I think these songs have the same atmosphere that those bands have."

For a band of 21-year-olds (cue wave of existential dread), the sonic influences they pull from on this EP are seamlessly entwined with a technical songwriting ability that rivals the bands they admire. Drawing inspiration from alt-rock music that was made before they were even born (cue second wave of existential dread), as well as more modern references that keep it fresh and up-to-date, overpass have that indefinable quality that sets them in very good stead.

"I think for us it’s more about structurally setting a mood to songs, thinking about where a story is going to go, and getting a sound to fit that," Max suggests. "We were listening to edgier alt-rock stuff like Interpol, or Stereophonics with their big riffs, and also Been Stellar’s new album; it’s a mix and match between all that and then our own ideas of the band that we want to become."

The key to this particular EP, it appears, is that the band have had more time to think about the fundamentals, using their seemingly unending time on the road to better understand both each other and the kind of band they want to be. "We basically got close out of boredom," Elliott chuckles. "There’s so much time on tour where you’re twiddling your thumbs or traveling between venues that it gives you the opportunity to talk about the sounds you want and the bands that you all have in common."

For Max, too, it made it easier to dig slightly deeper and present lyrics to the band that he wouldn’t have been able to before: "The bands that we love the most have a real knack for storytelling, so I was focusing on writing lyrics that were less wishy-washy, and I got to work with our producer before going into the studio so I could think more deeply about what I was trying to say. There are a few songs that are a bit deeper, but I’m not all the way; you do overthink it sometimes going, “I don’t know what the others are gonna say about this,” but so long as it sounds good and like it means something, I’m not sure they care!"

The creative process for this EP also provided the band with ample time to prepare for the studio, to draw threads between their newfound grungier ideas and older songs that hadn’t quite made the cut in previous releases. "Taking the time before recording to set the course made it easier to frill it up in the studio and make sure the sound was cohesive," Max remembers. Elliott nods, "Yeah, recording was really quick. It felt more professional, and honestly, I think we’re just a better band than we were before."

It’s hard to argue with that assertion when listening to 'Dependent', with the title track being one of those songs that found its way back to prominence after a rework, turning into a moody-yet-blistering explosion of layered guitars and venomous drums. Elsewhere, both of the currently released singles underline the strides the band has taken in such a short time, with 'Like No Other' bridging the band’s two EPs by combining 00s post-Britpop guitar lines with a more upbeat, bouncy feel, while 'Be Good To Yourself' speaks to Max’s increased lyrical vulnerability. Interspersed with the short, sharp blasts of 'Take It or Leave It' and 'Slow', it’s clear to see why 2025 looks set to be an even better year for the band than this one.

overpass head into 2025 at the height of their powers. Signed to a label that boasts such talent as Wunderhorse and Bear’s Den, overpass are now a band ready to take on the world. "Until we signed the contract, I was working in a bar until 4 am and then trying to write songs and tour as well," Max reminisces. "It feels real now; my only vision is the band, and we’re ready to take that next step forward."

"We’re definitely proudest of this EP out of everything we’ve done," Elliott smiles. "It’s good to feel like you’re always heading in the right direction." Max nods, "It shifts your mindset and adds fuel to the fire. We set our aims high, and we always manage to pull it off, so we’re just really excited to get this EP out and get on the road."

Questions will inevitably come about what comes next: an album, perhaps? "Max’s songs improve with every week that goes by," Elliott says, much to Max’s embarrassment. "He’ll send us some demos, and they blow my head off, so we never worry about what’s coming next."

"This EP definitely made us think about what an album would sound like," Max ventures. "We know what we want to say and the route we want to go down, but our sole focus right now is getting this EP out and just playing to the biggest rooms we can."

He continues, "We’ll write as much as we can, and I’m sure it’ll come to a point where we decide to do something with those songs, but for now, we just want to come out of this tour as a bigger band and keep on growing."

overpass are a breath of fresh air, an injection of ambition into an indie-rock market that is sometimes too comfortable within the confines of its own borders. Fearless, ferocious, and more than up for the fight, there’s no reason why they can’t rise to the very top.