That lust for life and need for joy comes from seeing the other side. Right now, Marmozets are untouchable, their new album is unwavering, but it’s been a tough journey getting here. “This is what we’ve fucking been through. In 2015, we were surrounded by that big buzz. We felt really confident in that place. After that, everything went to shit. We all got depressed, it felt like all our songs were shit. I don’t know how many albums we wrote?” asks Becca.
“It was probably four,” Jack answers.
“There was a prog epic, every one was a different genre, and then we found this lovely middle ground. We got a little spice from every scrapped album and whacked it all together. “Writing it, there were moments where it felt like it was missing that excitement. That’s the difference between the set of songs we have for the album we’ve recorded and the ones we’ve scrapped. There was some excitement lacking in the earlier demos, and that’s the spark. That excitement was the thing that made it feel like a Marmozets record again. We knew we were onto something when we’d finish a song, then play it over and over again. We’d smash through the same song twenty times in a row just ‘cos we were so excited by them. That’s a big part of the band, the energy. You get it just from listening to it. It gets you going, even if it’s not the heaviest stuff in the world or the most intense or uptempo. The excitement is key for us. If we don’t have that, we’re doomed.” “We won’t just release anything,” promises Becca. “We’re not the sort of band who’ll say ‘that’ll do’. Everyone was telling us the second album is never as good as the first. I want our albums to get better and better every time. That’s my vision. I know it’s a lot of hard work, but I don’t care. I’m willing to do it.” ‘Knowing What You Know Now’ sees Marmozets open up and get vulnerable. Once again, there’s a fearlessness to it. “It’s not that I don’t care, I care so much, but it’s just stuff I needed to get out. There is a vulnerability because I was in a vulnerable place back when I had my operations done.” Back to back surgery on her knees left Becca bed-bound for months. “I had to learn how to walk again, and I wanted to be able to sing about it.” But that desire for movement, that need for groove happened naturally. “I felt like I needed to write a song about what I’ve been through, but it happened in its own little way. Me and Sam [Macintyre] both write lyrics, but everyone ends up putting stuff in ‘cos we work beautifully like that. It’s good because it’s real and feels like it’s coming from a source. I’d write something, Sam would write something similar, and I don’t know how it ends up working, but it does.” Throughout the record, there’s this forward motion. It’s constantly running. “Have you seen me on stage before?” laughs Becca. “I do what I want; I’m always moving.” Rather than running away though, ‘Knowing What You Know Now’ sees the band constantly charging towards what’s next. “We’ll always run towards something else. It’s what we do,” grins Jack. “There are just moments where we wanted to sound ridiculously big. I remember when we first heard the introduction to ‘Start Again’ and it felt like the world was burning,” Jack continues. But the record comes from the intimate connection the band share. Each part was recorded away from everyone else at the request of producer Gil Norton, so everyone’s personality comes through really naturally. “Everyone needed to individually get lost in the song and get creative in their own vibe,” explains Becca. “We’ve been together for ten years now, known each other for even longer. We bring the best out of each other. We got so much joy out of writing this record. Some weird shit still happened but we seemed to hold it together, probably better than we would have done before. When we’re writing, sometimes we don’t even talk to each other. It’s like we can read each other because we know each other so well. Some people get freaked out by that.” ‘New Religion’ came from “conversations me and Sam were having about superstition,” says Becca. “There are loads of people in the world who are so anti-religion. It’s weird how people get so angry about any religion, but they believe if you walk underneath a ladder, you’ll get bad luck and that kinda thing. For us, it doesn’t quite add up. Are you really sure you’re going to be that angry and bitter about someone else’s beliefs when you believe in something that’s completely bullshit? It’s just about making people question what they think.” Those questions about belief and the want for equality also rages on ‘Like A Battery’. “The kids in the street, they don’t know what to do. They’re used to it like it ain’t nothing new. One day they’re gonna run your country too,” it warns, anger bubbling underneath. “I live outside two tower blocks filled with people who ran out of luck, but they still get by.” Written when Sam was in Glasgow, the track is a “wake up song” about the state of this country. “People are just getting by. Give them a break; they’re as good as anyone else. It’s a very British sounding song. I think anyone who has been bought up in those types of situations; they’ll get it completely.” What makes the message all the more powerful is the fact it’s coming from a band like Marmozets who formed in the outskirts of Bradford; Becca, born in Scotland, was raised in council houses. “I lived in the top of a church when my mum got married ‘cos we couldn’t afford a place. We’ve come from nothing.” So when they sing, “don’t you know they need a break too? Don’t look at me like I know what to do; I’m used to it like it ain’t nothing new,” believe they know what they’re talking about. “Everyone thinks we have these fabulous crazy lives, but we don’t. We’re just normal. People ask me to buy pints for them or ask what car I’ve got. I can’t afford driving lessons, so why would I have a car? What house do you have? I live with my mum. We’re still pushing. We’re trying our hardest here,” promises Becca. “It always feels like we’re living on the edge. We don’t know how we’re going to pay for this or do that, but that’s life. It doesn’t matter what background you come from or who you are; you can have a place in this world to make a difference.” “I rejoice through the bad,” continues Becca, finding power in tenderness. “It’s one of my mottos I’ve picked up along the way. My mum always says, ‘You know what, it’s really shit that’s happened, but laugh about it, Becca’. There’s always a way out. Some people just get stuck, but I don’t. I believe you can always change things around. I always push through. I do have a lot of fire,” she smiles, realising she’s one of the lucky ones. “Life could have been different. Everything has worked out good, even when it didn’t seem like it was going to and we lost a bit of faith in everything.” Knowing what they know now, the band can see “that’s why that didn’t happen, and that’s why we went through that. It’s almost like you have to go through the bad bits and bobs to be in the place you need to get to.” The album is full of “good things and the belief that people can do what they want. Stuff that’s going to benefit and help you and your friends. There’s happiness, fulfilment, inspiration and colour. I don’t see just black and white with it,” explains Beeca. “I see a lot of colour. It doesn’t just fit for one group of people; it’s for everyone.” It still feels like a Marmozets record, and it’s tough to pinpoint why. But that energy, that love for all people and that power, “it’s just our vibes, dude. That’s all it is. It’s something no one else will be able to do. They can try, but no one can be Marmozets. We live on the edge. We always live on the edge. Most people would’ve had a heart attack by now, but it’s the way it’s always been for us. We’re always trying so hard, pushing so hard to have our dreams come true. There’s loads of exciting stuff to come along. It’s one of those things, I have an idea, and I want it all to happen now. We get really impatient with our own material. You realise you’ve written songs to put in place for an adventure.” Marmozets’ album ‘Knowing What You Know Now’ is out 26th January. Taken from the December 2017 / January 2018 issue of Upset. Order a copy now below.
’s Before Doors sessions
