Wintermute
By Kate ZezulkaLeeds Music Scene and Wintermute have a gossip about the new "Fun With Wizard Stencils" EP, managing along the way to incorporate some obligatory wizard magic.
How did Wintermute come to be?
It's a funny story actually, Ben and I were trapped in a burning public library after a particularly messy dispute had broken out between the librarians, which ultimately culminated in the fire. I think we were stuck somewhere in the reference section. Anyway, as we huddled in the corner fearful to accept our fates, Dave and Chris (who had temp jobs as fireman) managed to tackle the blaze and rescue us from under the burning encyclopaedias. As they carried us to safety on their shoulders we thought, what HUNKS. And that's how the band started.
A lot of Wintermute's instrumental parts are reasonably acrobatic and challenging - is it important to you to write parts which test your instrumental capabilities?
Not really, we play like that because we like the sounds and rhythms that come with it. It is much more important to us that a particular section sounds good, has strong melodies and fits well with the other parts than it is particularly impressive or challenging. Whatever the song needs, it needs.
Do you think everyone in Wintermute brings different styles, techniques and influences to the table? To me, songs often sound like tussles between different genres in each instrument, is this the intention?
I wouldn't say it's ever been a conscious intention to mix multiple genres in that way. I guess that sound is more a result of the fact we are all very open to each others musical ideas no matter what background or genre they may arise from.
Would you say you fall into the category of alt experimental bands who manage to preserve hooks and melodic material? Do you think this synthesis is successful?
Yes, I would say that is a category that we would fall in. It's nice to have depth to songs. Immediate strong melodies will always catch the attention of a listener straight off, but it's good to reward a more serious listen with deeper layers of melodies and harmonies that are just as catchy but not as apparent on first listen. Interesting and listenable are definitely not mutually exclusive, I'd say they go together quite well.
How do you feel the "Fun With Wizard Stencils" EP differs from your previous material?
This time we knew we were writing for an EP, whereas before we just wrote the songs without thinking if they'd be released at all. But in reality I don't think this affected the songs that much. The plan was that they would both work as a cohesive whole and still provide a good sample of the kind of things that we do musically.
Each track definitely has its place! We're really proud of the songs and the way they work together.
In terms of recording, there was no real difference in methodology; both the single and the EP were recorded live with vocal overdubs put on afterwards.
The production is definitely better and slicker than anything we've done before, but overall James Kenosha (who we recorded it with) used his studio-production wizard magic to better capture our live sound and energy.
You've decided to release the EP on On the Bone and Brainwash are your management - is this an indication of your music scene ethics?
We've always been attracted to people who do what they do purely for the love of it which is definitely reflected in a lot of the DIY stuff that goes on in Leeds. It's great to have such a huge network of supportive, talented and passionate people around you. That is the best thing about the Leeds scene.
What impact did playing the Futuresound Competition and subsequently playing the Carling stage have on the band? Do you ultimately think it was worth it?
Both the Futuresound gig and the Carling stage were really fun to play. Good gigs are always worth it and the experience of playing a festival as large as Leeds Festival was great for so many different reasons. I don't think that kind of gig will ever launch a band and we didn't think that it would be anything other than a fun drunken weekend, which it was. One of the best.
This year there are some absolutely fantastic bands playing. It's really refreshing to see heavier, psychedelic bands like These Monsters getting through to the final 30, they totally deserve it as they are awesome. Other bands we're psyched to see in the final 30 are Pulled Apart By Horses, Dinosaur Pile-Up, I Concur, Stations and Fran Rodgers. It's gonna be a good competition this year.
What should we expect next from Wintermute? What direction is new material taking?
I guess it's an album next! We have this idea that the next batch of songs need to be just great songs, on any level, whether they are being bashed out on an old acoustic or being teched up with tapping, tight breaks and synth swells. Rock solid songwriting is gonna be at the heart.
