We love a bit of upbeat guitar pop in the CMU office, which is why we're such big fans of Delays. Formed in Southampton in 2001, the band released their first two albums on Rough Trade, before moving to Universal's Fiction in 2006. They released their third album, 'Everything's The Rush', in May and their new single, 'Keep It Simple' is out today. We caught up with the band to discuss, well, you know, the same six questions.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
Three of us, Greg, Rowly and Colin, decided to form a band while still at school and after much debating decided to be a cross between The La's and Abba. About three months later we had our first rehearsal and spent all night butchering Blur's 'Chemical World' in Rowly's parents' garage. The neighbours called the police after a while, and listening back to the tape we think we owe them an apology.
Q2 What inspired your latest single?
Musically, it's inspired by the chiming guitar bands we were listening to at school - the Roses, La's, House Of Love, a little bit Byrds. Lyrically, it's about long distance relationships and the confusion it can lead to.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
We don't have a set way to write, we're just open to wherever the music comes from. Songs like 'Valentine' began with an instrumental track of Aaron's that we then worked up, whereas a song like 'Nearer Than Heaven' was written on the acoustic guitar. But there are B-sides that Aaron and Colin wrote together and tracks on the new album where Aaron sings the lead. Formulas limit you after a while.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
The Beach Boys, Prince, Daft Punk, Verve, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Abba, Doo Wop... there's always something new to discover and get excited about, so the influences keep growing.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Nothing, once the music kicks in they'd only tell us to shut the hell up and stop distracting them from the sheer aural joy that is Delays, and quite rightly too.
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album/single, and for the future?
We think the new album's our best so far, so we want everyone to hear it and embrace it. Our ambitions are to reach as many people as possible without ever compromising the music, to become part of the culture. Ultimately we want to impact people emotionally and to keep making records that take us somewhere new and unique.
MORE>> www.thedelays.co.uk and www.myspace.com/delays