1. Your sound feels built for both intimate rooms and big festival stages, when you’re writing, do you picture a crowd, or is it a more personal process first?
Al: Bit of both maybe, it’s like we often know if we’re feeling it amongst ourselves first and then we can usually gauge whether the crowd are going to feel that too!
Andrea: I always think of big stadium sounds when I write, I listen to a lot of stadium rock bands and that influences my writing a lot. We had an interesting change in direction when recording ‘My Favourite Fantasy’ where it initially started off as a more intimate song and then we opened the drums up to bring the big intensity heard in the song, it’s largely down to the production on that track too, but that’s a good example of how that sound comes to life. Will: I actually don’t think about any of it, I more think through a melody and run with it to piece something together and hear what sounds cool to me.
Alex: Restless Mind was very much written with the vibe of being in a big venue, but I wouldn’t say that I have a process for this, it very much depends on how the song progresses. It’s very song dependent.
2. Liverpool has such a rich musical legacy, how do you carry that weight without letting it define or limit what Sundown Marathon becomes?
Al: I think we never forget that Liverpool is very musically rich, however we don’t let that define us as a band. We all have such different influences and I think that comes across well given the different vibes of some of our tracks.
Andrea: It’s not something I think about, or want to be defined by, but it’s definitely good being in a city where there is such a great musical history and scene because it means we get to network a lot with the local artists.
Alex: Similar to what’s already been said, it’s nice to have in our back pocket but while we’re trying to be our own thing we don’t want to be too reliant on a history – we want to make our own.
Collectively we agree we don’t want to put ourselves in a box and we want to take inspiration from other places as well.
3. There’s a real urgency in your tracks, like they’re chasing something. What do you think you’re chasing as a band right now?
Al: As a band I think we’re just focused on being the best version of ourselves we can be and growing together as a unit. And now that we have been signed to Big Condo Records, I think that’s helped us elevate that a step further by giving us more of a solid platform to build from.
Will: I want people to understand our stories and relate them, that would be great. We can be vulnerable with lyrics, I still personally relate to the line “I’m tryna’ reach out for help, but nobody’s reaching back to me” in ‘The Distance.’
Alex: In terms of chasing, I’d say for people to know who we are, bigger crowds and radio play.
Andrea: It would be cool to turn my passion into my professional practice, that’s probably what I’m chasing.
4. If someone only hears one of your songs for the first time, what do you want them to misunderstand about you?
Al: I hope they assume that all our songs will sound the same… because that is not the case whatsoever! So, whoever you are, you need to listen to them all.
Will: Unassuming vocals.
Andrea: People might have a certain idea about what we might sound like based on our look, but the reality is, we cross genres a lot and no two songs sound the same
Alex: We’ve got a big mix of sounds, and we don’t want people to believe we’re a one-trick-pony. We have a wide range of songs.
5. A lot of emerging bands talk about “finding their sound”was there a moment where you realised this is us, or is that still evolving?
Al: I think over the last year we have found a bit more of a pocket to fit ourselves into, leaning into the more gritty, heavier sound, but that definitely doesn’t mean we are going to strictly keep ourselves in that box at all I don’t think. Our wide range of influences will see to that!
Will: We all have our own preferred type of music, and we really took some time to find the best way to merge this together and blend what we like to find that sound that we’re more known for nowadays. It’s refreshing to have many perspectives when we write new songs and we hope that anyone new that listens to us can identify this.
Andrea: The first 3 singles we released were more about testing the waters and I found that while we recorded our E.P ‘Inside a Restless Mind’ it seemed like our sound and blend really came together, it felt like a turning point for us.
Alex: With all of us coming from different musical backgrounds, it really is about finding that blend of sounds. I agree with Andrea, when we recorded the E.P, we found that niche for ourselves which we have been able to apply to all our styles of writing.
6. Your live shows seem to be a huge part of your identity, what’s something about your performances that people wouldn’t notice unless they’ve been right in the room?
Al: I think maybe our energy on stage and the little quirks we sometimes have. I think there’s an element to that sometimes that people might not expect of us.Andrea: People might not expect our lead singer to get in the crowd, but he does.
Will: I like to give myself challenges while on stage and I only admit it when I complete them, otherwise I don’t even let them know I had something in mind.
Alex: Being at the back of the stage is different, but consistency is really what I go for, and not breaking sticks is a bonus.
7. Signing to Big Condo Records is a big step, what changed behind the scenes that fans wouldn’t immediately see?
Al: I think the main thing was realising we have a strong chance to make something of ourselves now. And that was always what we wanted as a band anyway once we got the ball rolling, but signing to Big Condo Records just opened that door for us and allowed us to run with it and gave us more opportunities and room to improve. It also made us realise that people enjoy what we are doing, which is always a great feeling for a band!
Will: Engagement is a lot more important than we may have previously realised but has helped us grow and gain more of a following outside of our city. Also, the wide network Big Condo has been fantastic for our single releases; it means we get to have a lot of international radio play, which is incredible.
Andrea: The social media work has really intensified for a start. And we have the opportunity now to do things we couldn’t before, which is very cool. An example of this is music videos and like Will said, radio play. It’s nice to have the labels backing to further our presence.
8. There’s a balance in your music between clean, almost polished melodies and raw emotion, how intentional is that contrast?
We’ve learnt how each other works and writes and we know how to use that to our advantage in songwriting. We don’t think it’s intentional a lot of the time at all but is just a nod to the many different influences we have as a group and that’s something we pride ourselves on because we are free to explore and experiment with lots of different sounds.
9. What’s a lyric you’ve written that still hits you differently every time you perform it?
Al: I think a line I personally love comes from one of the tracks we haven’t released yet. “Hide all the lies, wasting time, cause it’s easier than looking you in the eye”. I think this is relatable for a lot of people at some point in life, when you feel a bit lost, and you hide from the world at times just because it’s easier than explaining what you’re truly feeling through fear of losing the ones you care most about.
Will: “You only saw me on my good days, cause you, didn’t want to be there on my bad”, Better About You Now.
Andrea: Same as Will’s. I was very proud and a bit surprised at myself for crafting that one.
Alex: “I’ve been searching for a way to break free, from all my stress, my pain, my anxiety”, Restless Mind.
10. The indie scene right now is saturated, what do you think Sundown Marathon does that genuinely cuts through the noise?
We wouldn’t personally call ourselves an indie band, we see ourselves as an Alternative Rock Band that has a grittier edge to our sound. We don’t feel defined to a specific genre and wouldn’t want to put ourselves in that box, so maybe that helps us cut through the noise.
11. If your current phase as a band had a title, like a film or chapter, what would it be called and why?
Will: Probably should’ve gone to therapy, as I’ve written about trauma, tough days and times, but also now having come through it all, it feels therapeutic to write it down and share the stories.
Al: Roll the dice and find out.
Andrea: Everything is about to change; because with the backing of Big Condo Records, we’re seeing more opportunities and growth every day.
12. How do you handle the gap between how you see yourselves as artists and how the industry or audience starts to label you?
I think we are starting to find a nice balance organically with that. We never change ourselves as individuals, but we know what is expected of us as a group and I think because we naturally work so well together, that comes across to our audience, and they automatically feel that chemistry too and view us as a unit. With us, what you see is what you get.
13. You’ve been building momentum quickly, what’s something you’re actively trying not to rush?
We’re not trying to rush our next group of songs, we want to show what we’ve learnt, what we’ve developed, and that we’ve done it to the best of our ability and passion. We want to produce the best we can for the world.
14. “Everytime We Start Again” suggests both hope and repetition, are you writing about breaking a cycle, or being stuck in one?
We’d say both. It’s about a cycle you’ve been stuck in for many years, and then the realisation finally hits you. When the situation comes back around, you think “oh, here we go again…” But the hold that person has on you is something you just can’t seem to get rid of. We think everyone has or will have had a person like that in their lives at some point.
15. When people look back at Sundown Marathon years from now, what do you hope they say you changed or left behind?
We would love for people to see us and think “I remember them playing at this venue or here supporting that band and that’s where they got to! Oh! And they were much younger back then.”
Many thanks,
@SundownMarathonOfficial
@BigCondoRecords
