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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Flawes Tells Us About The Nod To Blink-182 On ‘Is It Any Wonder’ + More!

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Flawes Tells Us About The Nod To Blink-182 On ‘Is It Any Wonder’ + More!

Flawes interview

We first chatted with our friends Flawes in 2021, where they charmed us with their camaraderie, catchy music, and kindness.

Flawes consists of Josh Carruthers (vocals, keyboard), Freddie Edwards (guitar), and Josh Hussey (drums), and the British indie pop trio broke out in 2016 with their debut ‘Don’t Wait For Me,’ which gained the group traction in the U.K. and U.S. The guys have also worked with the likes of Finneas and our absolute queen Mali-Koa.

Now, we’re back again to chat with the band about their newest single, ‘Is It Any Wonder,’ released Oct. 21.

We got all the behind-the-scenes bits on the making of the song (their fastest written!), the nod to Blink-182, and how ‘Is It Any Wonder’ opens up a new, brighter era of Flawes ahead.

Check out our chat below!

We first interviewed you guys in 2021 and you have done so much since! How have you evolved as a band in 2022?
Huss: I think the whole COVID rollercoaster and everything that came with it brought the three of us even closer together. We had a lot of ups and downs in that time and without that crazy journey, the music we’ve written since wouldn’t be the same. We’re a lot clearer on who we are and the music we want to put out into the world. A big milestone was getting to LA again and getting in the studio to write new music together again.

What was the number one highlight for you from March of last year until now? What makes it stand out to you?
Freddie: The trip to LA that Huss just mentioned was a big one for us. We were lucky enough to have sole access to the Red Bull studios out there – it basically became our home for the trip! It’s a very inspiring atmosphere to work in and I think we came away with some of our strongest songs to date as a result of being there. Being in a different time zone to our loved ones back home also meant that we had no distractions, it was a really creative space.

On your new single ‘Is It Any Wonder,’ what piece of the song came first when you wrote it?
JC : I just listened back to some of the voice memos from the day it was written and it was actually the descending verse melody that came first followed by the pre-chorus. I’m very phonetic when writing so the sounds of the words and melodies always come before the lyrics. Sometimes lyrics take me ages to write and I have been known to tweak and perfect them over several weeks but for this song in particular they just flowed off the page. It was probably one of the quickest and most natural songs I’ve ever written.

Did you have any specific musical influences for writing this song?
Freddie: The influences were all quite broad on this track! There’s a guitar part that runs through the verses (it’s actually the first thing you hear) that was a little nod to Blink-182. Huss is a big fan of that band and the part felt like it really helped the verses move along. We added some nice warm juno synth sounds in the chorus that have an 80s feel to them, and some acoustic guitars to give some brightness too.

Image Source: Flawes via Instagram

What is your favorite lyric on ‘Is It Any Wonder’ if you had to choose just one?
JC: I think my favorite lyric is in the second half of the chorus. “And when the tide goes out and you can see the things you couldn’t.” It likens the tide to the situation I was in, the idea being that, when the tide is in, the seabed is covered, all the rubble and mess on the beach is hidden away. The same way that all the negative things within a relationship are really hard to isolate and spot whilst in that moment. However, when the tide goes out and the seabed is no longer covered, it’s much easier to see all of those undesirable things that were masked before.

The music video has such a striking color palette and interesting shots. How involved were you guys? What does the video mean to you or what vibe did you guys want to create with it?
Freddie: Thank you! We wanted to explore contrasting colours on this one. The orange and blue tones are at opposite ends of the colour spectrum which help them really pop! One of the big things for us was wanting to get across a sense of fun and show off our playful side a little more. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and this video is a lighthearted reflection of that.

How does ‘Is It Any Wonder’ set the tone for future projects?
Huss: Without giving too much away, ‘Is It Any Wonder’ is our first step towards lots more new music still to come. When we wrote it, it surprised us, and certainly set the tone for our sound going forward. Watch this space.

And speaking of the future, you guys have a show coming up in January 2023. Is there anything you can reveal about what you have planned for that?
Freddie: We have a bunch of songs that have sadly never been played live (due to a certain pandemic!), so we really want to give those tracks the chance they deserve to be heard in a live setting. Fans can expect new music, lots of colour, and a very sweaty room haha.

See Also

Image Source: Flawes via Instagram

When you perform, what do you guys do before the show? i.e. Do you have any routines as a band? What are your personalities like when it comes to getting ready for a show?
Huss: I tend to wear a lot of rings, and in good old drummer fashion, I hit the drums too hard, usually resulting in either damaging the rings or my fingers. So I ceremonially take them all off and attach them to my belt before a show. I also like to have a beer and conserve as much energy as possible. Without fail though, before every show, we all stand side of stage and dance to Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer’ together. It sets the mood, loosens us up, and gets us in the right frame of mind to perform and have fun.

What is Flawes’ biggest goal for 2023?
JC: As we’ve mentioned many times in the past, the three of us just love playing live, so I think just playing as many shows as possible would be the biggest goal of next year. I’d love to play our music further afield too and hit Europe and the States. I can’t wait to see how all the new songs go down!

Make sure to stream ‘Is It Any Wonder’ now!

What do you think about ‘Is It Any Wonder?’ Let us know on Twitter @thehoneypop or find us on Instagram and Facebook!

Want more interviews with your faves? We gotchu.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FLAWES:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE

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