When Chordblossom came into existence, it was always our aim to shine a spotlight on the artists and bands that make up the music scene in Northern Ireland. We’ve been doing it for over ten years now and one of our favourite methods is our Introducing feature.
Put the kettle on, curl up on your sofa and and join us for a quickfire Q&A with some of our favourite new musicians. Who knows, maybe you’ll even discover your new favourite artists.
This iteration of Introducing features the musical talents of Empires to Ruins who just released their new single ‘Losing Faith’.
What was the inspiration behind your artist name?
Paul: To be honest, we had quite a bit of difficulty deciding on a band name. We wanted something that would tie in with the lyrical themes we were exploring in our songs, but everything we came up with seemed to be taken already.
Glenn: We’d been working on what would eventually become our debut single ‘Peacekeepers’, when I decided to revisit the Fightstar album ‘The Grand Unification’. The lyrics “crush these empires to ashes and make them wonder” from the track ‘Build An Army’ had parallels with the theme of military intervention that we’d been exploring in our own song, so it just felt right to go with something along those lines. We swapped “ashes” for “ruins” because we felt that it invoked more compelling imagery and rolled off the tongue a little better.
You’ve just released a new single. How did it come about and what does it mean to you?
Glenn: ‘Losing Faith’ started off as a simple 3-note motif that I came up with whilst playing around on my guitar, probably about 2 years ago. This was expanded to become the riff that features on the track and with the addition of bass and drums it just kept evolving from there, spawning the verses and eventually the chorus. We mixed it up a little for the guitar solo, but aside from that it was a pretty smooth track to write.
Lyrically, the track is a critique of modern society, it explores the concerns that we have about it and what we feel can be done to improve it. It means a lot to us on a personal level, not least because we put so much thought and effort into it, but also because the message it conveys aligns so strongly with our personal beliefs.
Have you any more releases or studio time lined up for later in the year?
We’re aiming to record a new track every 3 or 4 months, so we’ll hopefully hit the studio again around October / November time. The working title of our next single is ‘Point Of View’ and it will segue with the ending of ‘Losing Faith’ – a theme that we hope to continue with all our new releases.
Glenn: Whilst it very much follows in the stylistic footsteps of its predecessor, we went a little crazy on the breakdown and embraced a more experimental / prog rock approach, which is considerably different to anything else we’ve released so far.
Tell us about your song writing process.
Glenn: For me, it starts with a creative ‘spark’ as I call it. This could be riff, a lyric line or a chord progression that comes to you seemingly out of the ether and isn’t the sort thing you can force into existence. I mentioned how ‘Losing Faith’ started off as a simple motif that just kept growing, this is a prime example of that.
We all contribute to the process and we’re always bouncing ideas off one another. We tend to make demos of songs and send them back and forth, chopping and changing a wee bit each time. Then when we hit rehearsals, they usually get altered again as we try different things. The two songs we’ve recorded so far have been constantly evolving up until the point we finished our last take in the studio! It helps to have a great producer like Neal Calderwood who has a penchant for offering excellent creative advice.
Who were your favourite artists/bands growing up? Have your influences changed over time?
Paul: Growing up in the 00s, there was no shortage of great bands to draw influence from, far too many to mention in fact. But if we had to pick 2 bands each, Biffy Clyro, Fighting With Wire, Foo Fighters, Funeral For A Friend, Rise Against & Reuben have probably shaped our sound more than the others.
Of course influences can change over time, but as we’re still quite a new band with limited material, our influences have been pretty consistent so far. The nostalgia of listening to the aforementioned bands was the main inspiration for the sound that we’ve worked hard to create.
What’s been your favourite local release from the last twelve months?
Glenn: There are so many to choose from, but 2 releases from the last 12 months that really caught my attention were Triggertone’s ‘Infrared: Ultraviolet’ EP and Ptolemy’s self-titled (and self-produced) debut album. I thoroughly recommend checking both out.
If you weren’t a musician, what line of work would we find you in?
Paul: As much as we would love to be full time musicians, it’s sadly not an option for us – at least at this moment in time. We all have kids and day jobs but if I had to pick a dream job that didn’t involve music, I would probably be a professional liar. Oh sorry, I meant politician.
Glenn – Yeah, hopes of a career in music get more dashed every time I look at our Distrokid account to see how much we’ve made on our 14k+ Spotify streams. I’d probably do something in residential property, working to make it better and more affordable for everyday people.
If you could collaborate with one artist or band from NI, who would it be and why?
It would be a dream to work with Daveit Ferris. We loved The Mascara Story back in the day and just about everything else he’s been involved with has been great, including Chordblossom!
Glenn: He actually reached us to us after seeing one of our videos on Instagram and I have been keeping in touch with him since. He liked our demo of the legendary Mascara Story song ‘This Is Not A Bruise’, so who knows? Maybe we could collaborate together some time in the future.
It is intensely difficult to be successful in the music industry. What does NI need to do to invest in/develop to boost your chances?
Glenn: Bands / artists need to look out for and support each other. We personally make conscientious efforts to seek out new bands on a regular basis, reach out to them and keep on touch. Something as simple as listening to another band’s track and giving some feedback, or sharing one of their songs on your socials can go a long way.
Paul: Local government has a responsibility. In our area of the North Coast the gentrification of towns like Portrush, previous home of the Atlantic, have had huge impacts on the local music scene which used to be so thriving and still has some incredible bands. These venues need preserved and protected by local government not sold off to the highest, or sometimes even lowest bidders.
There needs to be more active collaboration between venues, promoters and bands as well a the support of local government and MLA’s to keep the door of opportunity open, not shut. If we build good relations, hold a genuine interest in one another and work together, we all benefit.
What does success look like for you?
Glenn: Fame and fortune are often touted as the main indicators of success. I do think there’s some truth in that because they’re essentially simplified terms for cultural and financial success. To me, a culturally successful band is one with a loyal fanbase that is genuinely passionate about them, a financially successful band is one with members who don’t have to work a day job in order to live comfortably. If you manage to achieve both, I think that’s clear and demonstrable success.
You’re going out on tour and can have anything you want on your rider, what would we find on yours?
How big can this thing be? It’s going to be pretty stacked. We’d need some practice space to go over our songs, somewhere to chill out, ideally with a games console, TV and decent sound system – may as well throw a pool table and a bar too! That’s all before we include essentials like toilets and sleeping facilities.
Where and when can we next catch you live?
Unfortunately, we’re yet to play a show together. We’ve got absolutely nothing in the pipeline and we are actively seeking gig opportunities. You’re looking for a band to fill a ~30 minute set and are reading this, get in touch with us!
If you enjoyed this feature and fancy discovering some more new artists, we suggest you jump on over to our archive of Introducing pieces.
If you are a band or musician based in Northern Ireland interested in taking part in our Introducing feature, we recommend submitting new music to us via our Contact page and if we enjoy it, you’ll no doubt hear from us.
