NEW MUSIC: Macatier 'This Boat is Definitely Sinking' EP
Dan told us about the process of writing this EP;
"Despite it being a 14 minute EP, it took a lot longer to record than I thought it would. I started recording it in June and took about 3 months in all. Balancing it with a job always makes the process that much longer.
"Most of the songs were a lot different when I first wrote them; 'Swimming To Canada' was originally a really slow song, around 90 BPM, but I decided to speed it up to make it more fun to play. I had the riff for Thousand Yard Stare for about 6 months before I could write a song around it that I liked.
"I'm hoping that the EP will show some people that acoustic music doesn't have to be slow, ballady type love songs - it can be interesting and fast paced too!"
This record certainly achieves this goal, with a punk-rock vibe to his acoustic style and vocals. 'Thousand Yard Stare' kicks off the EP; full of anger and pent up frustration, with that riff he spoke of, holding the whole thing together. Track two, 'Panic Attack' is probably our favourite on the record, adding a few layers to the previous track and ending up with a song that we think has genre-busting appeal.
After 'Swimming to Canada" - check out the video for this single above - comes the EP closer, 'Sleep Song'. The title being a good hint that this is the quietest, slowest song on the record. It gives the EP a more rounded feel whilst still holding on to enough of what makes Macatier stand out. Look out for this record next month, well worth spending some time getting in to.
We asked him if the local music scene has had any influence on him or his writing; "I would say that it definitely has. Even though I'm an acoustic artist I mainly listen to rock music and despite them not being about anymore, I'm a huge fan of the band Reuben who are from Farnham. I was listening to their album 'Racecar Is Racecar Backwards' a lot whilst writing this EP which definitely had an impact on the way the lyrics came out."
Macatier are one of many acts benefitting from a vibrant local scene at the moment and Dan believes it is getting better and better too. Giving a shout out to The Small Society, an energetic folk-punk band also from Guildford. But, could the local scene be improved? "I think more pubs should be open to considering open mic nights. There are a few in town who do them but I think they are such a great way for local musicians to perform. It's free and the pub gets a crowd of people in that they wouldn't otherwise have."
Keep up to date ahead of the official release by following Macatier's official Facebook page.
