A-Z Interviews: MAYPINE

Brighton quintet MAYPINE put out their EP ‘Bend/Break’ on 6 th July. Although they previously played material in a more pop-punk vein, they say that it should be considered their debut release, with vocalist Jase commenting: “It is a record that portrays a struggle. Not only does the lyrical content reflect this, but it was a tough record to write. It's definitely the truest reflection of our band and the music we want to create, with a real melting pot of influences that captures our vastly different musical tastes, to really sound the way we want MAYPINE to sound. I think we're all extremely proud of what we managed to create and we’re really excited for people to hear it; we can only hope that it resonates with whomsoever listens to it in the way that it does with us.” You can get the self-released record physically (here) or digitally (here), which features recent singles ‘Give’ (here) and ‘Weather (here). Now the band are here to take the A-Z interview to give us more of an insight into who they are...

A Song Which Made You Want To Make Music:

Tommy: Fly - Loudmouth, I heard this song on the game Omega Boost on PlayStation 1. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever heard.

Jase: I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor by Arctic Monkeys. They’re the first band that I got really really into and I loved the guitar parts on that song!

Best Album Ever Written:

Jase: The White Album by The Beatles. But more recently, “Maybe This Place is the Same and We’re Just Changing” by Real Friends and “No Closer to Heaven” by The Wonder Years changed my life.

Tommy: In Remote Part by Idlewild, the purest, most natural-flowing album I've ever heard. It's such an injustice that you can now purchase this in Poundland, but I don't discourage it. Everything Is by Nine Black Alps and Fantasy Black Channel by Late of the Pier also deserve a mention.

Craziest Moment You’ve Experienced In The Band:

Tommy: Possibly skinny dipping on tour in Torquay at about 4am. It was summer, but it wasn't warm in the slightest.

Jase: We went to see a friend of mine in an off-fringe play in Edinburgh. It was absolutely hilarious and I don’t think any of us will forget that experience.

Deepest Lyrics One Of Your Songs Features:

Jase: I think the one that I was most deliberately trying to be profound with is “Is this what Happy Ever After feels like?” from Day After Day. I’d be mulling that line over for a long time before putting it into a song.

Easiest Song You Wrote:

Jase: Day After Day came pretty quickly to me. I was just in a really great songwriting place and I think the song came together in a few hours.

Favourite Show You’ve Ever Played:

Tommy: The Black Heart, London with Trauma PR. The crowd were so engaged, and Better Than Never and Luke Rainsford were on the bill.

Jase: Either that show, or opening for Silverstein at The Haunt. That was rad!

Guest You’d Most Like To Feature On Your Record:

Jase: Maybe like Caleb from Beartooth. His feature on the Seaway album was cool and I’d love to do a really heavy song!

Happiest Moment In You’ve Experienced In The Band:

Jase: Playing The Haunt. It was kind of a dream come true. We’ve all been to gigs there and to play it was amazing.

Interesting Fact About One Of Your Members:

Tommy: Whenever James sits down or even leans on a surface, he needs 'Pooart', his poo-emoji pillow, to be there.

Jokes You Have In The Band:

Tommy: Any reference from It's Always Sunny in Philly.

Kicking Off Your Set Is Best With Which Song:

Jase: We pretty much always kick off the set with A Little Sooner because of the drum intro. Although we’ve been trying to change that lately.

Longest Distance You’ve Travelled To Play A Show:

Jase: Glasgow. That was a long journey! We stopped

Most Inspiring Musician You’ve Ever Experienced:

Jase: The guys from The Ghost Inside are inspirational. I’ve never met them but the way that they’re fighting hard through their rehab is incredible!

New Band You’d Recommend:

Tommy: Best of Enemies and Elephant Radio are instant favourites

Jase: Tirade, Hear Lies and Passionflower.

Opening For This Band Would Be Ideal:

Jase: I’d love to open for Lower Than Atlantis. James crowd surfed at Brixton in an upturned guitar cab once. They’re a great band!

Place You’d Most Like To Tour:

Tommy: A mall tour in Manila would make my life complete.

Jase: I’d love to tour America!

Quote That You’d Like To Pass On To Readers:

Jase: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. I saw it on Twitter and it was used in conjunction with dating. I’d like to apply it to chasing your dreams though. Be bold, be courageous and follow your heart. You never know what you might achieve.

Tommy: "Wow" - Owen Wilson

Reason For The Title Of Your Recent Release:

Jase: Bend/Break comes from an American Football analogy of a defense giving up lots of yardage but no points. They’ve bent, but not broken. I applied the analogy to my own mental health. I went through a rough time prior to writing this record but I didn’t give in, or allow it to get the better of me. I’m now a much stronger person as a result.

See Us Live At:

Jase: We’ve got a few shows coming up.

18/8: Leaf Hall, Eastbourne

1/9: Burn It Down Fest, Torquay

29/9: Venomfest 2, Bristol

The Old Days Of Music Were Better Than Those Current, do you agree:

Tommy: No, if you know where to look. So much good music is overlooked.

Unusual Merchandise:

Jase: Nothing at the moment but a colleague of mine suggested cushions with our faces on.

Variations You’d Like To Do On Any Of Your Songs:

Jase: I’d love to do an orchestral version of “Never Far Apart”, it’s been on my mind for a while.

What Bands Have You Seen Live and Regretted:

Tommy: Papa Roach and Blink-182.

Jase: Disturbed. It was Rock am Ring 2016 and they played a covers medley mid set. James and I promptly went to the bar.

X-rays or any other treatments needed for band related in juries:

Jase: James ended up in A+E after a show in Leicester with a bad back. We had to adjust the rest of our tour to account for him not drumming!

You could have written any song in history, which would you pick:

Tommy: Heatmiser - Plainclothes Man. Absolute perfection!

Jase: Hey Jude - The Beatles. Best singalong of all time.

Zoo animal that best describes the personality of your band:

Jase: No idea. Maybe a monkey. They seem quite unpredictable.