Melodic alt rock trio MuddiBrooke have finally released their eagerly awaited five track debut EP Lunacy.
On the release of a debut there is almost certainly an atmosphere of anticipation, a level of hope and in the case of Muddibrooke the hope comes from the stories in the songs. By looking at the human condition, from an emotional perspective this gives us permission to move on; to move forward and hopefully never look back.
The songs and stories on Lunacy asks the question, "What does it feel like to be one of society’s rejects?" We all fall down from time to time and it’s important to pick ourselves up again. We must first own that rejection, accept it and then understand that it is fine to be your own true self. MuddiBrooke express themselves clearly by owning their past and the angst of identity and giving the message of self-acceptance, being your own person and to wear that proudly.
We had a chat with the band all about Lunacy, their creative process, what's coming up next for them and more. Read the Q&A below.
Hi guys! How are you? How have the last 18 months been for you as a band?
Brooke: "We're good thank you! The last 18 months have been... strange, as I'm sure it has been for many bands. But as we only formed in Jan 2020, lockdown came as a bit of a blow. But we soldiered through it and went online. For the short time we weren't locked down, we managed to get straight in the studio and record our first three singles. We're pleased to say that they we're really well received and helped us achieve worldwide airplay in the first few months of being together. Looking back, in a way, I think lockdown kind of helped us knuckle down and find our online presence first, instead of having a big gig rush and not finding much time to do it. So all-in-all, it has been a very up-and-down 18 months, but mostly good!"
For anyone reading this that may not be familiar with your music, please give us a bit of background on the band.
"We're classed as Alternative-Rock/Grunge and our influences include Pearl Jam, Garbage, Skunk Anansie, Nine Inch Nails, Alice in Chains, The Pretenders.. the list goes on!
Brooke: "Before we got together, I'd been a solo-acoustic artist playing in pubs/venues for about ten years. I decided I fancied a change and started the search for other female musicians that fancied starting up a 'grrrl' band! I posted in facebook groups and put posters up around Derby that said 'female drummer and bassist wanted' and that's when I found Anna. We had a jam and we just clicked straight away. Then, when I was on a night out at The Hairy Dog rock bar in Derby, I was talking to someone I know and told them I'm still looking for a girl drummer, which is when he then said 'What about Mary?' and pointed at this girl next to him. We'd all had a bit to drink but it was all sorted that night - she was in! We all had a jam together and it just felt right - not just the music, but we all have very similar personalities too."
You’ve just released your debut EP Lunacy. What can you tell us about it and what does it mean to you?
"Each track is based on true stories from personal experiences of each of us in the band and each track has a bit of craziness/'Lunacy' in them! The whole EP explores sad topics such as depression and defeating the entrapment of abusive relationships to the feeling of fun when exploring the world and experimenting with sexual freedom."
Please take us through your creative process. What do you love about it and what do you find the most challenging?
"Usually, one of us will show up at band rehearsal with a new riff idea or even just hum a new melody idea and it usually snowballs from there. Most of the time, we do like to start with a catchy chorus idea and then build around it. We've found our best songs have been written from start to finish within 30 mins; but sometimes we all hit a wall at the same time and inevitably can't carry on with that particular song that day. As they say, if you have to force it, it's probably shit.. haha. So we just shake ourselves up and rehearse the songs we already know and start a fresh when the next session comes."
Finally, what else is next for you? We see you have a few shows coming up.
"Yes, we're pleased to say we have quite a few shows booked now! We were worried as we were a new band, coming out of lockdown that we wouldn't get many gig offers. A few people said that venues will be wanting more cover bands instead as everything goes back to normal; so we were quite surprised at the amount of gig offers that came through to us. We did our first ever show in July at The Musician in Leicester; we were so nervous but we really enjoyed it. Since then, we've played in London, Derby, Worcester, Sheffield and Leicester (again) and feel as though we're really getting into the swing of it now. We are also currently building a UK tour and a Germany/Holland tour for next year and our debut album is already starting to take shape, which is exciting!"
