London (via Limerick) three-piece whenyoung has just shared their debut album Reasons to Dream and we couldn't be more excited. The album is a reflection of their move to London and the changes they've had to experience. To celebrate the release of the album, they take us through the story behind it.
Without our strong bond as friends from back home in Ireland, not only would we not have started this band, we wouldn't have come this far or probably even survived making an album. Being able to be honest and open with each other but also to have very similar tastes and vision for our music is integral to whenyoung. We're basically three telepaths.
Blood, sweat, tears
Each of these happened at some point during the recording process. Fingers bled on guitar strings, drum takes were a very sweaty process and well, tears happened at every point in between. We really invested ourselves fully in creating something that was a true representation of whenyoung. Us being able to really focus in on the songs and stress out over the most minute details definitely paid off when we had the chance to stand back and take it all in.
Eastcote Studios, Kensal Rise
This is where we recorded the bones of the album. It was such a relaxed environment and had an old world feel rather than being sterile and state of the art. Everything seems so long ago now, from the daily walk through Kensal Rise to the studio wrapped up in our coats, to eating lots of soup and swapping remedies to ward off the oncoming colds.
London
Our relationship with London has directly influenced most of the songs on the album. Moving to London and being outsiders and expats carried a certain amount of excitement, loneliness, exposure and inspiration in equal parts. The experiences we've shared and the people we've met have shaped us and our music.
Live shows
Having played most of our songs in a live context before recording our album, really helped us to develop and understand them before entering the studio. This made it so much easier to have a clearer idea in our heads when it came to putting down the tracks. Some songs like 'The Others' we'd been playing solidly for a year, so just having it really tight between the three of us made it less nerve-wracking!
Listen to Reasons to Dream by whenyoung below:
Follow whenyoung:
Check out 'The Others':
