Teesside outfit Mr Bigfoot’s long-awaited second EP, ‘Mr Bigfoot II’, is set for release on Friday 8th November. Lee Allcock caught up with frontman, Kie Davies, to discuss atmospheric soundscapes, politics and more.
You’ve described the new EP as having a delicate balance between atmospheric soundscapes and heavy fuzz riffs. How did you achieve this balance in the production process?
It includes dirty, horrible-sounding guitars and huge sparkly reverb. For the heavy fuzz, we took a page out of Butch Vig’s (Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins’ Producer) book and stacked guitars until we found the sound we wanted. Combine those elements with parallel compression drums and a decent bass fuzz and we have a very nice (vegan) beefy sound. When writing, we like the sections to stand out, so we like to dial it back in the verses with nice clean tones and huge reverbs and delays. The rhythm section carries here as they are the foundation of the track – the rest is just very spacey sprinkles.
Your single ‘Madman’s Window’ has received great feedback. What was your initial reaction to the positive reviews from critics and audiences alike?
Working on the track ourselves, we felt a sense of pride when it came to the feedback we received. This track was one of two mixes by Steven Bardgett (of Mouses fame) and we did not hesitate to send across all the feedback we received. It’s difficult to put yourself out there and it doesn’t always work out – but we’re glad it did this time. Hopefully, the other tracks on the EP will receive the same love that this track did.
The EP reflects the struggle of 20-something-year-olds in the current political climate. How did you channel these themes into your music and lyrics?
Each track deals with different elements of what we feel is the millennial struggle. The standout, we think, is the track ‘Wasted’. The lyrics were a collaboration between myself and my fiance, Liane Hall. ‘Wasted’ talks about the wasted potential of doing well in school and going on to higher education as many of us were told to do, only to come out the other side to realise that meritocracy is a lie: nobody is hiring and you’re going to live at your parent’s house forever, so you might as well get wasted. Other tracks on the EP deal with global warming and the frustration that the older generation in charge of fixing it doesn’t care, as they won’t be around to see the damage. We also have a track dealing with a sense of self and the expectations from society, as well as a track about the mind-numbingly dull horror that is working a job you hate and wasting your life away.
You’ve taken a DIY approach with this EP. What motivated this decision? And what challenges did you face in producing the EP independently?
Taking a DIY approach to the EP allows us to spend more time on each track to get them to how they sound in our head. We can take ownership of the songs and stand behind them. The biggest challenge faced with this is knowing when to stop. There must be a million mixes and remixes of all the songs. Even now, I can hear every mistake in every track and keep thinking: “I’d do this different, or that different.” It really holds true to the saying: a piece of work is never truly finished, it is merely abandoned.
Your live shows are known for being immersive and engaging. How does the live performance experience influence the way you approach recording and producing your music?
We approached the recording with simple guide tracks and got the drums down first, then we completely ignored any instances where the drums drifted out (within reason), then layered everything on top. This helped keep the human element of the music. If we’re going to time correct everything to be perfect, we might as well just program drums and save on mic setup. Luckily, Josh (drums) is a one take wonder at this kind of thing.
You can listen to ‘Mr Bigfoot II’ on all major streaming platforms from Friday 8th November.
