What are your names?
Taylor Johnson
Lauren Johnson
Logan Johnson
Aaron Milligan
Luke Harris
What is the band’s name?
Brand New Friend
How did you come up with the band’s name?
There’s two reasons for this – it was a phrase I kept hearing around the time I (Taylor) started writing the first brand new friend songs. There’s a song by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions called Brand New Friend which my Dad loves, but there’s also a line in a song by The Mountain Goats called ‘The Fall Of The Star High School Running Back’ and he sings ‘By July you’d made a whole bunch of brand new friends’ and I love that band and I love that song.
What is your genre of music?
Indie-rock \m/
Give us a little bio about you.
We’re a five piece indie band from a little fishing village called Castlerock on the North Coast of Northern Ireland. We’re made up of three siblings and two mates who have known each other for a long, long time. We started playing gigs in the local pub, signed an indie record deal, toured across the the UK and Ireland, wrote our second album ‘Grandstand’ in a freezing cold warehouse and now we’re ready to bring it into the world on September 15th.
What made you go into music?
My Dad is obsessed with music, he bought me my first guitar, so I think it’s his fault. My Granda played guitar as well, he loved country music and that had a profound effect on me. It makes me feel close to my family, so I never want to stop doing it.
Who are your influences?
Musically it’s probably bands from that New York scene in 2001. The National, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I love Bright Eyes and Death Cab for Cutie as well, I think our new record is definitely inspired by America.
Are you signed?
‘Grandstand’ is being released via Third Bar and distributed by Virgin.
You released your new single ‘Talk It Out’, tell us more about the singles and the meaning behind the song.
My sister Lauren wrote ‘Talk It Out’, so I’m not entirely sure what she meant when she wrote it, but to me it’s about that one person in the world you trust above everyone else, and being prepared to wait for them no matter how long it takes. The next single is called ‘Stars Bleed’ and it’s about grief. Most of ‘Grandstand’ is about loss and grief, you’ll love it!
Describe each track in two words.
Talk It Out – Wanderlust, Hopeful
Stars Bleed – Gold, Soundz
What was the writing and recording process like?
It was class actually – we made the album in an extremely small studio in Belfast, which meant we had to do a lot of work with only two or three people at a time in the room maximum. That gave us the chance to work on our own parts individually with our producer, with no pressure from anyone else. We got to fully focus on small details, it made such a difference.
Who did you work with on the singles?
We made the whole album with Danny Morgan Ball, who is a brilliant producer based in Belfast. We loved working with him, Danny is as weird as we are and spent a good portion of our first recording days watching cursed TikToks.
Will we see visuals for ‘Talk It Out’, and if so what can we expect from the creative process?
We have a ‘visualiser’ on Youtube which doubles as a lyric video, but for this album we’re staying clear of traditional music videos. We are extremely proud of the artwork on this record and we think that speaks volumes for the work. Unless you have a huge budget, it’s difficult to get visuals right, so there was a lot more design which went into our vinyl production and the inside sleeve for the record. We feel ‘Grandstand’ is better represented by those elements.
Will we see an EP or Album and if so, what can we expect from the creative process?
Oh yes, Grandstand will be out on all digital platforms on 15th September and there will be vinyl copies available to order online or purchase at shows.
Do you have any live shows coming up?
We will be on tour throughout September, details to be announced!
What else can we expect in 2023?
We want to be back in the studio recording our third album, which is being written at the moment!
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Making more records, touring, hopefully taking our music to America and beyond.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
‘Please don’t say anything controversial on stage tonight mate’ – Our manager Davy
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
My guitar, a copy of ‘Match’ magazine, Elvis Presley funko-pop, a bottle of water (750 mils) and a signed photo of our manager Davy.
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Absolutely, it’s @brandnewfriendz on everything! TikTok and Instagram are our favourites though –
Instagram
TikTok
Twitter
