Right from the intriguing introduction of ‘My Boy William‘, it’s clear ‘Hope Is Just a State Of Mind‘ isn’t going to be an ordinary, run-of-the-mill affair.
Indeed, what entails is an album with a genuine capacity to affect its listener, even to change its listener. The delightful, polar opposite to so much of today’s disposable, tomorrow’s chip paper music, Little Comets‘ third album is deeply personal, socially aware, and built around a deep conscience.
For frontman Robert Coles though, it’s something much more straightforward.
“I think it really is just a collection of songs that were written after our second album was recorded and before we started thinking about a fourth album – it is that simple,” he tells Live4ever in an exclusive interview. “It sounds like it does because of situation and experience; it is the first album written by us when both me and Mickey have been parents, which I think has impacts on the themes and content of the songs – our emotional reactions to certain subjects have certainly altered, but also the process, having young children does impact on where and when you can work on an album, and therefore your connection to it.”
“A lot of the songs were conceived in Mickey’s garage which is a very homely and comfortable environment and I think that this definitely comes across in the music – it is less manic than certainly the first album and a little less eager to impress than the second album.”
“The songs are largely comfortable in themselves and quite confident – but not in an obvious look at me way, just under the radar confident, if that makes sense.”
“I think also, by album three we know a little more about the actual recording and how best to work which really helps. Also, without a label or a hit to live up to we don’t have the pressure of expectation or the need to shift a prescribed number of units to maintain profit margins or lifestyles – this helps us just write about whatever happens to fall out of our brains.”
“We are also very lucky to have loyal listeners, people who judge the music on the music, not on what they feel they should think about it. They are also people who have a real honesty – if they do not like something then they won’t listen to it (strange eh?) – which is fine with us.”
So it is that ‘My Boy William’ opens the album by inviting us into their home, sharing hopes and fears for the future of loved ones, while ‘The Blur, The Line and The Thickest Of Onions‘ closes by shining a light on the contradictions and shallowness of a music industry which the band has spent virtually its entire existence at odds with.
In between there’s hard-hitting current affairs affecting the songwriter, there’s nods to their own history, and above all throughout there’s irresistibly catchy, off-kilter melodies. ‘Hope Is Just a State Of Mind’ demands attention, provokes thought as well as entertainment. The kind of record which can, and has, inspired genuine devotion in all those switched on enough to buy it. What more do you need for an Album Of The Year?
“Music for us is quite a cathartic thing, a way of expressing ourselves both in melody and through the words we use,” Robert continues. “When we are writing and recording the song is the total concern, not what anybody might think. We put a great deal into the songs across the board – from the artwork to videos, to the production and content of each tune – both time and personally. We probably actually divulge more than we often should and this leaves us quite emotionally vulnerable.”
“The reasons we do this though are because we love it – we love music – not just our music but the totality of it. The transparency, detail and passion we pour into our own music reflects this I think. But that means that we obviously care what people think of it…But people is anybody – whether reviewer or casual listener. I can’t spend a year making something and then just expect to not feel anything when people offer opinions.”
“When we read any review (which we don’t actively search for, but it is impossible to avoid) it does effect you whether you like it or not – either immediately in your emotional reaction to the content or later on in your subconscious – where it WILL remain haha.”
“I think the content of the review does matter in the moment – if someone says something nice then you feel a bit happier, if someone says something nasty then you feel a little sad, how could you not? I only really don’t like reviews when they transcend opinion and begin to talk about the intentions and processes of the artist – assumptions that are passed off as facts, or reviews that are louder than the music.”
“Ultimately for us though, it is gone after the moment of hearing the opinion: I think we know what we are and we know what we can do, we also know our limitations. Having said that, I can’t control where the things I put into my mind might eventually end up.”
We say a big thanks to Little Comets, for producing such an important body of work and for helping to make 2015 another memorable one for us. Finally, what have they made of the year?
“Fairly lopsided – the beginning was manic as we had lots of gigs and the actual release of the album.” Robert concludes. “We did it ourselves so from posting to packing the albums, to sorting delivery, artwork etc. it was busy, followed by a headline tour and then a support tour with Catfish – by the end of March we were ready for a little break.”
“We got our first ever family holiday in the summer which was very special, but then we decided to change drummers and add a fifth member for Reading and Leeds which was needlessly stressful but has very much made everything a little more expansive live. Then the back end of the year has been quiet without a tour – me and Mickey are just demoing at the minute (something that we never do haha) before starting work on album four in January.”