New York Pavements shine a light on World Mental Health Day with the release of their upcoming single Never Get The Better, out now.
Never Get The Better is about the pain and bitterness of losing your job and the effect it can have on your mental health. Released to coincide with World Mental Health Day on 10th October, the song is a key part of the forthcoming concept album and short film Outside The Glasshouse (from which the video is taken). The lead character Jack is tipped into confusion, his mind full of all the people in his life that he feels estranged from. It leads him to a very dark place. Influenced by the likes of The Kinks and Arctic Monkeys, Never Get The Better is oozing with sixties swagger from the offset, with Matt Bond’s distinctive vocal style complimenting the alt-rock soundscapes effortlessly.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with New York Pavements about the music, challenges, influences and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
I guess the style is a sort of evolution. This song Slam The Door and others on the album have developed over time, I always write chords-lyrics-melody as one and I’ll often have a distinct sound in my head that I’ll create in the demo. Initially it had a more Hendrix-Crosstown Traffic style, but listening back a few weeks later I became attracted to a more flowing rhythm. I was working with renowned drummer Smiley Barnard and asked if he could give it a James Brown – Funky Drummer feel and he leapt on it and it moved forward. Having written the bass line I gave it to Alasdair McLachlan who played it with a lot of extra feel.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
I guess it’s that feeling you get from hearing great music, the best music is inspiring and once you’ve played a few covers you think – could I get close to making something as good as these guys? And then you’re off on the never ending pursuit.
Although it’s always satisfying to record your own music it feels as though it doesn’t properly exist until it’s heard by strangers, so making it public and getting people’s reactions makes it truly worthwhile.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
So many influences, it might just be a feel or a riff – like with the Hendrix style but then I like developing songs and mixing it up. With songwriting I can’t help but default to the classic Lennon-McCartney format but once I’ve got that down I’ll then work on switching it up. There’s a track on the album – Blood – that was written strumming an acoustic but then I just listened to a load of FKA Twigs, cut the guitar, found a deep subby bass and a heavy loop and it was transformed.
Great guitar bands have always been a core influence like The Who, Small Faces, Police, Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys but there are so many other artists from Steely Dan to Earth Wind & Fire that feed into the mix. I like some of the contemporary pop artists like Billie Eilish (love Finneas’ production), Dua Lipa, Doja Cat along with Black Keys, Queens of the Stone Age. But I’m always listening out for new sounds especially ones that are challenging at first – I admire Sophie’s production, such a loss.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Absolutely. Slam The Door is the first track from a concept album that addresses the issues around mental health in middle aged men. The suicide rate is very high, it’s a big issue. By creating a character Jack and writing songs that tell his story I found it flowed very easily, it’s not autobiographical but I was in a dark place after losing my job a few years back so that, plus researching other men’s experiences all fed into it.
I also made a short film that will accompany the album that has already won awards which is good. The purpose of the album is to create a relatable story for people going through challenging times.
What was the last song you listened to?
Sweet Thing from Diamond Dogs. I’ve been reading Dylan Jones’ Bowie biography, and streaming odd tracks to fill the gaps of my knowledge.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I’m not a purist, I feel they each have their place. I’ll often try out an artist on Spotify and if I like them get a CD … unless there’s a great vinyl package. I’ve always hated the tiny size of CD artwork but I like the quality, as long as it’s been recorded with the warmth we all associate with analogue. I think there are a lot of myths around this, I once compared the Beatles’ Revolver on vinyl, on an 1980’s CD and a remastered CD. The vinyl was warm but lacked clarity, the 80’s CD was too cold and sharp but the remastered version had both clarity and that ‘warmth’. It’s all down to the engineers.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Well I’m so dialled into the Apple universe with hardware and apps that for once I chose to resist them and went for Spotify. Bandcamp always seemed too much of a closed circuit community for music.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
I get frustrated with the way the algorithms of Facebook and Instagram suppress your posts so that you have to pay to promote them just to reach your own followers. Plus the bizarrely complex way the back-end of their systems are designed, they don’t deserve to make so much money.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
Subscribing through the website www.newyorkpavements.com will connect you with everything that’s planned. There will be limited edition 7″ vinyl singles and the album will have a deluxe package with a book of photos, 12″ Vinyl and the film on DVD, so there’s a lot to come!
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
I’d like to thank you for being the torch bearer for new music and featuring NYP, it means a lot.
