Over three years in the making, the debut album from Aberdeen five piece The Deportees is now ready for release. The Birth of Industry is out on November 3rd (2017).
Intended to channel a sense of place, The Birth of Industry is heavily influenced by the unique terrain of the North East of Scotland. Conjuring images of pastoral beauty, in juxtaposition with stark industrial landscapes, it is an ambivalent love affair between five people and the place they call home. From the dark, melodic folk of ‘A Single Truth’ to the lilting instrumentation and soaring harmonies of ‘I Lost Her to the Sea’ and ‘The Woods’, the album is an eclectic collection of cinematic soundscapes, each fuelled by the sweeping baritone of frontman Diarmaid O’Gallagher.
In this interview spotlight, we chat with The Deportees about influences, the new project, challenges, staying the course and much more.
Full Q&A along with links and a stream of A Single Truth below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
We’ve described it in the past as returning to the music of our youth – back to a style of music we were all brought up on by our parents when we were barely able to walk and talk. We all splinter away from each other musically quite dramatically when we’re not in the room together, but folk music is the one that holds a place for all of us, keeps drawing us together.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
The band, the guys themselves is what keeps us in the room together, more so than anything else, keeps us wanting to do this. The music we’ve made together, and feeling a sense of pride for it makes us want to share it with people. Playing to people is some of the most fun you can have – we all love it, so getting the chance to do it keeps driving us to do it more.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
As a band we’re all big fans of a lot of British bands, from the likes of The Waterboys, Idlewild and Teenage Fanclub. But if you go further afield, I know there’s a lot of love for bands across the water, be it Wilco, Tom Petty, the National, The Decemberists or Arcade Fire. Whether we consciously take influence from them, I’m not sure, but it all definitely seeps into the bands consciousness.
My tastes have definitely changed over time – especially since getting together with the band. Standing apart from the rest of the guys I’m a big seventies pop guy. It was joining the band that got me into the folkier side of things, into bands like The Waterboys and The Decemberists. And it’s being in the band with these guys, all with very varied tastes, that’s got me into, and continues to get me into music I’d never have considered before.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Someone did the maths and it’s been something like 1200 odd days since we first went into the studio to record the new record. I think as those days went along it moved from ‘let’s create this record and share it because we think its great and people will like it’ to ‘please god, let’s get this record finished, let’s get it done, let’s let people hear it already’. Those 1200 odd days had some turbulent moments but I think now that we’ve done it, its helped reinvigorate the band as a whole. We listen to it now and think ‘yeah, we love this, that was worth doing, let’s let people hear it’. Hopefully, it’ll connect with people.
What was the last song you listened to?
‘I Wish I Was in New Orleans (In The Ninth Ward)’ by Tom Waits. I’d never really given him much of a go before, but I’ve fallen in love with him over the last few weeks. Ask me again at in a few days and it’ll likely still be Tom Waits. Or Steely Dan.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl. Over the last couple years I’ve well and truly succumbed to the cult. It makes listening to music a ritual, something you actually have to set aside time to do and engage in, and not just something that drowns out the noise on the bus. Granted, you can’t take vinyl on the bus, so MP3 comes a close second.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify if only because I’ve been using it so long now, I’m too invested to switch to something else.
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?
Risk and time. I think people don’t want to risk losing time to something, and not just music but anything considered creative. Whether its new music on the radio, or a play you’ve never heard of, or a book by an unknown author or an art installation, I think people have so little time they’re willing to give away. It’s not just about artists being a small drop in the big music pond, but fighting to be heard over everything. So you can only hope that someone hears you and connects with you and starts talking about you with enough passion to convince someone else to take a chance. Of course, there will always be people that take a risk, take a chance, and we love those people.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
We can be found at wearethedeportees.co.uk which points you in the right direction for everything you’d possibly need to know.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Check us out on Spotify (The Deportees) and our new single ‘A Single Truth’ and if you love it check out the new record ‘The Birth of Industry’ when its released on November 3rd.
