Having beguiled us on their sprawling 2015 EP Gallows Humour, Rootwork make a welcome return with the release of EP Some Of Us May Never Bloom, out November 18th 2016 via Ubiquity Project Records.
Creating a sound that is as brutal as it is harmonic, Rootwork have embraced many of the elements of modern metal music perfectly taking the listener on a journey through metal, stoner rock, prog, post-hardcore and doom-pop over five faultlessly comprised songs. Rootwork immediately set their stall out on opening track ‘Trust’; hefty guitar riffs are intensified by pointed vocals, flawless harmonies and a booming, incessant drum beat. While ‘Ozymandias’ is like being lost in a sonic maze, riffs twisting and turning throughout, as Rootwork pulverise their way through just over six minutes worth of mesmerising melodies, before closing with a gorgeous dream-like outro. Intelligent, challenging, explosive yet intricate, and technically gifted, Rootwork are a band whose resonance should be felt throughout the alternative rock community much like contemporaries such as Baroness and Torche.
In this interview feature, we chat with Rootwork about the new project, influences, navigating the digital age and much more.
Full Q&A with links and a stream of their single Trust below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
Going deep with question #1? This interview is post-watershed!
We’ve always enjoyed music that’s usually darker in tone and on the heavier side of things. Also the pursuit of writing a song that doesn’t follow well-trodden ground, whether that be arrangement, or subject matter or anything really. For instance on our new EP ‘Some Of Us May Never Bloom’ we tried to write songs that were cohesive and exciting, but also avoiding the standard verse/chorus etc. template. It’s something we’ve done since we began but we’re always trying to refine it and make sure the songs don’t feel disjointed or boring. We want to take the listener on a journey from start to finish.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
Speaking personally, I’ve always had an attraction to music since an early age. I would become fixated on musical instruments I saw in shop windows or when someone was performing. I was taken to see River Dance when I was 6 or 7 and got in trouble because I kept watching the band on the side stage and not the actual show. I also started to notice that I listened to music differently to a lot of my friends, still at quite an early age. It’s always felt like a no-brainer to me in terms of the direction I wanted my life to take. As far as taking it out to the public, that’s what music is for!
There’s a slight contradiction with being an artist in that you create for yourself, but ultimately it means very little if you’re the only one who ever experiences it.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
Part of the reason we started the band is because we realised that there was a lot of cross over between the three of us in terms of our musical tastes. Bands like Radiohead, MUTEMATH, Muse, Mastodon, Reuben, Queens of the Stone Age, Idiot Pilot, to name a few. Outside of this we all like different things. I don’t think any of our musical tastes have changed drastically, but they’ve certainly expanded over time, we’re always searching for new music that excites us.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Lyrically, our music can be pretty bleak. Our first song, Wasteland was a kind of meta take on whether there was any point writing music at all, as the digital age means there is so much music everywhere, were we doing anything new? Did we deserve to rise above the mulch?
‘Some Of Us May Never Bloom’ is sometimes no less bleak, touching on topics like depression, distrust, and failure, but with this record there is a journey that ends in acceptance. The title refers to the idea that we may not all succeed and achieve our dreams, and that’s ok, but it’s always worth trying.
What was the last song you listened to?
Omen – TIGERCUB
I’m really looking forward to their debut album. I picked up their Repressed Semantics EP blind at a record fair from the Venn Records guys. It’s maybe the best surprise purchase I’ve ever made!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl! I’ve got a little collection. Most of my library is digital, but I like to buy my favourite albums on vinyl. I love everything about vinyl. Listening to a record is much more of an event. I can sit there with the artwork and the lyrics, check out the liner notes. It’s amazing.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Super boring answer, but I love them all for different things. Spotify is great for new music discovery, Apple Music is convenient because I’m a big Apple nerd, and I love Bandcamp for allowing me to give money directly to bands. If it integrated better with my iPhone, I’d probably buy all my music from Bandcamp.
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?
Attention is the biggest challenge. Thanks to the internet, everyone can look at pretty much whatever they want at any time. How do you convince someone to take a chance on something new? Especially when we are difficult by writing songs that average over 4 minutes in length!
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
Facebook is our digital home. We’ve got a site relaunch due within the month, which will be a nice way to find out what we are up to, and what other dark corners of the net we are hiding in, but until then come hang out at facebook.com/rootworkuk!
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
You’re our boy dog, don’t even trip.
