Something amazing is coming tomorrow. No, not the final of Celebrity Masterchef. Your new fave band, The Ninth Wave, are dropping their debut EP.
Founded by co-lead vocalists Elina and Haydn, the pair recruited Lewis and Louise while on the Glasgow gig scene, forming the unstoppable four-piece you see before you now. Now with their fierce songs (and even fiercer aesthetic), the group are set to take over the music scene with the release of their incredible EP.
Titled “Reformation”, it’s a four track masterpiece, full of brooding pop melodies and the piercing post-punk guitar hooks that have made them a must-see live act. With a central theme of light vs. dark, the EP is an exciting introduction to one of the most exciting bands on the scene at the moment.
We grabbed a chat with Elina and Haydn to find out more…
Hey guys. How are you doing?
Haydn: Yeah, we’re good. We’ve been writing a lot.
Elina: Yeah, and rehearsing a lot.
So to start, how did you all meet?
E: Me and Haydn met in uni and started playing together and gigging ever since. And now Louise and Lewis are part of the band as well and we all just came together through gigs and stuff in Glasgow.
And when you got together, did you kind of have the same idea of what you wanted your band to sound like?
E: Yeah. I think everyone’s individual style has shaped the style of the band to what it is now.
Do you have any main influences?
H: It’s all different for each member. I don’t really think we have one that we all like together…
E: I think we get a lot of influence from 80s bands like Interpol and The Cure and bands like that.
Your song “Reformation” is great. What was the inspiration behind that?
H: It’s one track off the EP and they all have a similar theme to them. The whole song, and the rest of the EP, is basically about wanting to be a better version of yourself and you know you need to do it but you actually, like, can’t do it.
E: It’s all about kind of self-destructive thoughts as well. I think all the songs came from having a time in your life when you can’t cope and you want to be someone else but you can’t. That’s pretty much it.
And what’s your creative process when it comes to writing?
H: It’ll all centre on one person’s demos and then we’ll play it live and that’s when everyone’s individual input comes in and the song can start off. By the time we play it live in the studio, its turned into a different thing. It’s one thing and then it’ll change by the end of it.
So the EP is out tomorrow! What can we expect from it? What are you most looking forward to people hearing on it?
E: I think personally the production because we got to work with Dan Austin who’s an amazing producer and he really shaped the sound as well. Like, you can really hear Dan’s production on the tracks.
Are you nervous about it coming out at all?
E: No, we’re excited. It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been sitting on the EP for a while. The first single was so well received that we just want to get the rest of them out and for people to hear them.
H: Yeah now we’ve basically got hundreds of new songs ready and every song we’ve written so far after our EP has just got better and better.
E: Yeah, I think we still really like the EP because it turned out so different to what we expected it to be like. We never had worked with a proper producer before and that really effected how the EP turned out. I don’t think any of us could’ve imagined how it would sound after the production. But yeah, it’s been a while and we’ve been writing so many new songs we’re just anxious to get it out so we can move on and get all these new songs recorded.
What’s the feeling that you want people to take away from it?
E: Just that this is us. It’s the first proper EP we have out so it’s a bit of an introduction to the band I think. The EP’s quite poppy but it’s got a really dark side to it. I think all the new songs are slightly darker so maybe just like the darkness of it.
I was able to catch you guys at The Old Blue Last a while back and you were incredible. What do you most enjoy about performing live?
H: Just performing at all, to be honest! It’s nice to make a cool show.
E: Yeah, it’s fun when it just gets really sweaty and you just know you’ve, like, given it your all. Yeah, it’s a good feeling.
Can you pick a favourite from the gigs you’ve played so far?
H: I think the ABC.
E: We played in the O2 ABC in Glasgow just before Christmas. It was rammed and it’s great to play a massive venue with loads of people.
What else have you got lined up for this year?
E: There’s gonna be a lot of recording, a lot of writing and loads of live shows. We’ve got a tour coming up in October, both in Scotland and England. And the EP! That’s the really exciting thing.
