Infectious from the off, “Morning Blue” instantly acquaints listeners old and new with the uptempo and elating verses of Giant Rooks — the genre-blending band who keep us grounded while pushing our hands aloft. Packed full of the band’s signature raspy vocals and compelling instrumentals, “Morning Blue” adds a swelling chorus to a narrative about the fleeting feelings of love — that can be squashed as quickly as they are ignited. Creating a melody that is almost impossible to get out of your head, the effort proves to be just as catchy as it is relatable.
Toeing the line between euphoria and melancholy, “Morning Blue” comes equipped with a spellbinding visual that displays the multifaceted emotions involved in love. Cutting to clips of a group jamming session to solo sombre monologues, Giant Rooks effortlessly demonstrate their ability to dig deep into real-life topics to unearth utterly stratospheric soundscapes.
To celebrate the release of the single – the band’s first since the successful drop of their debut album Rookery – we sat down with them to discuss their journey so far, the making of “Morning Blue” and the reason behind their explosive return.
To stream the single and for the full interview, head below now…
Hi guys, how are you doing? Where are we speaking to you from right now?
Fred: Hi! Thanks for having us. We‘re currently on tour in the UK and we just arrived in Brighton. It‘s a beautiful morning here and I just got back from a refreshing swim in the sea.
First of all, how did you all meet and decide to form your band?
Finn: Fred and I are cousins and we had our first band when we were like eight years old. At 15 we started with this band project that would become Giant Rooks later on. We met Johnny, our piano player and Finn our drummer in high school. Luca was a mutual friend. Since we are all from this smaller town in the western part of Germany called Hamm, we were all very lucky that we found the right people for a band and that we found each other basically.
And the name Giant Rooks, how did you come up with that? Why do you think it represents you and your music?
Fred: We had our first gigs scheduled in our hometown and we just needed a name for them. We liked the sound of ‘Giant Rooks’ and that’s why we chose it. As for the meaning, I think you fill a band name with meaning. It’s constantly evolving, it’s everything that we’re experiencing as a band.
You’re pegged as an indie band! Talk to us about the genre and what indie music is to you!
Finn: Hmm, I’m not sure. We don’t really like to think in genres when it comes to our music. We love pop music, we love hip hop music, R&B and so much more. And we try to combine all these different influences.
Let’s talk “Morning Blue”. This is your first release since your extremely successful debut album! Why do you think this was the right follow-up track?
Fred: Since the release of Rookery we have written hundreds of songs trying to figure out what we wanted to do next. At some point we got lost in the woods, it was overwhelming because there are just so many possibilities, so many different possible directions. But when we came up with “Morning Blue” everything immediately felt right. We knew this song was special and we knew we wanted this to be our next single.
Talk us through its meaning, is there a particular message you want to send out to listeners through its lyrics and sound?
Finn: Take your time. Do things at your own pace. Don’t rush. At least that’s what we’ve tried to stick to over the last years and in the process of writing “Morning Blue”.
This release signals your return after a two-year hiatus! What did you all do in your breaks? Was music still the main focus or did you explore other avenues?
Fred: We worked on new music, we played socially distanced shows over here in Germany. We recorded the Rookery Live Tapes, which are re-imagined, more intimate versions of Rookery songs. So yeah, we kept ourselves quite busy and we didn’t really take a break at all.
Why have you decided to make your return now? And, should we expect anything different during this leg of your career?
Fred: We’ve been on tour for four months now and we’ve been playing “Morning Blue” live at our shows. It just felt like the right moment. We don’t want to do the same thing twice, so we’ll try to write an album that’s different to Rookery, but that’s still gonna be Giant Rooks.
What are you all most looking forward to this year? Are there any other projects we should know about?
Finn: I’m really looking forward to going back to the studio this autumn to record more music. We’ll also be playing another tour in North America this December which is gonna be cool.