Stay For
Tomorrow dives into their latest track, Villains, blending rebellious
energy, epic orchestration, and a darker theme. The band reflects on its
evolution, creative milestones, and exciting plans ahead.
1.
You’ve just released Villains, a track that explores the thrill of embracing a
darker side. What inspired this theme, and how did you approach capturing that
energy in the music and lyrics?
Joe: The song originated from lyrics I had written. I really wanted to lean in
on the “revenge” feeling and started to have fun with that mindset, which in
turn worked its way into the protagonist having fun embracing that darker
energy. I wanted the lyrics for the chorus to be simple, catchy and encapsulate
this ‘fun’ the villain is having:
“I can’t stop, no I can’t stop. To play the villains addictive!”
For the sound of the song it already had its ‘theme’ with the song revolving
around a ‘Villain’ of some kind; something wicked, something powerful,
something evil.
Over the years we have worked on adding more and more instruments to our music
and so we delved into to create an epic orchestral piece to tie in with this
villain we were creating. We wanted it to be the villains own theme song like
something from a movie - the music video for the song has an intro that really
steers in this direction and we are really proud of what we made.
2. Stay For Tomorrow has been gaining traction since your debut single Kings
and Queens. How would you say your sound has evolved since then, especially
with Villains?
Joe: As previously mentioned we have really progressed with adding more
production to our sound and adding more depth to our songs. We like to
experiment and add more and more to the tracks to enhance them further; whether
it be synths, strings, brass to balloon pops and storms!
3. Your music has resonated with fans of bands like Biffy Clyro, Foo
Fighters, and Velvet Revolver. What elements from these influences do you aim
to bring into your own music?
Joe: A scottish accent accompanied by an orchestra, epic rock songs and face
melting guitar solos.
4. Villains brings an intense, rebellious spirit. How did you experiment
with sounds or techniques in the studio to achieve this particular vibe?
Joe: The short answer is spending a lot of time. We strongly believe in not
being afraid to try new ideas and it boiled down to just seeing what would
stick with this “evil, villainous theme” in mind.
5. You’ve had the chance to perform at notable festivals like Winterstorm
and Butefest, as well as iconic venues in Scotland. What’s been one of the most
memorable live experiences for the band so far?
Nic: Possibly the night we got to open for Massive Wagons in Dunfermline. It
was the first time we had played a gig where there was a huge line of people
queuing up outside before the doors opened (so much so that some people that
came to see us missed half of our set).
The guys in Massive Wagons were also so nice, one of their guitarists Stevie
even bought our t-shirt and wore it on stage which was awesome and such a
lovely gesture of support.
6. Winning Best Music Video at the Lowlands Music Awards for Lipstick Lips
was a big accomplishment. How did that recognition impact the band and your
creative process moving forward?
Joe: Honestly it was really rewarding seeing our hard work not only being
noticed but also celebrated. Shout out to Neil McKenzie from Keep It Creative
for directing the video too!
Certainly something that has been added to the bands CV! It meant for us we had
the new bar for ourselves moving forward!
7. Having toured England and performed with acts like Inglorious and Massive
Wagons, how has touring influenced your approach to songwriting or performance?
Joe: Absolutely! Although our music falls under the “alt/rock” category we
certainly like to lean in different directions of that genre with our songs.
From playing shows and seeing so many bands we are constantly inspired. From
the Inglorious and Massive Wagons shows we talked about it as a group that we
should have a slower, “hard-rock” song that you can head-bang to from start to
finish which is what our song Crushing Down came to be.
8. Villains is a track that explores darker themes and energies. Are there
any specific challenges or surprises that came up during the writing or
recording process for this song?
Nic: I remember sitting one afternoon with Joe, working on the bridge section
just before the solo and going mad when it felt like none of the notes that the
lead guitar was playing went with the chords. It felt like we were both going
mad and that we literally had to force notes into the right place. Whatever we
did and however we got there, in the end it worked.
Another challenge that came up was that in the middle of recording and mixing
this track, our previous bassist Gabriel Almazan announced that he was having
to move away and would therefore need to leave the band. We originally started
writing this song when our original bassist Ollie Cobbett was in the band, so
the song has seen a lot of personnel changes.
We basically had the recording finished but then when Gemma joined the band, we
tore the song apart (again) and rewrote it with piano as a key part of the
track. We knew this song was going to be everyone's first introduction to Gemma
in the band and so wanted to do it with a bang and not just have her playing
some throw-away parts.
9. You re-recorded Kings and Queens in 2023 and released a compilation album
The Story So Far. What was it like revisiting older material, and how did it
feel to put together this retrospective?
Joe: When we were originally discussing the idea of a compilation album, Kings
and Queens really stuck out like a sore thumb. Over time we had discovered “our
sound” more and we had extra production for that track when playing it live. We
all wanted to have that version recorded but also at the quality of the rest of
our discography and so it seemed a no brainer to re-do it.
10. The lineup of Stay For Tomorrow includes some unique elements, like a
synth-bass and synth production by Nic and Gemma. How do you think this adds to
your signature sound, especially on a track like Villains?
Nic: A big development to our sound has been making things sound bigger and
grander. Metallica’s “S&M” album that they did with the San Francisco
Symphony Orchestra definitely inspired this approach to the way I write and
approach a recording.
Having Gemma in the band now on synth bass and piano removes barriers and
creates more possibilities for sounds and textures in our music. The piano can
span such a massive range and this changes up the way we approach guitar parts
as new and different pockets of space are available. This hopefully is leading
to us creating an even more unique sound.
11. You’ve described Villains as intoxicating, with a contagious rhythm and
a rebellious spirit. How do you hope listeners will connect with or interpret
the track’s message?
Nic: I think we all from time to time have that villainous voice in our head
that we usually keep locked away, so hopefully this track can act as some
little release for people.
I’m not saying go and be a horrible person but sometimes it’s healthy, in the
words of Zack Mooneyham from School of Rock, to tell those bullies to “Step
Off”!
12. What’s next for Stay For Tomorrow? Can fans expect more new music soon,
and do you have any upcoming shows or tours in the works?
Nic: Yes, yes and yes. More new music will be out at the start of 2025 along with a mini UK tour at the end of February. This will then be followed by regular releases throughout the year along with a performance at Bonfest 2025 in Scotland in May and hopefully many more festivals.
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