Nothing But Thieves frontman Conor Mason takes singing seriously. He recently appeared on Today Radio to chat about the group's upcoming album.
In Sarah Tapp's Hangover interview with frontman Conor Mason of Nothing But Thieves, Conor talks about the band's soon-to-be-released album "Dead Club City", coming out July 7. Sarah and Conor cover numerous topics from performing across the world and Luxembourg, maintaining a distinct sound even with different influences, how it felt to have a "pandemic anthem," and the importance of music that both reflects the current state of the world while not dating it in the Today Radio interview.
Conor Mason has fond memories of playing in Luxembourg at the den Atelier, noting it is often difficult to remember anything about different cities and locations while touring globally. He said of the Atelier, "the crowd and the stage are one with each other, you really do get an intimate response," dismissing the idea that Luxembourg's crowds are more sedate than others. The crowd was great when he was last here, and he is looking forward to performing at the den Atelier again.
He admits this album is different from the rest of Nothing But Thieves' oeuvre, but then again, each album is different from the last. He describes the songwriting as a "sum of the music you're listening to at the time and the equipment you're using," when explaining the vintage synths used and R&B and Prince influenced vocals. This new record is produced by band mate and guitarist Dom Craik who is responsible, despite all the new influences, for keeping Nothing but Thieves sounding like Nothing But Thieves.
Besides Craik's masterful production, Mason has a distinct voice that makes anything he sings sound like Nothing But Thieves. He is obsessive with his voice and with singing in general, trying his best to convey every emotion felt when writing the song, stating "If I can't give my all every single time I sing than I get really depressed about it."
The new album, Dead Club City, is a concept album about a city sized members only club. The record began with the first single on the album, Welcome to the DCC, and is one of their more experimental tracks. The band members created this concept together and have integrated it into everything from their social media posts, to their merchandise, and album artwork. All in all, this has left some fans annoyed, fearing that the band has left their roots behind and become something else entirely. Mason is fine with making some fans angry saying he is pleased with the new album and likes every direction the band is going.
Mason also commented on the popularity of their hit song "Is Everybody Going Crazy?." It came out as the world went into lock down, and though it was initially written about Brexit, it became strangely prescient in the state of the pandemic world. Conor believes good song writing has be as emotionally honest as possible, reflecting current events, while not mentioning anything concrete enough to date the song to one specific moment.
Welcome to the DCC
To hear more from Conor Mason click here to find the whole interview or via the player below.
