Three-piece band STREAMER defines an entirely new genre they call ‘indie trance’ by blending layered vocals, gripping guitar hooks, and riffs with dance and trance electronica. Their latest single ‘Possessify’ is about creative people slowly losing their souls to the daily grind, and their desire to escape to 'Feel Free, Fly High, don't get so ‘Possessified’.
We sat down with STREAMER to discuss his music and much more. Here is what he had to say:
Hey STREAMER, welcome to FLEX! How are you?
Just dandy thank you! Excited about the single and the forthcoming EP and getting more shows in the diary.
Congratulations on your brand-new single ‘Possessify’ - what inspired this particular song?
‘Possessify’ is a word conjured up by Tom’s daughter when she was trying to ask why people get so possessed/identified/defined by their work. Tom immediately wrote the word down and ran to his studio and this is what emerged a few hours later. Jez complained that it wasn’t proper English but his excitement was palpable. This song is about people losing their souls in the daily grind and the absolute need to ‘Feel Free, Fly High, don’t get so Possessified’.
And do you have to be in a certain mood to write?
No, not really, but I need a sense of time, of not thinking about what else I need to do or where else I need to be. In such a moment, I tend to start by going through voice memos and lyric notes, usually with a guitar and keyboard at hand. Things can then happen quite fast. I do love my studio - it’s a great space. At some point as a track develops, we will always lend an eye as to how we can perform a song, and the impact we would like to achieve with it, but only one eye because it’s super important to create and produce what you want as a band rather than try to please everyone you might never play to.
How was the recording and writing process?
It happened fast…three hours I think. But this was just the start. Once I had the basic track down, we gathered and listened together, sharing notes and ideas and the track matured from there. Clearly, there was repairing to do…ropey notes and background noises, my speciality much to Jez’s amusement! Anyway, we also try to pass all of our tracks through a filter of all the key elements it should have to make it STREAMERy, and fun live. This whole process is quite tricky given that, at the moment, two of us live in Scotland and one in Kent.
For viewers who don't know STREAMER, how would you describe your sound?
We struggle with this a bit, even coming up with our own suggested genre of Indie Trance. By this, we mean trance in its broadest sense, melodic and hypnotic with builds and releases and indie as it’s delivered with layers of guitars and drums over the electronica. The aim live is to deliver a set which runs continuously and is both anthemic and dancey, with hands in the air and singing. All are delivered in a massive soundscape with high production values.
And what are some of those activities that you engage yourself in when you aren't writing or recording in the studio?
No rest for the wicked! Jez and Tom have four kids each so that keeps them active and both have busy lives and have day jobs doing different things. Freddie is just graduating from University so that has kept him in his books for a while. All of us share a passion for the sea and being in or on the water - surfing (Freddie is an instructor), swimming, sailing and diving when the opportunity arises.