The Narrows are a dark electro rock band from Manchester who on April 4 will launch their new single, ‘Initials MM’ (via Bandcamp) as a free download and also as part of a unique package for the tidy sum of £1.00!
This three piece (Dave Battle – Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Backing Vocals; Phil Drinkwater – Lead Vocals, Keyboards; Adam Hynes – Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Programming) have been described as ‘Manchester’s best dark alternative band’. This conspiratorially minded threesome, whose sound combines pulsating guitar riffs with a carefully underpinned electro subplot, all threaded together by sinuous drum loops and samples, layered with a mournful vocal, leaves the listener believing they have just been sucked into a world of scary woods and cabins by the lake.
Having recently returned from a headline show at Londons 02 Academy, the boys continue to wow audiences throughout the UK with their unique sound. We caught up with them to ask them about their new single and their plans for the future…
‘Initials M.M’ is being released as a free download, what was your thinking behind that?
More than anything, we want to build a fanbase. We want to get our music listened to and discovered by as many people as possible and releasing something for free seems the best way to do that, especially with the music industry undergoing such a radical transformation in terms of consumption. Having a free download puts the power in the hands of the listener, which is essential. To be honest, making money from the single isn’t our aim – our aim is to get people listening to and talking about The Narrows.
It is also available to download in a deluxe edition with artwork, photography and a music video for a pound. Is this the only way you can see the video or will it be going up on YouTube?
The video will be going up on YouTube a week before the release. The idea was to just offer a deluxe package for people who wanted to deepen and broaden the experience – which is what we wanted to do; create a mini experience, in audio-visual terms.
The downloadable components (via your Bandcamp) tells a story and provide pieces to the puzzle surrounding the death of Marilyn Monroe, where did that idea come from?
Conspiracy theories are something which have driven the content of several of our songs and ideas up to this point. As a band, we’re interested in actually saying something and exploring things that are darker and perhaps a little more away from the mainstream in terms of ideas. We’ve written about 9/11, Guantanamo Bay, the last election and now, about the possible murder of Marilyn Monroe. It’s something I’m particularly fascinated by – so the song explores the different elements surrounding it: the involvement of the FBI, the disappearance of her organs after the autopsy and the red diary she wrote everything in, including her conversations with the Kennedy’s about US foreign policy. The idea then to commission artwork, photography and a music video that explored these ideas further just seemed like something interesting, different and, hopefully, rewarding for everyone who chooses to download it.
Your debut EP ‘Through Constant Decay’ is also available in Piccadilly Records. I’m sure many bands would love to get support from their local store direct. How did you manage that?
We brazenly and audaciously marched into the shop like a bunch of fucking chancers and just asked. They said yes. This proved to us that one of the ways to succeed in this business is to be a cheeky bastard.
You’ve got a new album coming out later in the year what can we expect?
A development of the sound we established on the EP. It will be dark and sinister in places, driven through with enveloping synths and harsh, melodic guitars. We intend, again, to create something different, exciting and unique – to establish our own mini-universe – a haunting microcosm of everything that lurks under the surface. We want to release it properly, on vinyl with a sense of occasion which we hope it will be worthy of. Mainly, we just want it to be fucking top. That’s what we’re working on.
What is your hopes for the band for the rest of 2011?
Without wanting to sound like a bunch of knobs, we have pretty lofty ambitions. We want to continue gigging in Manchester and across the country where we can – developing the live show and getting people to see us. The album is obviously a main priority for us. Essentially, we want people to hear us, like us and pass it on. Then the real plans can start.
Finally, if you can, name one life-changing tune?
Phil: Joga by Bjork. As a teenager it shook me out of an indie-based stupour and made me realise the beauty of electronica and, in general, the possibilities of music. It was also the moment I fell hopelessly in love with Bjork.
Adam: Go With The Flow by Queens of The Stone Age. It made me realise that the music I write needed to be darker, weirder, heavier and more thoughtful.
Dave: She’s Leaving Home by The Beatles. It’s audio sunshine and candyfloss.
