Blank Atlas are the next alt-rock trio ready to release their new music. Just after the release of ‘Open Up’ and the announcement of new music, we got to chat to Blank Atlas about who they are and what is coming next!
Hey guys! Could you please introduce yourself, what you do in Blank Atlas and your biggest inspiration right now?
Dan: Hey! I sing and play guitar. Arcane Roots’ new album is awesome but there are a lot of small bands we play with that are soo good too, Trigger Thumb have just released an EP and it is a bit good…….(SICK)
Tom: Hey, I play drums and do some singing as well. Lots of stuff inspire me musically, but playing with talented musicians at every show keeps me on my toes and inspires me to get better. As Dan said, the new Arcane Roots album is extremely good and I particularly can’t wait for the new Press To MECO album as they never disappoint.
Chris: Hi, I play bass and do a bit of backing vocals. My biggest inspiration right now is whoever we play with live. I find myself watching the bands we support thinking ‘damn I wish i’d written a riff like that.’ Especially watching Donnie Willow and The Decoy recently, those boys have some spicy riffage.
Can you tell us about your roots as a band? How exactly did Blank Atlas come together?
Dan: Well me and Tom are twins and we met Chris in school. It’s been a long time! Me and Tom wanted to start a new band and we always thought he was a sick bass player. That was about 7 years ago now, the band has evolved a lot since then but it has always been us 3.
You are also planning a new release for 2018, do you feel you’re going to stick with the same process of recording as ‘Solitude’ or will there be some changes?
Tom: We actually already have the next release ready and recorded, we’re just waiting for the stars to align and then release it into the world. The recording process was a lot different than the last one for sure. Solitude was recorded in a high-end studio with a high-end producer and was super fun and exciting. But with this one we wanted to find a person that was enthusiastic enough about the band to spend time on it with us and make it perfect. We ended up recording with Simon Jackman and although we recorded it in his house/bedroom, (in our opinion) it sounds BANGIN and arguably better than the last release. So we can’t wait for you to listen to it.
But for the time being, we have made our song, Open Up available to stream (Which Simon also produced) so you have something to listen to for now while we prepare the next one 🙂
As for touring, you have some pretty interesting tour names such as ‘I Swear We Had More Dates Than This Guys’ and ‘Does Anybody Even Read This Bit Tour’. What made you decide to have different tour makes over more conventional names?
Chris: I think it’s just a bit more interesting than the usual tour names we used to have. Our first proper one was just called the ‘Solitude Tour’ and that was a bit boring. I really like naming things, I think you can add a lot to what you’re naming whether it be songs, albums or tours. I think with the tour names I just wanted to catch people’s eye and make them laugh.
Which tour/show and your name has been your favourite in your career so far?
Dan: The best tour was probably the Solitude tour because it was our first one for our Debut EP, the gigs were all sick and we met some great people on that one. Also our hometown show in Bristol was so sick on that run! It was the first headline so I didn’t know if anyone would come (they did)!
The best tour name has got to be the ‘I Swear We Had More Dates Than This Guys Tour’, We had quite a few dates cancel just before we announced it so the name was very appropriate.
Bands often have little little bickers and arguments from time to time, what’s the weirdest thing you guys have fought over?
Chris: Our first year of uni (late 2014/early 2015) was pretty turbulent for us. I didn’t cope with the stress well and as a result I became a pretty bitter and angry person. Our song ‘Lost at Sea’ is literally about me just being a dick all the time. Things are better now though, i’ve learned to love again!
For anyone who may not have heard of Blank Atlas, how would you describe yourself as a band?
Chris: We have influences from all over, pop music to metal, so i’d say we have a bit of something for everyone. Plenty of melody in our choruses (dare I say ‘catchy’!?) and lots of vocal harmonies but also plenty of riffs and techy mathy bits. Especially with the new material which is a fair bit heavier than the Solitude stuff, I think that has a good balance of the heavy and the catchy. For fans of everything from McFly to Meshuggah.
EUPHORIA OF BREAKDOWN 