But I used the instrument to create tones, moods and colouring, and that’s a challenge that I just love. 'Alf played some great guitar on the record so I could explore other areas that were maybe a little more out of the left field that weren't necessarily guitar-centric. That’s the way I hear music, and it’s what charges me: atmospheric sound-scaping, all these things. Has this project changed your approach to composition?Īlex: 'I think I’ve always been this guitar player. There’s so much of it - from pop, to industrial, to country - it covers everything and yet, it’s all connected.'Īlex, it’s quite a stylistic shift for you. We really can’t wait for the album to come out so people can really hear the diversity. 'So we’re so excited about the release of the album. Maiah: 'I would say it’s an interesting mixture of soothing, haunting and gritty.'Īlex: 'I would also add: atmospheric and poignant.'Īlex: 'It’s true and releasing these singles - you know, we put ‘Liar’ out a month ago and ‘Look Inside’ is out now - and talking to people who’ve listened to those two songs, they’ve already got an idea of what the whole album’s like. How would each of you sum-up the sound of Envy Of None? It seems like the album concept is dying out, and I think we really captured it on this record.' 'It has that intact unity that’s maybe lacking in some modern music because there’s so much focus on the single and single release. There is a sort of spongy cohesiveness about the production on the record - it sounds like all these songs are from the same record and by the same people. No one is any different from any one else in terms of this project. 'Part of it, I think, is that we really respect each other. The melodic content of her vocals was inspiring to me as a guitarist to work with and around. 'So when we worked on this project, I just heard so much, and I was quite inspired by Maiah’s approach to her vocals, primarily. I’m not a big modern music listener, and I don’t follow music in the way I once did, but I’m just a natural musician, so I’m always hearing music in my head. It’s quite unique actually, because there’s quite a gulf between our ages and the type of music we grew up with. Do you share much in the way of musical influences, or to what do you attribute this musical connection?Īlex: 'I don’t know. One of the things that’s striking about the record is that it has this totally cohesive sound and vibe - so much so that you could be forgiven for thinking you all grew up in the same neighbourhood, in the same scene, listening to the same bands. 'Then after a month or two, he called me one day and said, “I’ve showed these to my buddy Alex, and he wants to add some guitars to this.” And I guess the rest is history.' 'He sent me just a couple of little words and things and then just this empty music track, and I added lyrics and vocal melodies and sent it back. He sent me a lot of music he had been working on that didn’t have any lyrics yet, and the first one I chose was ‘Shadow’. We started off on just a couple of tracks. He mentioned some stuff he’d been working on and I offered to add vocals if he needed any. Maiah: 'Yeah, I got into contact with Andy through a song contest I won, and I had a mentorship Zoom call with him, and we started talking about music. Then it took on a much more serious tone.'

'A few months later he’d send another bit, and a piece here and there, and we just casually carried on that way until Maiah came into the picture. That’s all that he really wanted - there was no talk about a project or continuing. 'So he just sent me some stuff, and very casually, I just threw some guitars on just as a reference for him. We were bandmates on the same label and then he worked at our office for about 15 years. He was working on some musical ideas and we have a long relationship. Could you both tell us a little bit about how you got involved?Īlex: 'Andy got in touch with me about five or six years ago. This project has been cooking for a few years, and the circumstances of how it all came together are really interesting.

Envy of none