Q&A with The Backfires
The Backfires are a group of young, motivated, and talented musicians who refer to themselves as "a rock band from both sides of the Atlantic ". With half of their members being from the United Kingdom and the other half from the United States, they've encountered a handful of obstacles, such as attaining artist visas and a global pandemic. Despite this, the band's determination got them through, and now they are living together in New York City, pursuing their dreams of making it as a rock band. They just finished touring and have released their first single of the year, "Joyride", about their whirlwind journey of moving to NYC and making music.
Having moved to New York City only a year ago, Harry Ruprecht, Matt Walters, Alex Gomez, and Max Wanduragala currently reside in the West Village and enjoy exploring what the city offers. On a Saturday night, you can find the band at various hot spots around the East Village, like the Mercury Lounge, where they enjoy watching other live bands and feeling inspired by the area's rich history.
We chatted with Matt and Harry before their show at Baby's All Right. It was the first night of them performing their new single, "Joyride", since its release, and we were excited to talk to them about how they were feeling.
IndieWavves: Can you introduce yourselves, tell us your ages, and where you're from?
Matt: I'm Matt Walter. I'm 23, and I'm from Washington, D.C.
Harry: I'm Harry Ruprecht. I'm 24 and from Winchester in the South of England.
IW: As you guys were getting your start and finishing your first EP, 'Consider the Backfires', the pandemic hit and interrupted your plans. Can you speak to how that felt after finally coming together from different parts of the world only to have your momentum stopped by a global pandemic?
H: We were recording our debut EP, and the pandemic started happening when we were at the studio, and basically, right after we finished that, everything shut down. We got separated, and it wasn't until the beginning of last year that we were back together. I think it helped us in some ways because we didn't miss that because we couldn't get together anyway. Because Matt and I were studying in England and Alex was studying in America, so we couldn't play together. So we couldn't play shows, but no one else could either. So that was kind of the silver lining. But getting to finally be together has been amazing, and I think we've developed much more as a band this year than we ever have. It kind of feels like the band actually got going at the beginning of this year.
IW: How did you guys stay motivated during the pandemic, and how did you stay connected to each other?
H: We had just finished recording the EP and went into the pandemic with that. And we spent a lot of time mixing with producers, trying to make it sound as good as possible. And then, you know, we were willing to try and promote it in the best way possible.
M: I think just us already being in a mindset of sharing voice memos was super helpful because it wasn't something that was really new to us, and it was now all of a sudden, The META, it's like everyone has to do that. We were already doing it because we were already separated.
IW: Now that you've survived that setback, it must feel like you guys can conquer anything. Mainly because you've been met with much success touring around the U.S. and performing sold-out shows in NYC, Atlanta, and Charlotte. How did it feel to emerge from the pandemic and find such success? Was it a surprise?
M: I didn't think it was a surprise. We were really going to go for it, and Harry and Max are here on their Visas. So, now's the time. And we all really just love playing shows. If we can use that as a measure of our success, like counting the number of shows we're playing, we're just trying to do as many as possible. Whether it's on tour or here in New York, that's what we want to get out of it. Besides making records, that's the dream. We make records so that we can play live.
H: We are always trying to record new things that will improve our live shows. We've only just really got going into the new material from last year, and yesterday with "Joyride" was the first one. But it was written in 2022. It's the first one that was done before we started as a band in real life. And that's the direction we're sticking to.
IW: Is that the part of the process you guys enjoy the most, playing live?
M: The last show we did before the one at Baby's Alright was in London. We have a song called "Blindsided", and hearing people chant the lead guitar line that Harry was playing was pretty great because you always hear people really not relating with songs on a lyrical level, but knowing the identity of the song is like singing the melody back. It's just crazy. It's kind of like an oh shit moment.
Photo by Nicole Guillen
IW: Let's briefly discuss your new single, "Joyride". What inspired this song, and what does it mean to you to finally have this song out?
H: I think it's really great for all of us. It was the first thing we made when we all moved out to New York, one of the first things we did together. And it was like, oh shit, this is filling a room for a live venue in a way that we've never really achieved before. We've reworked a lot of our other work, and we know it sounds good live, but it was a turning point of, like, we should write songs like this that feel good to play live. But I think it was inspired by our move to New York, being in the band together, going out in the East Village, exploring, and experiencing the famous history of indie rock music in that area. Even when you go now, there are still bands every Friday night. Just spending so much time in that area and feeding off the other musicians is really amazing because, in London, where I've been before, the scene wasn't really there. Maybe there is one, but I have yet to find it.
M: I think the song is like a joyride kind of thing. There's a lot of energy going into it that is reflective of that excitement of trying something new. And then there's being thrown to the sea, like swimming in the concrete jungle. We're just trying to have as much fun as possible.
IW: You guys have an EP and a handful of singles out. Can we expect an album soon?
M: We have the tracks for it. I just think it's not like our current goal. We all, every single one of us in the band, judge other bands on their number of good albums. Collectively, we all really like Arctic Monkeys and their progression. In terms of an album to album, it's what we all gravitate towards because it's just like the eras of the band, and we're still so new to it. I think we need to solidify a group of 12 songs that really is more of an era than rushing straight into it and just putting 12 singles onto it on the record. That's how I feel about it.
IW: You mentioned Arctic Monkeys. Are there other artists and bands that inspire your sound?
M: At times, you can hear IDLES. I think our drummer really likes IDLES and the production of their drums specifically. Other big influences are Catfish and the Bottlemen and other stuff like The Smiths. The Cure, too, and a lot of British rock bands. Oasis as well; pop-rock, that's just cool.
IW: Do you guys have any pre-show rituals?
H: So we don't really do anything apart from getting riled and hitting each other a bit.
IW: You hit each other?
M: Like, you know, a tussle. Like when you're about to go play a sports match or something. We also say the words of the beginning of the "I am the Walrus" song by The Beatles. Together, which I now find spiritual.
IW: Haha, that's fantastic. Good luck with the show tonight! Any last thing you want people to know?
H: "Joyride" is out right now. It came out on the 21st of February, and it's available on streaming platforms. There will be a music video coming out in the near future, so stay tuned for that.
Written by Nicole Guillen
Cover photo by Lexi Yob