British “pace punk” band Candy Unrest brilliantly illustrate life’s hectic and overwhelming nature of their music, sitting down with Atwood Journal to debate poetry, their ardour for uncooked, unfiltered expression, and their new single, “How Are You Feeling?”
“How Are You Feeling?” – Candy Unrest
Edgy and untamed, UK indie rock outfit Candy Unrest’s new single “How Are You Feeling?” is chaotic within the coolest sort of approach.
The tune’s thrashing drums, booming bass, and grungy guitars are additional energized by punchy, persistent vocals. Becoming seamlessly with the monitor’s sound, its message speaks to the disorderly mayhem of the fashionable world. This may be onerous for anybody to navigate, however it’s particularly difficult for these with ADHD and ASD. Issues can turn out to be irritating and complicated. “How Are You Feeling?” harps on that have which many can resonate with. The in-your-face launch additionally remarks on right now’s informal intercourse tradition and reluctance to cool down.
Launched January 16, 2025, “How Are You Feeling?” takes its viewers by a big selection of feelings – and we’re down for the wild experience. Boisterous and daring, Candy Unrest consists of lead vocalist Jack River, lead guitar Marlo Richards, drummer Dani Ali, and rhythm guitarist Tom Waller. Assembly in 2022, they immediately uncovered a transcendent musical synergy, pulling from poetry in addition to their very own lived experiences to create music that’s as mesmerizing as it’s invigorating. Earlier singles like “Peace of Thoughts” and “Falling For You” really showcase these qualities, whereas the band’s newest providing is extra upbeat and equally as compelling.
As a direct query, ‘How are you feeling?’ could be onerous to reply. Oftentimes conditions and feelings rapidly change, making it tough to gauge. Candy Unrest’s monitor encapsulates that ever-changing essence.
“If this tune had been a drug, it could be some sort of pace, which, by the way, will not be removed from the medicine many individuals, together with myself, take for ADHD,” Jack River reveals. “We want every kind of issues to manage in right now’s world, and for me, this tune is one in all them.”
Atwood Journal not too long ago spoke with River to debate the band’s formation, their musical inspirations, the “mad and vapid rollercoaster” of recent courting, and way more!
“Essentially, this band and what we are saying by it’s what we care most about in our lives,” he shares. “Any longer our mission is straightforward: To maintain constructing the band into one thing that may assist us financially, so it may possibly proceed to assist us spiritually, as a result of the reality is, we’d like it. It’s our hope we are able to entertain some others alongside the best way.”
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:: stream/buy How Are You Feeling? right here ::
:: join with Candy Unrest right here ::
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A CONVERSATION WITH SWEET UNREST
Atwood Journal: Candy Unrest is a cool title to your band. How did you provide you with that distinctive title?
Jack River: It’s from a Keats Poem, “Brilliant Star,” one in all my favorite poets. The road is:
Pillow’d upon my honest love’s ripening breast,
To really feel for ever its comfortable fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a candy unrest,
Nonetheless, nonetheless to listen to her tender-taken breath,
And so dwell ever – or else swoon to loss of life.
It additionally appears to sum up our sound fairly effectively. Plus, you’ve gotta have one thing distinctive, don’t you? Lately you’ll be able to actually see each band with the identical title whenever you search them on Spotify.
How was the band fashioned?
Jack River: I met Dan and Marlo on a musician’s app referred to as Vampr across the identical time in Spring 2022. We’d jam spherical my home loads and compulsively went round Marlo’s to document demos trigger he had some respectable mics. We had been all unemployed on the time, too, which helped. We began gigging, and I quickly realized that the extent to which I wished to writhe across the stage made enjoying the guitar tough, so we discovered Tom as a second guitarist just a few months later. We knew we had chemistry after a legendary and poorly attended ‘gig’ in a quiet pub in West London, the place we mainly simply jammed and slagged off the viewers as they heckled us. About 2 years and 6 bassists later, we ultimately discovered Leon by my girlfriend, who was eager to play bass with us completely. He clearly couldn’t imagine his luck trigger he instantly stop all the opposite bands he was in.
You possess a “pace punk” sound that’s rowdy and uncooked. How was your musical model conceived?
Jack River: Behind the bins of a Tesco, was over in about two minutes. The reality is, it was by no means one thing we sat down and consciously crafted. I suppose it’s one thing we’re all simply drawn to play and to jot down. Marlo and I knock out every kind of songs, and I suppose when one speaks to the entire band, that’s the one which finally ends up getting completed. The ‘pace punkiness’ of it’s only a operate of how enthused all of us are by a tune. Although we’re additionally eager on slower and sweeter numbers. Additionally, the chance to totally let go and writhe round in a match of insanity is tough to come back by lately, particularly if you happen to’re sober like me – however I feel it’s extremely good for us. I suppose in some methods, we’re attempting to create an expertise of whole joyous disregard – an surroundings the place we and the viewers can shake off these gremlins that spawn and suffocate us every day and, soaked in sweat and endorphins, re-emerge a extra lucid and peaceable human being.
“How Are You Feeling?” is an upbeat, addictive anthem that touches on plenty of necessary subjects. It narrates the craziness of right now’s world and navigating that with ADHD and ASD. It additionally explores simply how briskly issues can change. What impressed this intense rock monitor?
A number of issues. The refrain riff got here first, straight after I listened to ‘You’ve Obtained My Quantity (Why Don’t You Use it?) by the Undertones. This monitor owes loads to that one. I used to be additionally listening to Moist Leg on the time, and I used to be impressed by their playful perspective to jot down lyrics that had been simply silly and enjoyable. Imagine it or not, I feel the bassline for the verses was impressed by the bassline for ‘I Noticed Her Standing There,’ which was initially taken from Chuck Berry’s ‘I’m Speaking About You.’ The road “How are you feeling now” – I don’t know the place that got here from however I bear in mind it occurred quick. Typically that simply occurs, you’ll hear one thing and a phrase will pop into your thoughts that matches completely. In our expertise, the traces that come quickest are sometimes the most effective. When you begin attempting to craft one thing methodically, it’s not impressed anymore; you’ve unwoven the rainbow and no matter you’re making has misplaced its novelty and wonder.
One other part of the piece is the tradition of informal intercourse, particularly amongst metropolis life. Are you able to clarify this concept in additional element?
Jack River: I feel life in London (and doubtless different cities) could be a uniquely lonely and isolating expertise. I feel this creates plenty of signs in our lives, a lot of that are some sort of vying for the sense of affection and residential that we appear to have misplaced someplace alongside the best way. One among these signs, I feel, is courting apps and informal intercourse. We’ve all finished numerous that, and I reckon it’s in some sort of effort to search out connection, a proxy for actual love and belonging. It’s by no means sufficient, although.
I feel there’s positively a tradition of that lately, and we’re all left feeling emptier than after we began. It’s a mad and vapid rollercoaster, till in the future, you understand you’re “caught in your dressing robe,” and have achieved about as a lot as one may count on to in a dressing robe.
It’d be boring to be dressed on a regular basis although, wouldn’t it?
You started working with Louis Tomlinson’s producer, Luke Burgoyne. What was that collaboration like?
Jack River: Actually cool, I really went to high school with him. My college mate Fred who shot our Falling For You music video stated I ought to discuss to him. Luke really saved the monitor – it was our first time recording dwell and we mainly fully f*ed it up. It was recorded in an enormous room and the drums sounded terrible, the guitars had been simply DI’d. Our producer Harry did a superb job but it surely was our fault for speeding it. Luke labored his magic, we did some overdubs and it sounded sensible. Essentially, we’re eager to carry a contemporary sound to our music. For higher or worse, we really feel like you must lately to be taken severely. We by no means wish to be known as ‘nostalgia rock’. The problem now lies in how we incorporate our influences, incorporate trendy (bordering on pop) manufacturing, and proceed crafting an authentic sound and doing issues that haven’t been finished earlier than. As long as we hold the music from the center, I’m assured we are able to do that.
I perceive you guys are deep followers of poetry. How has that performed a task within the music you create?
Jack River: For us, poetry isn’t restricted to poems. It might probably additionally consult with the way you strategy your artwork and work together with it. Vulnerable to sounding too wanky, we wish to apply that very same sensitivity you discover in poetry to the music. There’s no motive why it shouldn’t be there. For us, that’s exactly what makes artwork nice, and that strategy will not be incompatible with an all out banger. Incorporating poetry into lyrics isn’t all the time a simple course of, we are able to generally really feel extra constrained by meter or syllables in a approach we wouldn’t with poetry. However that’s a cool problem. Additionally, it’s not like every thing needs to be doused in sprawling insights or flowery language. Typically, you must launch a tune like “How Are You Feeling?”, otherwise you’d simply find yourself to date up your personal arse you couldn’t inform it out of your elbow.
Your earlier launch “Falling for You” impressively hit #12 on the vinyl charts. What has led to your success and what recommendation are you able to present to different up and coming artists attempting to make their approach within the music scene?
Jack River: It was good to beat Sabrina Carpenter after these scathing remarks.
Kidding! I wouldn’t come to us for recommendation. Actually, the particular person to ask is Owen from No Distance Information. He put in numerous work to make that occur by way of promotion and every thing. No Distance is a fledgling document label, it’s Owen’s child, and he treats it as such. Falling For You / Peace of Thoughts was its first launch. Actually, success to us is simply to maintain writing higher tunes which might be extra honest and extra authentic, and resonate with extra individuals. From my perspective at the very least, we do all the opposite stuff simply so we’re extra capable of sit down and write. Nothing makes us happier than that. It’s the salve to every thing. If we’ve been feeling a bit off for just a few days, it’s often as a result of we haven’t been writing. For me at the very least, it’s the place I derive all of my self value. As you may think, that may be a double-edged sword, too.
What’s subsequent for Candy Unrest?
Jack River: Optimistically, we’ll be enjoying some festivals subsequent 12 months and SXSW Texas within the Spring. Over the following 12 months or two, the intention is to discover a label that cares in regards to the music, what we’re saying with it, and desires to assist us develop that. We additionally wish to proceed collaborating with proficient individuals like Luke who combined the document, as a result of getting that outdoors perspective and experience has been brilliantly refreshing (and flattering). We wish to proceed making extra bold music movies – we love all that.
Essentially, this band and what we are saying by it’s what we care most about in our lives. Any longer our mission is straightforward: To maintain constructing the band into one thing that may assist us financially, so it may possibly proceed to assist us spiritually, as a result of the reality is, we’d like it. It’s our hope we are able to entertain some others alongside the best way.
Who’re some artists in your present playlist you’ll be able to advocate to our readers?
Jack River: Been loving Wunderhorse, Black Bordello, Useless Freights, Candide, Secure at Any Pace, Vieira and the Silvers, and Laurie Wright has simply launched a killer album too.
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:: stream/buy How Are You Feeling? right here ::
:: join with Candy Unrest right here ::
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“How Are You Feeling?” – Candy Unrest
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