Q&A: The Electric Soft Parade

The Brothers White are back this month with new single Misunderstanding (released July 23rd) taken from their rather good new album No Need To Be Downhearted. They took time out to sit down and answer a few questions, taking in America, Throbbing Gristle and their apparent hatred for The Kooks along the way….

Playing together in both ESP and Brakes must get a little intense. How are things generally in the White camp? Any Gallagher-esque punch ups? Or is it all sweetness and light…
It’s all sweetness and light, sadly.

What made you return to ESP after the huge success with Brakes?
ESP was always a going concern. It didn’t really work like that. It was more just that we’d be shat out by the major label industry, and needed to pay the bills while we worked out a new Electric Soft Parade album and a label to put it out. We’ve actually played shows every year since 2001. People have shit attention spans, and i guess unless you’ve got the Kooks marketing budget behind you, it doesn’t really register with the majority of the public – what can i say? Sucky industry.

What were your influences on this album? It’s a little darker in feel than your previous releases.
Personally I think it’s far more ‘upbeat’ and ‘sunny’, or whatever other meaningless, redundant terms hacks use to describe our music, than our second record. Influences varied from Shostakovich to Throbbing Gristle to RTX to Elliott Smith to MF Doom.

Do you feel as though you’ve matured as songwriters?
I really don’t look at myself as a songwriter.

How does ESP go down in the USA, you’re currently touring there, are there many differences between the crowds?
They’re certainly not as passively cynical about us. Something that has gotten wearing to a point over here. In America there’s very little room for post-modern bullshit, or whatever you want to call it. People like things on a very understandable level, and generally have no time for clever-clever trendy English bullshit, which is why i think we go down well over there.

Tell us a little about the BMG situation. it must have been quite a stressful time…..
Sorry, but no.

Whats your favourite song to play live with ESP?
Everybody Wants.

Is there a band or artist that made you want to start writing songs and form a band? Or has it always been in your blood?
Super Furry Animals at the East Wing, Brighton, September 1997. I’d been playing music for well over five years by then though, so i don’t know if it counts. They still blew my face off though.

How do the two of you write songs? Does one of you write the melodies and the other the lyrics, or is a much more organic thing?
I write alone. No point diluting your vision when you’re at square one. Plenty of producers to do that for you along the way.

Name three artists currently on heavy rotation on your stereo.
RTX, The Aisler’s Set, Elliott Smith.

Whats your take on the current myspace phenomenon? Do you run your own page for example? Is it nice to have one to one contact with your fans?
Myspace is a very, very neccessary heap of turd, now owned by a very, very rich Australian heap of turd. Hasn’t gone well, has it?

After promotional duties for the album are done, whats next for you guys? More Brakes, a fourth ESP album or another project entirely? You seem to like keeping busy.
Stuff’s happening, but it’s at a very early stage. Perhaps a new ESP EP, possibly titled ‘Death Cab For ESP’, or ‘Cover It With Gas And Set It On Fire’. Whatever it is, it’s going to be heavy as fuck, with some downright wrong production. But don’t quote me on it.

Links:
The Electric Soft Parade [official site] [myspace]