After a rollercoaster 18 months which has seen them release an album, an EP and suffer lineup changes, Corby, Northamptonshire alt metallers ACODA have returned with their second album. ‘Truth Seeker’, the quartet’s second full-length, is a more focused and concised effort but sees them as dynamic as ever. Songs like ‘Make It Up As You Go’ and “Round The Sun’ are sharp and full of confidence. Whereas moments such as ‘Talk It Out’ and ‘Just Another Day’ are simply compelling, both musically and lyrically. The final result is a band that sound refreshed and full of spirit.
To give you a hint of what ACODA and ‘Truth Seeker’ is all about, we’ve joined up with the bands label, Best Before Records, to offer the four piece’s recent single ‘Whispers Like Roars’ as a free download. The track displays the bands brash-yet-melodic style down to a tee. You can grab the track for free below.
Not only are we giving away a free song by the band, we also grabbed a few words from bassist/vocalist Stephen Crook to discuss ‘Truth Seeker’, using PledgeMusic and more.
AH: It seems like ‘Truth Seeker’ has been a long time coming. How does it feel to have the album nearly out there?
Stephen: It feels bloody brilliant to be able to share new music with the world. It may seem like a long time coming but for us the timing is perfect. We’ve had time to regroup, reflect and write a bunch of tunes that we’re proud of. Also, timewise, we will have released two albums and an EP in the space of 18 months…
AH: How has the band’s sound developed on ‘Truth Seeker’ compared to ‘Yours To Defend’?
Stephen: In hindsight, ‘YTD’ seems like a bit of a mixtape. ‘Truth Seeker’ is more concise and has more of an album "feel”.We’ve learnt to be more patient with our sound, rather than try and ram every idea into every song! I think it’s safe to say that we took more of a musical approach. We just wanted to write the best songs we could. All of my favourite records grabbed me by the balls, made me think AND made me want to sing & dance my tits off. That’s what we’ve tried to achieve with ‘Truth Seeker’.
AH: From hearing the record, it sounds like you took a more introspective approach when writing the album. Was that the case?
Stephen: I guess you could say that. Some of the lyrics are very inward looking. There’s a lot of musing and questioning on the record. It’s quite a personal account of a whole bunch of themes. Although it seems very personal, almost self-examining at times, it’s actually touching on things that are happening to lots of people all over the world.
AH: What’s the meaning behind the title ‘Truth Seeker’?
Stephen: The album title came about quite early on in the writing stage of the record. The songs lyrics and the albums overall theme was becoming apparent and ‘Truth Seeker’ just fit. It’s kind of a throwback to a lyric from a track of ours ‘Finding Your Feet’, which was the first thing we ever released back in 2010. It’s pretty self explanatory. The truth can be elusive, and it sure as hell isn’t going to seek YOU out.
AH: This is the first record with drummer Jay Russell. How has he fitted into the band?
Stephen: Jay has been a shiny ray of light on this band since he joined at the end of 2013. He was a close friend of ours before then so their was no real transition period, on a personal level, when he joined. We just got straight out and played a bunch of shows, before cracking straight on with writing new material. He’s an invaluable resource in terms of his songwriting/musicianship and he mixed and engineered ‘Truth Seeker’. Not only that, he’s bloody hilarious and a real positive influence on everyone around him.
AH: You used PledgeMusic to help fund the album. How did you find using the service? Do you think it breaks down the barrier between a band and its fans?
Stephen: I think it’s safe to say that in 2015, their are very few barriers between band and fan. You can find out what your favourite artist has had for breakfast every day, if you’re that way inclined. Having said that, I think the way PledgeMusic works is spot on. It makes it much more personal than a random tweet or similar. The people that support the record get everything first. They get to be close to the record AS it’s happening. The platform encouraged us as a band to think outside the box a little and create something really special for the people who directly support our music. Without them this album would probably still be in demo form on a laptop on Damon Tangs bedroom floor.
AH: In addition to using PledgeMusic, you decided to record and produce the album yourselves. How did you find that experience? Did it add any pressure to the making of the record?
Stephen: There was some pressure but I think we enjoyed the challenge. You obviously want to make your music sound as good as it can and there’s a lot of stuff that can go wrong in the studio if you aren’t organised. We can turn into a bunch of control freaks when it comes to production so to have the full control of the final sound was very empowering, as well as a little daunting. We were very lucky to have Jays Dad, Russ, step in and point us in the right direction on occasion too.
AH: Ahead of the album release, you’ve posted a track called ‘Whispers Like Roars’ online. What can you tell us about the track?
Stephen: ‘Whispers…’ is a straight up club banger (laughs). It’s a song about the internet and social media enabling people to make their ‘Whispers Sound Like Roars’. It’s one you can shake your hips to.
AH: You’ve recently finished a UK tour. How was it? What has the reaction been to the new songs?
Stephen: Our last tour was one of our favourite headline runs to date. We’re not the biggest of bands but we’ve been touring and building our ‘real world’ fan base over the past few years. That’s something that’s always been very important to us. What use are “likes” and “followers” if people don’t turn out to your shows!? That reaction to the new songs on that last headline run confirmed for us that we’re moving in the right direction, and that’s something we’d like to continue to build on with ‘Truth Seeker’ throughout the rest of 2015.
AH: Do you have any further plans to head out in the coming months?
Stephen: We’re planning our next adventure as we speak. Stay tuned!
AH: Finally why should Already Heard readers check out ‘Truth Seeker’ on March 30th?
Stephen: If you’ve read this far, you might as well give it a listen when it’s out. It’s much more interesting than me rambling on (laughs).
‘Truth Seeker’ by ACODA is released on 30th March on Best Before Records.
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Words by Sean Reid (@SeanReid86)