With their latest EP, ‘Headway’, Manchester pop punks Not Today put a positive spin on young adulthood as they make the most of their situation. Songs such as ‘This Song Sounded Better In My Head’ and ‘Worth My Time’ sees the quintet firmly rooted in a favourable pop-punk mould; soaring choruses and energetic instrumentation.
To get a better idea of how Not Today came to be, we asked the five-piece to pick out five songs that have influenced them.
Four Year Strong – It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now
Alex (Hardiment – vocals): It’s really hard to pick a song that has inspired me but there is one that comes to mind, which is ‘It Must Really Suck to Be Four Year Strong Right Now’. That song was my first experience of heavier pop-punk as opposed to the borderline pop-rock stuff I loved (and still do, mind). The riff was immediately infectious and the gang vocals made me wonder where it’d been all my life. By the time the breakdown hit, I was hooked. I downloaded their entire back catalogue and haven’t looked back since!
blink-182 – Feeling This
Mitch (Cundale – guitar): It’s really difficult for me to choose just one song, but I’d have to say that ‘Feeling This’ by blink-182 is the song that’s had the most impact on my life so far. It takes me back to the summer of 2010 and being 16; having no cares in the world and hanging out with friends all summer. It’s the song that made me want to play in a band and it’ll always be my favourite song of all time.
Avenged Sevenfold – Bat Country
Sam (Lawson – guitar): Avenged Sevenfold, specifically the song ‘Bat Country’ from the album ‘City of Evil’. My GCSE music teacher was the most awful, worthless excuse of a teacher who absolutely crippled my enjoyment of music – I eventually quit the course to focus on Statistics coursework. I pretty much gave up on guitar until I watched a live video of this song and thought Synyster Gates looked like the coolest person in the world playing that guitar solo. Fast forward five years, I’m still playing Avenged Sevenfold riffs and leads every time I pick up my guitar with ‘Bat Country’ still being one of my favourites to play.
Fall Out Boy – Thriller
Kris (Fisk – bass): Fall Out Boy have probably been my biggest influence over the last 10 or so years, keeping me interested in pop punk, alt-rock and pop. The song ‘Thriller’ shows how a band can keep a pop punk identity even with a heavier track (as well as Jay-Z). They’re an example of a band who have grown and shifted their sound a lot, while still remaining relevant and enjoyable. They’re definitely a band I look up to even after their musical changes and it pretty much started for me with this song.
Green Day – American Idiot
Simon (Penhallow – drums): ‘American Idiot’ by Green Day had a massive impact on my music taste. This was the song that really got me listening to pop punk and opened the floodgates to so many other great artists. The drums in this track are so iconic and I’m pretty sure they got me interested in taking up the instrument in the first place. Appealing to the mainstream without completely abandoning your fanbase is a tricky line to walk, but with this record Green Day really smashed it.
‘Headway’ EP by Not Today is available now.
