“I feel like it’s a record people can really make their own minds up about.”

In a scene that continues to thrive and be overloaded by imitators, Boston Manor has continuously punched their way through to reach the peak of the UK’s pop-punk scene. However, with each passing EP, the North-West quintet have gradually moved away from what is stylistically expected from them. Their debut album, ‘Be Nothing’, serves as the next stage of their evolution by producing an admirable set of emotionally-charged songs that has the potential to break down barriers for five-piece collective.

“I don’t want to label the album as anything,” states guitarist Ash Wilson, “I feel like it’s a record people can really make their own minds up about. I don’t want to tell anyone how I think it sounds, but if people can connect with it, no matter what scene they’re in, that’s cool with me.”

While some bands struggle to fill the space a debut album has to offer, Boston Manor used it to their benefit. Having built a melancholic undertone on last year’s ‘Saudade’ EP, new cuts ‘Laika’ and ‘Cu’ are carried through with the band’s hearts on their sleeves.

“We’ve worked really hard leading up to this, so we’re looking forward to showing everyone what we’ve been doing,” explains Wilson, “I think it’s something that definitely progressed naturally. I think we’ve found our sound with this record and ‘Saudade’ was more of a stepping stone, so we could hint at what direction we were going in.”

As for the writing process, it’s no surprise Ash shares the sentiment of it being to the band’s benefit. “It was a lot of fun. With an album, you can really push the limits. We stepped out of our comfort zone for some songs, so that was an experience in itself. We’d quite often write full songs then scrap them and rebuild them over and over.”

It is no doubt ‘Be Nothing.’ is the culmination of a busy 18 months for the Blackpool-based group. Having joined acclaimed pop-punk and hardcore label Pure Noise Records, last year, they have continued to gather an abundance of touring experience by sharing the stage alongside the likes of Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! and Knuckle Puck. While the album’s release will be swiftly followed up by a second run supporting Moose Blood before heading to North American and their own UK headline tour in November. As Ash explains, their time on the road has assisted Boston Manor’s stylistic expansion.

“It’s given us a lot of time to experiment with our sound. We’ve had a lot of soundchecks where we’ll just jam riffs we think sound cool. A lot of the bands we’ve toured with have always talked about bands they’re into. I think that’s only expanded our taste, and in some ways, that has definitely influenced the record.”

As for being part of the Pure Noise Records family, Wilson and company don’t feel any pressure to match the consistency of quality the label has delivered in recent years. While, they admit being part of the label has exposed them to a wider audience beyond the UK. “I think without them we wouldn’t be quite where we are now. They’re good dudes and treat us right,” says Ash.

Now having reached the milestone of releasing an impressive debut in ‘Be Nothing.’, the future for Boston Manor looks bright. While it is all too easy to label bands as “ones to watch”, Boston Manor demonstrates great potential, both on record and on stage.

‘Be Nothing.’ by Boston Manor is released on September 30th on Pure Noise Records.

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Words by Sêan Reid (@SeanReid86)