Interview: Next Stop Atlanta

For rising Preston Pop-Rockers Next Stop Atlanta, 2012 has so far been another year of progression with the release of their second mini-album ‘The Things You Do Best’ and a brief summer UK tour, the quartet made up of vocalist Georgia Peters (vocals), guitarist Nik Taylor, bassist Blake Sale and drummer Ant Joy have continued to make a name for themselves throughout the UK and have benefited by working with independent labels Hang Tight Records and Pinky Swear. In addition the band released a video for a song called ’I’m Not Morrissey.’

Now Next Stop Atlanta have started writing their first full-length and with a release expected for 2013, don’t be surprised to hear more of this energetic four-piece over the next 12 months.

Already Heard caught up with vocalist Georgia Peters to discuss the reaction to ‘The Things You Do Best,’ working with Hang Tight Records and Pinky Swear, releasing the mini-album on cassette, the new album, ‘I’m Not Morrissey’ and more.

Already Heard: First of all who am I speaking to from the band and what do you do in Next Stop Atlanta?
Georgia Peters: Hello, this is Georgia. I am the vocalist of Next Stop Atlanta.

AH: For readers who are unfamiliar with you, can you tell us a bit about NSA?
Georgia: Sure. We formed the band around two and half years ago. Nik, Blake and Anthony started jamming together and told me they were looking for a singer. We had been friends for years and I was in Anthony’s class in college so I knew the guys and what I was letting myself in for! Nik came up with name and we all loved it, especially as it has reference to my name… Atlanta, Georgia, get it? The rest is history. We have recorded a debut EP and a follow up mini-album, toured the UK, supported the legendary Status Quo in front of eight thousand people and got ourselves on a couple of the music channels with our music video. Things are going swell, all the hard work pays off!

AH: Earlier this year you released your second mini-album ‘The Things You Do Best.’ How has the reaction been to the release?
Georgia: The reaction and feedback have been amazing. Our friends, fans and contemporaries have really taken to it. It seems to have really pumped everyone for the full length album that we will record next year.

AH: You released ‘The Things You Do Best’ on CD and tape through Hang Tight and Pinky Swear respectively. How did you team up with those labels?
Georgia: We can’t thank Hang Tight Records and Pinky Swear enough. Two professionally run UK indie labels with an incredible ethos and work ethic. We released our début EP with Hang Tight and have built a solid relationship with them. It seemed like a no brainer to team up with them on the ‘TTYDB’ release. We knew about Pinky Swear previously through other bands singing their praises. They release cassette tapes and vinyl and really emphasize the whole ‘it’s about the music/bands and not about making a quick buck’ vibe.

AH: With cassette release with Pinky Swear was the first time you’ve released anything on that format. What was the decision behind releasing something on cassette?
Georgia: Foremost we wanted to give as much option to our fans as possible. For us it highlights the old school and DIY policies of being a band. We are not trying to bring down or stand against the digital download format, we just wanted to remind people thats it’s a great, dare I say it, ‘quirky’ format to release onto. Our fans buy them to add to their NSA collection and that for us is amazing!

AH: Are you fans of the format?
Georgia: Totally. Its a nice touch to have on your merch stand or online store. We are proud of our music and essentially want to share it with as many people on as many formats as we can.

AH: Since the mini-album release, you’ve been writing new material for a full-length album. How far are you into the writing process?
Georgia: We have written half the album already. The song writing is developing and these tunes stand out as being our best to date. A lot of bands and artists write 25 plus songs for a full length release and pick out the best 10. We don’t do that. We write 10 songs, one after the other and they will be the album tracks. We just feel that is a more honest way to write and release music. It also pushes us to get the most out of our musicianship, writing and the songs as a whole.

AH: Musically how has the band developed on the new songs?
Georgia: The songs are fluid and more mature in sound. There is a definite progression from the last release. We have picked up from where we left off, only now we are writing with ease and really pushing ourselves to get the best out of each other. We get a buzz from writing, then hearing the feedback and reaction to the new songs when we play them live is so encouraging.

AH: Are there any particular new songs you’re looking forward to releasing?
Georgia: We have a song called ‘This House Is Clear’ and it is possibly our best and favourite song to date. Loads of energy and passion with a big chorus. What more could you ask for?!

AH: Any idea when we can expect to hear more about the full-length?
Georgia: We recently posted an acoustic version of a new song on Youtube (‘Closure’). So expect another one before the end of the year. We are in the planning stages right now, but want to keep everyone in the loop so keep checking back on our Facebook page for updates.

AH: Going back to ‘The Things You Do Best,’ you released a video for ‘I’m Not Morrissey.’ Am I right saying the song is inspired by being compared to a certain US female-fronted band?
Georgia: Exactly right. We really don’t mind the comparisons, it’s flattering for us, given the stage of our development. We see some people judging us and having conceptions of us trying to emulate Paramore because we have a female-fronted singer, without actually listening to our music. It doesn’t get us down, like I say its nice to be compared to. We want to encourage them to listen to our music little, then lumping us in the wannabe catagory will be a thing of the past.

AH: Are there any plans to release any more videos from the mini-album?
Georgia: Absolutely! We will shoot and release a video before the end of the year so keep a look out for that online and on Kerrang! tv.

AH: You’ve also toured a little bit this year. How have NSA’s live show developed in recent months?
Georgia: We are fully comfortable onstage and have a good dynamic. We aim to put on as good of a show as we can and always ensure that we and the audience have a blast. The set list is slick, tight, concise and we have developed an understanding of each other onstage. Its our favourite part of being in a band!

AH: Any plans to head back out on the road before the end of the year?
Georgia: Yes, we have a few things in the pipeline, but we can’t disclose at this stage. All I can say is we will definitely be heading back out on the road before the end of the year.

AH: Do you have any final words to close the interview?
Georgia: Thank you for reading this and checking us out.

‘The Things You Do Best’ by Next Stop Atlanta is available now through Hang Tight Records (CD), Pinky Swear (Cassette) and iTunes.