F.O.E.S. [Interview]
F.O.E.S. are a mix of Deftones, Karnivool, and Arcane Roots – and if that doesn’t sound like a sick combo to you, then go take a long hard look in the mirror and think about how badly society has failed you. F.O.E.S.’ new EP Antecedence is absolutely stunning – and with just less than a month to go before it’s out, TMMP got talking to guitarist Joe Danher about the new release, hunger, and hat disasters…
You’ve got a new EP, Antecedence, out on July 10. What’s the feeling in the F.O.E.S. camp right now?
We’ve been trying to find the right home for this record for over a year, so we’re really pleased to finally be putting it out via Crooked Noise. They’re five songs we’re all really proud of.
How did the band come to be?
James and I had played together for years, as had Chris and Josh. It was the dissolution of our two previous bands that freed us up to work on something together. Hilariously enough, the first discussion we had about it was so skeptical and half arsed, but everything just came together so well in that first rehearsal, we decided it was worth putting our full efforts into.
How would you describe your evolution from Ophir to Antecedence?
Ophir was very much us trying to find our sound, whereas Antecedence is a firmer realisation of that. We’re still very proud of our first EP, but there’s definitely a greater confidence in the songwriting and overall production on the new release.
What events inspired each of the tracks on Antecedence? Some of the lyrics are seriously intense…
There’s a lot of personal significance to Chris’s lyrics. Antecedence covers the ups and downs of friendships, illness, self importance. Plus in a metaphorical sense, there’s a lyrical theme of royalty throughout the whole record (Crown Antler, Rival Thrones, This Is Kingdom Come). We’ve enjoyed playing around with the different implications of that.
Do you have any musical/songwriting philosophies? If so, what are they?
We’ve always tended to write prog tunes with a pop sensibility. Does that make any sense?! I guess its a case of wanting to push ourselves as musicians and songwriters without that being at the expense of the listener – or coming across as too self indulgent.
Beyond the EP launch, what’s next?
We’re heading back into the studio very soon. Plus we’ve got some pretty cool shows coming up like Tech Fest, New Age Festival, and a tour with our mates in Bad Sign. It’s going to be an exciting few months.
What’s the most insane thing that’s ever happened at one of your live shows?
I got really hungry one song into a 45 minute set a while back. James’ hat fell off too. That was pretty harrowing.
What’s your biggest goal as a band?
Ultimately, we’d like to arrive at a point where the band is self sustaining. But as long as our music’s being enjoyed and we’re getting to play live shows to good people, we’re happy.
Links
Check out TMMP’s review of Antecedence here.
F.O.E.S. on Facebook and Twitter.
Crooked Noise official website.
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Image © Mark Forrer.