After churning out a bold and explosive array of offerings these last few years, Newcastle-based outfit Ten Eighty Trees return once again with their anthemic new release 'The Incubator'.
Bringing back more of that raw and driven alt-rock sound they are known for, 'The Incubator' continues that broad and enigmatic direction they have cultivated for themselves. With its blistering hooks and vibrant energy throughout, this is one you will be rocking along to from start to finish.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and influences over the years
What was the first band or artist you fell in love with?
That would have to be Green Day. I still remember pooling my paper round money with my Dad to buy a copy of American Idiot when I was 13. Hearing the title track’s opening guitar on the drive back from the record store was like someone turning the lights on for me. Proper fresh and energetic like nothing I’d heard before. I would listen to it on repeat and learn it back to front on the guitar. It’s been a while since I revisited it but I can say with some certainty that I probably wouldn’t be playing music if it wasn’t for that record.
Did you ever form a band when you were younger and if so, what did they sound like?
Much like the first band I fell in love with haha. It sounded very much like Dookie/Insomnia era Green Day, just power chords and melodies. It was a magical time though and one I look back on fondly, writing our own music (even if it was a bit generic) and gigging for the first time. Everyday felt like a discovery as we learned how to write music and be in a band.
What has been your primary inspiration in writing music?
My primary inspiration is just to write a better song than the last one I wrote. It’s an insatiable hunger that normally kicks in soon after I’ve just finished a song I consider to be ‘the best thing I’ve ever written’. It’s that drive and sometimes slightly unhealthy perfectionism that keeps me going. It’s like chasing a high every time.
What is a song you wish you had written yourself?
Ain’t No Mountain by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell. That’s probably as close to the perfect song as I can think of. If Ten Eighty Trees had wrote it though we definitely would have ruined it with a big stupid riff and shouty vocals.
Which artist would you most love to share a stage with?
I’d love to gig alongside Turnstile. I saw them at Glastonbury this year and their energy was palpable. The crowd was just so amped it was a glorious, cathartic moment. We love gigging with bands like that as that is the energy we try to bring to our shows as well.
And is there an artist you would love to collaborate with as well?
I’m very content collaborating with Michael and Lewis in the Trees, but if I had to pick anyone I’d quite like to sit down with Dave Grohl just to pick his brain about songwriting and pretty much growing up in the industry. If we wrote a song while we were at it that would just be a bonus.
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Writing songs five times as good, gigging in venues five times as big, making five times as much Ten Eighty noise.
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Ten Eighty Trees' new single 'The Incubator' is available to stream now. Check it out below.