Having spent the last few years dropping a broad and captivating array of indie-rock grooves, German outfit Well-Known Pix are back at it once again as they unveil their latest effort 'Shout'.
Channelling the smooth and intoxicating narrative-driven sound as acts like The Gaslight Anthem, 'Shout' makes for a wonderfully warm return for the group. Packed full of shimmering aesthetics, killer hooks, and singalong choruses aplenty, be sure to check these guys out before they explode on the scene.
So with the new single available now, we sat down with them to find out more about their background and what has inspired them most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you learned to play?
All four of us started playing our actual instruments relatively late. Only our drummer had a classical piano education. This makes him our most experienced instrumentalist. The three other band members all started to dedicate themselves to music when they were about 14 years old. Interestingly, our guitarist first started with the harmonica and our singer started with the bass-guitar, but quickly they lost interest in favour of the electric guitar.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Our interest in music really began with the Brit rock/indie wave of the 2000s. The first albums we bought ourselves all came from this genre. Very important names are Oasis, Mando Diao, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, The Hives and Bloc Party.
Did you ever form a band when you were younger and if so, what did they sound like?
Before "well-known pix", some of our band members were in another band. This band was formed when we were still at school and started as a mix of cover band and indie rock band. It wasn't until our bass player joined that we opened up to other genres like folk or blues and experimented with other types of music.
What is a song you wish you had written yourself?
This question is very difficult to answer as a band. If all four of us had to agree on one song, it would probably be "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen. A song full of energy, power and optimism. And everyone knows the distinguished synth riff.
What has been the most thrilling moment about creating your own music?
You can't boil it down to one moment. The situations that excite us the most are when you play a brand new song in front of an audience for the first time and wait for the feedback. The moment when you see if the applause continues or even stops is the essence of a musician’s work. Just like the evenings when the audience sings along with your songs at the top of their lungs.
And what about the most frustrating part?
Here we observe the trend of market behaviour increasingly driven by Spotify algorithms. It's nice that there is so much good music out there to listen to and find. Unfortunately, you get the feeling that you as a band no longer have any influence on whether you are heard. It seems to be more important to have clicks on Spotify than to make good music.
Which artist would you most love to share a stage with?
Boy & Bear from Australia.
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
We have been making music out of friendship and love for our craft for ten years. If there's one thing we can wish for, it's that in five years we'll still be making music together so often and with such pleasure.
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Well-Known Pix's new single 'Shout' is available to stream now. Check it out below.
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