Portsmouth alt rock band Solve The Nodus talk about their new single, Demons and how music saved them.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR NEW SINGLE HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT THE SONGWRITING PROCESS?
The song came about as one practice our guitarist Ben came in and played the main riff and we were in awe so straight away we all freestyled on it and had a jam. It was super fun to play and vocally freestyle to so we made a song structure there and then and Dan freestyled and wrote his lyrics down. We then gigged with it the same week and people really enjoyed it so we did a quick cheap and easy recording of it and put a video to it with the help of facebook.com/Steve5by5photography which you can find here: https://steve5by5.com/video-work We then wanted to upload onto all streaming sites but felt it was lacking something so we took it into Ben's home studio a couple of weeks later and made it how you hear it today! https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/solvethenodus/demons
WHAT INSPIRED THE SINGLE?
Musically, Ben was going through a rough spot with his mental health at the time so he poured his passion and emotions into the track. Lyrically, Dan was slipping into bad habits and addictions at the time so he wrote the lyrics to remind himself that he’s stronger than that.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF BEING A BAND?
We went to do this separately but we all came out with the exact same haha There is so much to list, we are all very lucky to have met each other and have been in other bands that just didn’t click like we do. Apart from being able to say we’re a band that literally plays for the love of it, we have to say our FAVE part is our fans. How deep we can connect with them and change their moods. How we support each other on an emotional level and just how bloody amazing they are coming to our shows and streaming our music. It’s like a big supportive family and we are truly blessed and humbled!
WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCES?
See usually we would list bands here, but the further down the line we go we realise our influences are coming from home and our fans! We’d like to thank the following people - parents of the band members for coming to our shows and giving us feedback on how to improve, for them creating cool graphics for us in keeping with our music, for allowing us to make a lot of noise while practicing, for lending us equip and ideas while wanting no credit. We aspire to be like you, super supportive, kind and helpful Steve5by5photography for inspiring us to put on better shows with better lighting and interaction to improve our visuals and shows! Robbyn for coming to every show and taking pics and singing along for nothing but the love of the music and support of your friends. To our fans who sculpt our music and shows to help us progress and create a better show and record that we all love. Also for BELIEVING in us, because you make us believe too! From the bottom of our heart, thank you!
WHAT RECORD CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
This may sound Lame but “If I Could” it really concreted us as a band and gave us a good following! It opened so many doors for us! You can find it here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/solvethenodus/if-i-could
WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU DIDN'T MAKE MUSIC?
Dan: honestly I’d either be on a lot of drugs still numbing myself from life not knowing how to vent properly or I’d be dead! Ben: If it wasn't for music, I would most likely be doing something in IT as that is what I was good at... Until I picked up a guitar!
Luke: If I wasn't doing music, I'd honestly probably be dead. It's got me through the worst times of my life and it's the reason why I wake up everyday with a smile on my face.
Jordan: I probably would be doing something in IT as it's something I also enjoy from time to time.
WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECORD ONE OF YOUR SONGS, AND WHICH ONE?
Oooo it would have to be N O L L Y and our track “I just can’t be tied” which you can find here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/solvethenodus/i-just-cant-be-tied Although that being said! We are super excited about a track we plan to do with Ollie Robinson of Armistice Records! We are going and writing a song from scratch together and seeing what we can come up with in a days session! Music at its rawest and most passionate!
HOW DID YOU FORM THE BAND?
After several years of homelessness Daniel (Vocalist) found his happy ending, but it wasn’t to be! After a miscarriage his mental health deteriorated and he became homeless again and alone. He spent the last of his money on a guitar he saw in a shop window and learnt a couple of cover songs and started busking, he then started writing original music to help him vent that’s how the name came about “Solve The Nodus” means Solve The Intricate Problem. He recorded two songs and sent them to Ollie Robinson of Armistice Records who turned them into what you hear, he posted the songs and asked on Facebook if anyone would be interested in forming a band and he found Ben (guitarist) Jordan (Bassist) Luke (Drummer) we met up and from day one have been practicing twice a week and gigging several times a week most weeks!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANYONE STARTING OUT?
Always play like it’s your last time, give everything you have and remember we ALL get nervous! Courage isn’t being fearless, it’s being fearful and still doing it you’ve got this!
WHAT IS NEXT?
Where to start! We have a few singles coming out this year and a few eps of different styles! Live wise we improve our show every time so expect some big things from us this year! Last year was a trial and look what we did, this year we’re going balls out