Beloved folk-rock wonders, Winterbourne, tackle new waters in their debut album 'Echo Of Youth'. Showcasing a beautifully transformed and reinvigorated sound, the musical works of James, Jordan & co. delight and entertain, engaging growing numbers of fans with their on-stage wit and impeccable songwriting skills. After a quick chat with the pair, it is clear to see that their heartwarming passion and love for music and their audiences is undeniable.
With a mind on your distinctive transition from the tender folk of All But The Sun, then to the more full-bodied Pendulum what can you tell us about your inspirations behind the words and sound of Echo of Youth?
We wanted Echo Of Youth to reflect the entire journey we’ve taken as a band to this point. Sonically, we wanted to achieve a sound that combined all the elements we love about music. That mindset let us be really free and playful with instrumentation and parts and things, while recording it live made sure things didn’t get too weird and experimental. In terms of lyrics had a lot going on for us both personally and as a band since our last release, so the album is a pretty broad spread of feelings and thoughts over the past 3 years.
Can you tell us a secret about the album or band? If not can you each tell us your favourite song on the album and why?
We both love the song Echo Of Youth. We named the album after this song for a reason, it’s kind of weird and different and there’s nothing else out there like it. The sound of that track perfectly sums up the record, and it’s just huge and soaring and wonderful.
With another tour coming in hot what new songs are you guys most excited to perform and why?
Probably the album opener Revolutionary, Man, and Echo Of Youth. Those songs are very closely related in our minds, and the whole time we were recording we were imagining how great it will be to play them live.
You recorded the album in Byron Bay and Gosford - do you think these were ideal locations for creating an album?
Absolutely! We were always a little reluctant to record in Byron Bay because it seems a little too surf-rock for us. But we quickly realised that recording an album in one of the most beautiful places in the world might not be such a bad thing... that studio really set us up to make this album, it absolutely wouldn’t be the same record if we hadn’t done it in Byron Bay. Also, we’ve recorded at least part of every one of our records to date at The Grove in Gosford, so we’ve got a nice relationship with that place.
Everywhere you go you guys seem to engage and resonate with fans on a really down-to-earth level - what do you love most about your Winterbourne fans and what might you say to any potential new fans?
I think our fans are awesome because they really seem to love the music. We’re not particularly hyped, or widely popular, so we can be pretty confident that the people who are listening to us are doing so because they genuinely want to. And that really comes through at shows, everyone who’s there really wants to be there.
I feel there are plenty of retro elements coming back around now. Why do you think physical copies of music like CDs and Vinyls are still important in the music industry?
I don’t think they’re important at all in the music industry these days, but they are extremely important to us when we’re listening to music. You just can’t get the same connection with a band or album if it’s streaming from inside a phone. We both fell in love with our favourite albums not just because of the songs but because of the entire experience of owning a piece of art. To each their own, obviously, but we will always buy the physical copies of albums we love, because they’re literally half the fun.
You’ve worked and toured with some great artists - who has been your highlight so far and what do you love most about touring?
It’s hard to say! Although, the Passenger tour in 2018 was pretty special. He’s a real touring veteran, so it was great to see how he does it. We love touring because it’s a nice reminder that our job is to write and play music, which is often easy to forget amidst all the other stuff going on. When we’re on tour, we have one job which is to play a great show, and that’s it.
Who/which band would be your dream collaboration on a record or on a tour?
The Beatles. It’d be really nice if those guys could reply to our emails and make an album with us, then tour the world with us. So we’re holding out for that.
What has been the most memorable or funny moment during recording or on tour to date?
The whole 10 days at Byron was some of the most fun we’ve ever had since we started playing music. We went with a bunch of our closest mates who also happen to be musical geniuses, and made an album together. It was extremely special and will be very hard to top.
What can fans expect on the Echo of Youth tour that might surprise them? (Will ‘The Actors’ be on the setlist?)
To be honest at this stage, we’re not even sure ourselves. We definitely want to have a bit more fun and shake things up on this tour, we just haven’t quite figured out how. And yes, it absolutely will be, we would be crazy not to play that masterpiece.
Check out our review of Winterbourne's debut album which we gave a rare 5 stars
Tickets for the live shows can be found here
