Deep Diving: The Snuts Interviewed

It’s as if Scottish indie rock band The Snuts have travelled in time. 

From an outsider perspective the past few years have shown an impressive run of form, and a prolific display. Album releases continued to land at regular intervals, live dates were in high demand and appearances at the best festivals were confirmed with tight precision. 

But while things looked glossy on the outside, the band were seeing cracks appear. Something was up, things just were not right and the Whitburn bred four-piece, who live in Glasgow, were not as happy as they knew they deserved to be.  

The music industries can seem a challenging space to navigate for artists. Even in a scenario where a deal with a reputable label is signed, it won’t always end up being this happy chapter in a success story. But the Snuts decided to act, it took one pivotal band meeting, and they understood that it was time to depart. 

As they get ready for the release of ‘Millennials’, their second studio album, songwriter, producer and frontman Jack Cochrane talks to Clash about doing things differently this time, creative freedom and health, Louis Tomlinson and how he wants to see changes for young bands and artists in Scotland. 

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The Snuts have tackled some big changes. How did the event of leaving the label transform things? 

Leaving the label was a conscious decision. We could tell at the start of the last year, that our vision and that of our previous record label was changing quite dramatically. It was a breaking point, and both parties knew that. For us it was about a need to be confident enough in our own ability, our own fan base that we’ve managed to build and have a leap of faith in the music we do it ourselves. 

This is the first record that started in Scotland, which seems strange to say. It was about trying to be present in that process of creation. Our last record was made in amongst this whole entirely different set of emotions, experiences and circumstances in the lockdown vibes. It was rebellious, everybody was pretty angry. 

In Scottish surroundings, different to previous recording locations and setups.

We headed up to the islands to get a ferry across to a small island, there wasn’t a shop, there wasn’t a pub on it, just an isolated, but also a homely environment for us,  it was the right freezing temperatures that we are used to. 

We wanted to make some music as friends. Previously we would worry if our streams took a dip, if people stopped caring, but there was none of that. It was just let’s go and make some music, it was freeing and you can hear that. 

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And this time you worked with Scott Anderson in the studio. 

We decided to work with Scott this time, as he already produces all our live shows. Scott and I decided we were going to produce this record and write it together, it’s the first time we had that control. We’re used to have an handpicked producer, a high flyer, a record exec, it was out of our comfort zone. 

The first song we wrote was ‘Gloria’. Once we had that song, we listened back to it, in a minimal studio, a minimal amount of ears, a minimum amount of opinion, just what we wanted to do. We had that song, we got excited by that process, excited by the freedom, which is a cliché, just pursuing music. We were craving that. 

The process sounds better, more to the point things were happening on the band’s terms.

The year started filling up quickly, we realised in February that we were going to be on tour for the whole year. We’ve started these sessions in a minimal fashion, it wasn’t a high flying studio environment, it wasn’t huge amounts of gear. We decided to  take this record on the road. Anytime that we weren’t playing shows, we’d record: in hotel rooms, on the back of vans, in the back of buses or on the plane. 

It was that hectic, rambling man energy of being on the road. Not sure how you’re feeling, where you need to be and how to get there. We recorded, wrote some songs in Japan, Australia and America. It just became this obsession that we would work on the road, and that’s why most of the songs are high in energy.

Was Scott Anderson’s involvement a way to connect with The Snuts’ free ways of working? 

It was finding someone who understood who we are. In the past we’ve been lucky to work with incredible producers, we’ve got to this point where we feel confident enough to have a stab at it. We wanted Scott in because he knows us, it can help alleviate that ice breaking period when you’re making music with people. We all have to find boundaries, understand how the other person works.

It’s a different, more organic process based on a great relationship.

Just having that friendship, that personal touch is great. Over the past two years we’ve always created the live show with Scott, he’s clever, musically intelligent and one of our best friends. We’re friends doing this, not thinking this is a person in a position of power, who has the label and the system at the back, with the pressures that come with that as a producer. He understood that we’re doing this together on an equal playing field, we want what’s best for the music.

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It’s the type of experience every band should have, just being with friends and making the best music.

That’s what was beautiful about it, just take it everywhere with us. We’re keen on being out of our comfort zone. We’re aware that it’s a privileged position to be in, to make music this way. What can we do to make sure we’re challenging ourselves? Scott was great for that. Especially in the writing stage for me, it was learning  a more direct way of writing, get myself to the point where people understand what I’m trying to say the first time. 

I’ve been guilty of that in the past, whether it’s a good or a bad thing, suffocate a line or lyric. With the writing of this record it was about saying something in a direct way, how can everybody understand what that song is about. It was difficult, but feels like a new skill. It’s almost riskier, because the more that you do that, the more you want to push yourself. People are terrified to go there, worried about their own vanity or integrity, it was exciting to dip a toe into it and be direct. 

Quality led pop music is no bad thing. How conscious was the move into pop?

It’s something that we intentionally wanted to do. As a guitar band we never tried to be cool, and we’ve never felt part of that indie sleazy world. Sometimes, if you’re a band with guitars and a drummer, if you come from a place like we come from, it’s easy for media to put you in this box with some bands you supposedly share a platform with. But for us it’s always been about making whatever music we’re making, we never felt we had to sound in a certain way or please a certain audience. 

We can see at our shows, it’s people from all over the place, all different backgrounds, all different ages. We never tried to make music for that reason, that’s probably why it’s a more general pop sound, it was exciting to us, it was different from the last record. The next one will be something else entirely, and it could be anything. I guarantee you it will be.

You spoke about writing while being on tour, for many bands that often represents a genuine struggle. 

We’re quite obsessive, as is Scott. Being on tour is such a strange environment. I find the longer you are on tour, the more you have to find ways to combat the negative elements of what it’s like to be away all the time. Be from pillow to post, waking up in a new place, being worried about good and bad shows. There’s all these musky waters you find yourself in, making the music and writing on tour, a lot of artists find healing in that, in those reflective periods and emotions. 

I like the chaoticness of it. The pace of this record is upbeat, we couldn’t understand how the songs ended up as fast as they did, it must be the fastest music we’ve ever made. We were going at hundred miles an hour, we needed that to keep us awake, it’s given us something different to do, it gives people something different to come to see, a new show worth paying for. That’s always in the back of our minds, giving people something new worth paying for. We feel free.

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While it’s a notable range of influences, The Snuts come from a guitar music background.. There seems to be a need to be a rich, middle class kid to be in guitar band. Is this something you’ve experienced first-hand?  

It’s something we’ve become aware of, in the backstage area at the festivals, over the summer, you become surprised about how bands can carry themselves. I watched Ezra Collective when they won the Mercury Prize, I’ve seen them talk about how they exist, there are these clubs, these opportunities for the areas that they’re from, they’re far from that middle class. I’m always one for not complaining too much about a situation, but instead look at ways that you can actually change things. In Scotland especially, there’s absolutely nothing for young musicians coming out, unless you’re living in one of the two big cities. 

Starting your own record label is a really positive step in the right direction. 

That’s something that we hope to positively change with our own label, trying give people an opportunity to get into the right places and find themselves in happy, free comfortable spaces where they don’t feel the pressure of the clock, counting down for them. Guitar music does feel behind when it comes to the class issue, but there’s always a way to change it, and you’ve got to look towards that.

You moved to move to Glasgow from Whitburn, was it to feel closer to Scotland’s music community and scene?

There was always an element of that. We had a studio there for a bit. There was a feeling of not being connected to this inner circle of how you do this, how you become a band almost at that point. But personally it’s not something we were ever welcomed into, or maybe there’s not enough space. In Scotland especially, I’d love to see more encouragement for young bands and artists, especially the ones who don’t know anybody, there should still be space for them. 

The band collaborated with organisations like Scottish Refugee Council. 

We’re aware that it’s a massive privilege to do what we do, we get so much enjoyment from it, we get to affect people with our music, whether it’s on record or at shows. You’re always going to try to bring in as much. We worked with the Refugee Council over a few years, on a few different projects, some local ones from where we’re from. 

We’ve always been cautious, you’ve got to keep your head screwed on, the minute your head comes off, it’s all over. We want to make sure we’re making music, getting better and then try to hopefully make some space for some others to get on the stage.

Talking of being on stage. How close did you get close to Louis Tomlinson? 

We’ve done a support tour with Louis Tomlinson, we loved this opportunity. It really gave us a chance to get in front of people we wouldn’t necessarily be in front of in a live environment. It’s a different type of fan, our music translated well towards that. We’ve done tours with him over the past couple of years, we know him well. 

He comes up to Glasgow for his shows, and we’ll go and watch football. He’s a good guy. Quite private. It’s funny because he been in the pop world, but deep down his roots are in indie guitar music, that’s what he is making. He’s fun guy to be around, and for us it’s great to see how others do things. 

What did you take away after sharing stage and spending time with Tomlinson? 

There’s been a confidence shift in terms of being onstage that we picked up on tour. The idea of taking control, sometimes I felt like we were always trying to part of the crowd and never wanted to be the centre of the attention. So being in control, having a stage presence, being able a walk on and be confident enough to do what you are meant to do up there. Definitely learned lots, we got so much better after those tours. 

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A brilliant experience, and would be boring if you didn’t learn something new.

It’s just a constant. As long as we can feel progression and it being steady. Find a place where we’re having the freedom to keep changing, going back and picking things up. We put a lot of work into our live show, we’re doing things that people wouldn’t expect us to be doing now, which keeps us excited, as long as we keep ourselves excited. We’ve still got the same, huge ambitions that we’ve always had. 

Ultimately the decision, the experience of leaving the label must have been rewarding, after a while – professionally and personally. 

After leaving a label by choice we’re all about making sure that we feel healthy and happy, no matter where we’re going, it’s important that we’re getting there in a healthy way. When we’re putting music out we do it in the right way and the same for touring. Hopefully that’s where the longevity is in this career for us, not having anyone pushing on, and we can just do our thing. 

You will hear me bang on about that all the time, there are many changes that need to be made within the music industry, You see females coming out and talking about the way they’ve been treated, so much more needs to be done for artists. There’s more room for more consideration, respect from the industry as a whole.

Did things just continue to feel worse?

It was one meeting, we could feel it for a while with the last record, but we were this almost anti-establishment message that points through the record, you’re digging into some deep social issues. The other side of that was pushing; sell, sell, sell this album, sell it with everything you’ve got. We were not comfortable with that, our fans won’t be comfortable with that. 

There was a breakdown. It didn’t feel too scary, which you would expect it to have been, but it was probably the right time. Most bands do feel like that whether it’s the third album or fifth album, they’re always going to start feeling that way under that system, the system wasn’t really made for bands, that system was for superstars.

The friendship, the connection you have as a band, must be like glue..

There’s a lot of trust in the band with each other. It’s impossible to have everybody agreeing on every part of a song, there’s trust in the whole team. Much goes on around us, crew and management. They all do a good job in making sure that we’re in a healthy position and cannot be pushed by the industry to the point where mentally it’s just not a healthy place to be. We are lucky. 

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‘Millennials’ is out on February 23rd.

Words: Susan Hansen
Photography: Gary Williamson

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