Conor Adams of All Tvvins talks to Adam Lawler about genre-mashing and the value of pop music.
If only the name “Phoenix” wasn’t taken; because if rising from ashes was an instrument, All Tvvins would be virtuosos. Not that the ashes came from ruin. Instrumental three-piece Adebisi Shank ended on good terms, while Conor Adam’s Cast Of Cheers are still active, just on hiatus. Both bands have been successful and critically admired. So why the shiny rebirth?
“It’s just in mine and Lar’s nature,” says Conor Adams, who sounds knackered on the back of a performance at the Meteor Music Awards, sandwiched between dates supporting Kodaline on the European leg of their tour. “We’re always writing new music, and it’s always fun to jam with someone new. We didn’t even want to form a band at first. There wasn’t any intention; it just felt good.”
Feel-good is one way to describe the duo’s music. As evidenced by a stellar string of singles, from the nocturnally anthemic ‘Darkest Ocean’ to frenetic current single ‘Resurrect Me’, their style is accessible in a big way. Is “going pop” as much of a filthy phrase as it used to be?
“When we first got together we had these ten-minute long guitar jams, and they were making us a bit bored. We decided to explore other aspects of playing together. We decided ‘who cares?’ If the melodies are good, if it’s fun to play then… pop only means popular. It’s unashamed in its melody and lyrics. Even in how all the songs are three to four minutes long. We don’t do that on purpose, but a lot of times when we write a song it’s five or six minutes long and we go ‘you know what? There’s no need for that bit’. It kinda grates on you after a while, it’s nice to just put the meat in and kill the rice.”
As taken with the immediacy of pop as they are, the pair are taking their time with the album, although they’d like it to be out sooner rather than later. “We’re at the stage where we’re trying to finish it now. It’ll hopefully be out by summer. There’s no mad rush anyway, we haven’t felt the need to rush it. There’s no point if you’re not happy with it in the long-run.” Like the singles, an eclectic mix of styles is the order of the day. “There’s no formula we have to stick by. We can have a heavy song, a funky one, a mellow one, and they’d all fit together. When we write a song it could start on a little keyboard, or a guitar, but then it’s the modern production; there’s so much you can do, so many cool new sounds as well as sounds that haven’t been used for years. The same song could be a piano ballad or a crazy uptempo synth tune.”
Revival seems to be the prevailing trend in pop music at present. Whether it be the Daft Punk disco throwback of 2013 or the 80s synthpop stylings championed by Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen, sounds from the past are dominating the charts in a bigger way than ever. Is this a show of reverence for eras past, or emblematic of a lack of ideas in pop right now?
“I don’t know what my musical identity is, I guess that can only be seen from the outside. I just wanna write good songs.”
“You can’t come out and say ‘I’m a new artist with completely fresh, original ideas’, because you’re taking inspiration from everything you’ve listened to since the day you were born,” says Adams. “Synth-pop is making a comeback now probably because it’s been overlooked for enough time now that it sounds fresh again. In about five years I’d say it’s gonna be the grunge revival. I can’t wait for that one!” He laughs. “But it’s not like it’s rehashed in an unoriginal way, it’s a new modern take, which is cool because in thirty years time you get the recycling of that style again, so it’ll always evolve, which is totally cool. It’s what music’s been doing from the start. Someone grew up on a band or heard a riff and mimicked them in their own way and evolved. Other people mimic that person and evolve; it’s healthy.”
One has to have at least some reference points when they’re starting out. “Even if you’re aware of it or not, music is going into your subconscious; the radio, friends, TV, you can’t help it,” he says. “We don’t mind telling anyone who we’re influenced by, as long as the music’s cool and it’s not a blatant rip-off. I don’t know what my musical identity is. I guess that can only be seen from the outside. I just wanna write good songs.”
Genre-mashing seems to be standard for the Spotify generation, who have a wealth of the world’s best music at their fingertips. Gone are the days of genre rivalries replaced by a ‘music is music’ mentality. Adams thinks this is a healthy progression. “Music isn’t a competition anymore. It’s not one style versus another. It’s just like ‘cool, we can dip in and out of different styles’. I could listen to Kendrick Lamar and still listen to Smashing Pumpkins.”
Regardless of the band’s foray into pop and funk, there are some elements from their previous bands that Adams and Kaye can’t shake, for example. “Lar has a really unique guitar style. Whether it’s Adebisi or All Tvvins, it’s always unmistakably him playing. And I suppose I can’t change my voice too much, it is what it is. Also the energy. We both love high energy shows. It’s not a contrived thing, we can’t really say ‘it’s going to be so energetic’, it just happens.”
That energy in a band doesn’t materialise by chance – not unless there’s electricity between the members, and the dynamic between Kaye and Adams is incredible. On-stage, their chemistry is palpable, as if they were a musical match fated to meet. “Playing with Lar just felt natural. To be honest we were trying to do the opposite of our bands, and explore things that we wouldn’t have explored like pop-style riffs.”
A healthy relationship, rising fame, great tunes. With everything in place, what does Adams see in the future for All Tvvins? Do they have a goal? “World domination,” he immediately replies, before laughing. “Nah, we just wanna see where it goes, playing music as our job, to be able to tour because it’s our bread and butter. If we can continue to do that and continue to make music and reach audiences then that’d be amazing.”
New EP Unbelievable, featuring current single ‘Resurrect Me’, is out now.
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