Private World are a new band based out of Cardiff, Wales. They have just released their stunning debut EP ‘Passage’ via Burning Rose Records.
In a short space of time, they have established themselves as one of the most interesting bands in the Cardiff scene – blending gorgeous 80’s inspired, dreamlike new wave with sophisticated elements of early British post-punk music.
We caught up with the band to talk about how such a complete piece of work came together in such a short space of time:
Let’s start with a bit of background on Private World for those that aren’t aware of the band.
Harry: Private World formed pretty recently, and played our first show in November of 2017. We’re all from Cardiff and have been friends for a long time. We share the same outlook and passion for music, generally speaking, so coupled with our long term friendship, Private World was able to form fairly quickly. The band started after Tom and myself wrapped things up with a previous project. Around that time, Tom was living with our synth player, Luke. They listened to the same sort of stuff and were on the same level as far as musical tastes go. It just made sense to ask him to play synth in the band. Similarly, our bass player, Cam, was often at the house and was into the stuff we were working on, so it was a no brainer to ask him to join as well.
Let’s talk about your debut EP, “Passage” that has just dropped. Can you tell us about the process that lead to it’s creation?
Tom/Harry: Initially, we put out two singles that represented a far “poppier” or “middle of the road” vibe. Easy listening essentially. Whilst the singles did their job in terms of breaking the ice, Passage was an opportunity to demonstrate and exercise different types of songs with different sounds, production methods, approaches, feelings etc. For instance, we spent more time messing with synth sequencers, flanging effects, gated reverb etc, as a way to “push the boat out” and just generally put the songs on a different level to what we’d already written. Throughout the EP, the songs gradually evolve from dark to light, which was always the intention. We wanted to have a nice mix of different feelings and vibes throughout the release. We’d say that Passage essentially sets the precedent for future material. Burning Rose Records have been great to work with for this release. They’ve shown us massive support and allowed us to get our music out way beyond Cardiff. I’d say we’ve formed a very good working relationship with them, and we’ve learnt a lot as a result.I’m sure we’ll get to meet Burning Rose /Death Bells in the fairly near future.
What inspired you lyrically on “Passage”?
Tom: In amidst of the writing process I was inspired by an American poet, Adrienne Rich, as well as the songs of Scott Walker. Writing for this release was challenging due to the songs being quite busy. Despite this, the lyrical content and the general vibe of each song correspond with each other, and convey the messages intended. What really inspires me to write is a deadline. It’s easy to over analyse and spend too much time on certain things when there’s no solid time frame established. A deadline essentially prevents you from ‘beating around the bush’ too much.
What are your expectations or goals in terms of what you want to achieve with Private World?
Tom, Harry: We just want to keep releasing music constantly and forge an identity with our material whilst never being limited to specific sounds. We have a lot more in the works, which we’ve already started recording. We think it’s important to keep busy and keep momentum flowing. We’re always writing, and there’s already a backlog of songs and ideas to work on, so there’s no reason for us to not be keeping busy. We’d love to be able to take our music to as many places as possible, which is definitely a driving force.
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You’re based in Cardiff, Wales…How would you describe the DIY community in the city in 2018?
Tom, Harry: Cardiff is pretty diverse musically. There are a lot of different bands and artists constantly working on things. We’ve had a lot of support from a lot of people in Cardiff, which definitely helps when you’re starting up with a new project, and we’re truly thankful for it. For instance, we were asked to play with Drab Majesty before we’d properly gotten our feet off the floor as a band, and that show was very significant and memorable to us as individuals, and as a band. We’re very grateful for the support we’ve gotten so far. We think Cardiff has a lot to offer in terms of its grassroots and DIY approach to music and the arts. There’s a very hard working collective of people in Cardiff called ‘Hotel De Marl,’ who very frequently discuss ideas and plans for a DIY venue, and booking numerous shows. As a result, there are always great shows happening that you would never have expected to if it wasn’t for these people putting in the hard work and pulling bands into the city. From our perspective, and our experience, we’d say the city is thriving in terms of its DIY community at the moment.
What are your plans for Private World for the rest of 2018 and going into the new year?
Tom, Harry: We have many plans for the remainder of the year. We want to push the release of “Passage,” and continue work on our album whilst booking and playing more shows. We’ve been lucky to support some great musicians and artists in our first year as a band, and we’re looking to continue that momentum into the new year. We’re due to play alongside The Guests in October, as well as various other cool shows to close the year out. We’re also looking to start touring as soon as possible, and will likely get the wheels in motion very soon with a potential run of dates for January 2019!
‘Passage’ is available now from Burning Rose Records. Get it here.
You can stream it on Spotify here.
