Indie Duo | YARD ARMS | On Life in Lockdown & Their New EP| ‘Sanctuary Lines’

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With their EP release this month in June, the second single ‘These Four Walls’, the isolation anthem they never knew they had written, will be released on June 5th.

What began as a solo coastal writing trip in 2019 for lyricist and frontman Villeneuve, has now transformed into an indie instant classic that perfectly narrates the lockdown life we’ve been living in since March. Initially, the song was an avidly honest commentary of longing for the ‘honeymoon periods’ in life and dealing with the internal voices that keep us thinking the grass is always greener. The timely lyrical themes began to take on a whole new meaning as the world around us began to shut its doors due to the coronavirus. 

“Musically it’s reminiscent of mid-00s shimmering indie combined with more vehement emo instrumentation, think if Biffy started a supergroup with Interpol and Death Cab For Cutie", state the duo.”

The band never thought that they would be releasing their newest offering in the middle of a pandemic, however, it has put a meaningful new spin on things; this is summarised so acutely on the closing lyric, “when will we find our solace and our sanctuary lines?”

"Their gift for a fine tune remains undiminished" - BBC Introducing

"When we’re all free again, I’ll be jumping in my car, rolling the windows down, cranking the volume up and blasting this into the warm air like a wannabe badass. I would be that type of person for this song. It’s worth the potential ASBO." - Independent Music News

Q&A with YARD ARMS



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HOW DID YOU GET TOGETHER AS A DUO?

We met on a football pitch in 2004 and have been making music together since 2006. It’s a story you’ve heard a million times, I don’t think our intentions of creating a band differs much from your average teenager. It’s a tale old as time; wanting to escape the mundanity of day to day life, creating something that’s bigger than the both of us. It’s a need for interaction with people in ways that we struggle to in other dimensions. I (Noah), play guitar and sing live and record everything in the studio (apart from drums), Billy is the backbone on drums and when it comes to writing; it’s a different pattern every time.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW EP DUE FOR RELEASE IN JUNE SANCTUARY LINES? WHAT’S IT ABOUT, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING WITH IT?

Sanctuary Lines is an exploration of combating nostalgia in the modern age. I feel like the main themes that are prevalent in these songs are reflection, self-acceptance, existentialism, questions of mortality, human flaws, and uncertainty of the future.

YOUR NEW SINGLE ‘These Four Walls&#39’ THE UNINTENTIONAL LOCKDOWN ANTHEM, COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT THE TRACK?

Around this time last year, I took myself on a solo writing trip to the south coast of the country, what came out of that week were a few bits and pieces that eventually ended up on this record. These Four Walls pretty much fell out of me musically and lyrically within an hour, and it grew into something much bigger and better once I had tweaked it with Billy in the rehearsal room and Josh (our producer) in the studio. We recorded it in February before any coronavirus had seriously impacted the UK and lockdown wasn’t a thing. Fast forward, three months later, upon its release, it has gained a whole new meaning and feeling behind it. I think initially, the song stemmed from missing ‘the honeymoon period’ of a relationship, and struggling to accept or understand myself in times that follow that phase. Clearly, since we’ve all been isolating, this song now breathes new depths that we never imagined would have occurred; but we’re rolling with it, it would have felt wrong to hold it back any longer.

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WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE TRACK ON YOUR EP AND WHY?

It’s difficult to say at this stage, I think we’ve both had all four tracks as favorites at one point or another during the past year. Currently, I still think ‘Mantra’ is one of the best tracks we’ve put out to date, it felt really important to us as a new step forward musically and creatively, really putting a stamp on what we wanted this project to sound like.

HOW IS THE BAND FINDING LOCKDOWN DUE TO COVID-19?

Like everyone, there is pretty dynamic emotions day in and day out. I’d like to say there is a pro of having a lot of time to be creative, but unfortunately, it turns out being creative in a pandemic is not my strong suit.

YOU HAVE RECEIVED A LOT OF SUPPORT FROM THE LIKES OF BBC INTRODUCING AND NME WHAT IMPACT HAS THIS HAD?

The support we have received since putting out our first EP in Nov 2018 has been really humbling, it’s amazing to see so many independent and national outlets take time to review, interview, blog, post about us, play us on their radio shows, we are truly very appreciative. However, we try not to get too hung up on external validation, it seems like if we were using this as a crutch to motivate us, that not only would our creative output be pretty poor, but I think we would just become very vapid humans, very quickly.

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WHAT ARTISTS ARE YOUR MAJOR MUSICAL INFLUENCES, AND WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION?

We have a vast list of influences that are wide-ranging through many genres so it’s difficult to narrow down concisely. To list a few artists that were musically influential on this latest EP: Death Cab For Cutie, The Cure, INXS, Tears For Fears, American Football, Wild Pink, The Smiths, Peter Gabriel.

WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO TOUR WITH IF YOU HAD THE CHOICE OF ANY ARTIST/BAND CURRENTLY MAKING MUSIC?

The Rolling Stones

WHAT’S THE FIRST MUSIC YOU PURCHASED?

Noah: The Spice Girls – ‘Goodbye’ Billy: 3 for £5, Britney Spears – ‘Toxic’, Puretone – ‘Addicted to Bass’ & Limp Bizkit – ‘My Generation’.

HOW ARE YOU NAVIGATING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, WHICH HAS DRASTICALLY CHANGED WITH THE ADVENT OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND STREAMING?

We enjoy a challenge.

WHAT ARE THE BANDS GOALS, WHERE ARE YOU HEADED AFTER LOCKDOWN?

Straight back to the studio to write, record and rehearse for a tour and a big 2021.

WHAT QUESTION WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ASKED THAT NO ONE HAS ASKED YOU YET?

Do you even lift bro?

JOHN BURBIDGE