On the allegorical cover of his third studio album, “Ballad of a Bystander” (24), a young redhead contemplates herself exhibited in an art gallery, thus turning this contrasting image into a powerful and metaphorical message that perfectly defines the current situation of The Reytons.
Neighborhood band, self-made and without delusions of grandeur, that from the most humble self-publishing and the most honest customs has managed to make a place for itself in the independent spectrum of its country to position itself at number one on the lists.
Their sound could perfectly belong to the year they reference among their songs (“2006”), and as their own vocalist and leader, Jonny Yerrell, confesses to us, nostalgia is attached to their project as much as their desire to reclaim their Rotherham native or write real stories with human roots. Reasons why its impact, influence and reception have been so unanimous among lifelong rock and indie lovers.
You had just achieved a number one with your previous album, “What’s Rock and Roll?”. Did this put any kind of pressure when facing a new project?
Not at all, man. We did not feel any type of pressure at any time. If I’m honest, far from believing that we wouldn’t live up to our previous work, what this resounding success caused in the band was a shared feeling of wanting to try again as soon as possible. And well, we almost made it, in fact. It couldn’t be on this occasion, but that doesn’t mean that we are not satisfied with what we have achieved, of course. The good reception of “What’s Rock and Roll?” It developed a super positive energy in us and made us want to return to the studio as soon as possible to continue making music, instead of holding back or generating certain insecurities. At the end of the day, what we like to do is write music and we will continue to do so whether it is successful or not.
Regarding “Ballad of a Bystander”, once again you show off your identifying style and resort to a very striking and human cover.
Well, there is a lot of metaphor in the choice of that image, as I imagine you have noticed. At the end of the day, the real viewer in all our songs is me and that’s how I’ve felt in recent years, after the band’s success. We see a woman admiring herself in a museum, but the image of her in the present tense differs greatly from the one she admires. They belong to two different worlds. It is nothing more than a reflection on how we have felt personally after so many people from all over the planet decided to put the focus on our particular universe and made mere neighborhood kids worthy of being admired.
“I guess something common to all generations is believing that music will never be made as good as the one we listened to when we were young.”
As has become customary in your record, it is a very open way of telling the public about the vital moment in which you find yourself.
The thing is that all the members of The Reytons have already had parallel careers in other groups and we know well what it is to fight against expectations and against that driving force that inevitably leads you to end up becoming what you don’t want or what you want. others look for you. However, since we founded this band we were clear that the truth, being honest and showing ourselves as we are to the public was going to be entirely what defined us. More than chasing or doing everything possible to have a certain fan base, what we decided was to behave as we are, and it is the best idea we could have ever had. People come to our shows, listen to our albums, and understand what we are telling them because they are stories that they can connect with or feel represented, and that is what makes a band loved.
Furthermore, I get the feeling that in everything you do there is a very clear intention to put your hometown on the map, am I wrong?
You’re not wrong, no, and I’m very glad you brought this up. Our native Rotherham has always enjoyed very bad press. It’s an area shrouded in a lot of negativity for many reasons, you know. Unemployment, social conflicts, low income… It’s not that I did it in an exaggeratedly conscious way, but from the beginning I was clear that with the band I was going to try to contribute in some humble way to changing that, do you understand? That is why I try to offer a more positive and accurate vision of everything this city has, which of course is much more than what has always been seen or transmitted.
All of them are very personal stories, but “2006” makes me very curious, where I think you show your most nostalgic side.
You got me, yes. I’m quite nostalgic, I can’t deny it. 2006 is a very special year for me. Of course, I was involved in other projects, either with other bands or as a solo artist, and I remember perfectly what music made me feel in those days. It was a very special and free relationship I had with music at that time. I’m surprised that this song caught your attention too, because I consider it very personal, very mine, so to speak. Citing things that were special to me and in a very specific way.
Well, it is a very special year for many. Needless to say, it was the year Arctic Monkeys debuted.
Of course, yes, of course. I imagine that regardless of the part of the world from which we speak, we all agree that we carry deep within us the bands and musical styles that we discovered when we were young. Without disparaging the current music, I suppose that something common to all generations is believing that music as good as the one we listened to when we were young will never be made again.
I would also say that on this album we perceive your hip-hop influences more than ever, which pair very well with rock, as we see in “Not Today Mate.”
I’ve always adored hip-hop, and look, since you mentioned nostalgia before, I have to say that listening to hip-hop from the West Coast or the early countercultural movements in the United Kingdom is one of the things that inspires me the most when it comes to to create. Of course I was a big fan of indie and rock at that time. Like every other kid around here, I listened to the Arctic Monkeys or Reverend and the Makers, but hip-hop had a special place in my heart. In that same 2006 that we mentioned before, there was an emerging rap scene in the United Kingdom that was very good, and without a doubt it influenced me a lot in the way in which I now write songs, distribute the verses or develop my storytelling skills through Of letters. It is something that has always been part of my DNA and I would love to continue showing it in my work from now on.
David Watts, for his part, produces the album once again. What would you say it is about David that makes you trust him with your work?
Well, I would tell you that what it has is something that is closely related to the philosophy of the band we were talking about before. Although David has spectacular skills and is a highly trained professional, he is a very honest and humane guy. We have many things in common, from our sense of humor to a similar lifestyle. In fact, his studio is a few minutes from where I live. With this, what I am trying to say is that a symbiosis and trust has developed between us that I certainly don’t think I will find in other producers. I can come to the studio and honestly tell him that I don’t have anything done, and immediately he will know how to embrace the situation with understanding, inviting me to get to work, try things and work. Furthermore, we have experienced very intense moments together, such as the celebration of our first number one, which was also their first number one. I don’t know, if something works, why change it, right?
Nor do you abandon your crusade to continue self-publishing. Have you been tempted to delegate this work to a label after the success of your previous album?
Not at all, and much less now that the band is in such a good moment. Obviously, success brings with it a lot of work, which falls on a very small team of people. And yes, at the beginning of our career, and when we were not very sure if we were going to be able to manage all this, I confess that it crossed our minds to sign for a major label. You know, you’re a young artist and you think that everything has to go through a multinational to make money and all that. But over time you discover that it is a step that you can skip and that you can learn to do it as well as any other independently. Furthermore, it is great to see that all your work, from the lyrics, the covers or the video clips, bears your signature and that of your team, and that all the decisions rest with you without having to deal with counterproposals from anyone. Self-publishing is the most satisfying thing in the world and we wouldn’t change it for anything.
Let’s close the interview by mentioning that, along with the album, you also announced the biggest concert that your hometown will host in decades. How do you feel carrying this responsibility?
I must say that we have already given many other gigs that have been very big and significant for the band. Our time in Sheffield, without going any further, is an indelible milestone for us. But honestly, our next concert in Clifton Park on July 6 is something else. We feel a mix of responsibility, passion and excitement that no other show has awakened in us before. We had always wanted to do something like this and I am not exaggerating when I tell you that, regardless of what happens next, this concert is going to be our legacy. What we will leave to the world and what we will be remembered for. Oh, and you know something? A Spanish fan told me this summer in Benicàssim that he was going to come see us there, that despite having already seen us live at the festival we were at, he wanted to live the experience of seeing us play at a show of this kind and in our city. native. Frankly, it’s these kinds of things that make you understand that all this is worth it.