Youth in Revolt

Years ago, being young and talented was more than enough to pave a road to eternal happiness, wealth and good health. But alas, the world has changed and youth today are faced with more ruin than remedy.

Pulling inspiration from this destruction, UK’s itoldyouiwouldeatyou presents a musical repertoire full of gripping poetry atop opposing playful beats, creating a moving blend of indie-pop, punk, and emo.

ITYIWEY vocalist, Joey Ashworth, takes us through how they perfectly encapsulated the hopelessness-riddled angst that plagues youth today in their new EP, Get Terrified (April 20).

 

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SPF: Tell me about the history of the band. How did itoldyouiwouldeatyou come to be?
JA: I used to play Ollie [Greville, bass] tracks I’d written to try and get better at guitar – they’d tell me what sucked and what didn’t. Josh[See, guitar] was on board really soon after that because I am a terrible guitarist and I’ve been in bands with him since I was 13. The others we just sort of picked up along the way over the last three years. I think we properly became a ‘band’ when Sean [Westall, drums] and our former guitarist Lewis joined. We played our first full band show supporting The Xcerts at The West End Centre and it suddenly felt real.

SPF: Overall, you’ve created a really cool and nostalgic mix of 90s/2000s underground pop and emo. Can you tell me a bit about your musical inspirations?
JA: Oh they’re all over the place! One of the few artists I think we all agree on is Glassjaw, or early Fall Out Boy. Obviously we all went through our respective math-rock and metal phases too. Personally though, those bands are in the DNA but they don’t actively inform how we write. For me, I’m more likely to be thinking about what Kate Bush or Neil Young would do with a track than I am to think about American Football.

SPF: Can you tell me about the style of your new record, Get Terrified. It melds more moody-pop into the mix.
JA: So this is probably the technically-accomplished thing we’ve done, just in terms of how all the rhythms fit together. It’s certainly heavier, because I’m angrier. I’m playing a lot more with the heavy side of my voice and trying to push how high I can go, which is just a way of challenging myself personally. Someone said my screams on ‘Divine Violence’ sound like the guy in Enter Shikari. I don’t know if that’s supposed to be a complement? I am going to take it as one.

I’d say these songs were brought about by being part of the first generation that not only is pretty sure the world’s about to end, but is also ruthlessly committed to making it a better place.

SPF: It also has some really dark and candid commentary on society and what it’s like to be young and trying to change the world you live in. Can you talk a little more about what inspired it?
JA: It is hard to identify one particular breaking point because my generation, while relatively young, has already witnessed so many failures from such an early age. We are the only generation whose earliest memories of seeing the news were of 9/11 and people saying it was the end of the world. Then the credit crunch, then Snowden, then Chelsea Manning, and now possible nuclear catastrophe and Trump. We are one of the poorest generations the world has had since before World War Two, and people wonder why there is so much depression? It is incredible that we find the time to get mad about issues of gender, race, sexuality and class when we are being so comprehensively shafted – but that’s the point, isn’t it? When you are truly desperate you become clearer about what you really believe. So many of us have so little to lose, and that is a common identifier. I’d say these songs were brought about by being part of the first generation that not only is pretty sure the world’s about to end, but is also ruthlessly committed to making it a better place. In that I take immense pride.

SPF: The EP comes out on April 20. What’s the best way for fans to get a copy?
JA: From our merch store on bandcamp! We’ll be scanning the liner notes by hand late into the night when they arrive this week and shipping them out ourselves, hopefully all before tour starts (but there may be delays). We’re gonna include some little treats for people to say thanks too, and fingers crossed we’ll be able to include some stuff hinting at the next thing we do…

SPF: What do you have in the works for the rest of 2018?
JA: We are recording at the moment, and I am spending lots of time reading to perfect my lyrics. I think the next thing will be something like a love letter to Vladislav Surkov for being so good at manipulating me. But who knows, maybe just a heartbreak record.

 

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Grab a copy of Get Terrified through Bandcamp. Stay up-to-date with everything itoldyouiwouldeatyou through Facebook, Instagram and twitter.