Holy Youth Movement’s Tom Newman discusses the band’s take on genre-mashing EDM-rock sounds

By Dom Smith
By Dom Smith April 16, 2024 Features, Interviews, News

We share a quick Q/A natter with Tom Newman from Holy Youth Movement, to talk about the band’s penchant for creating banging electro-rock, alongside the inspirations and ideas informing newer material.

S] Hi guys, how are you? 

Absolutely sensational to be honest…We’ve been working really hard writing and recording lots of new songs, so getting to release some of that new music is a really exciting moment for us…

It’s like baking a really delicious cake and now everyone gets to have a slice…Except the cake goes in your ears not your mouth…

Don’t put cake in your ears…Haha…

S] Talk me through working with Jagz Kooner, how was it? 

Getting the opportunity to work with Jagz Kooner has been a dream come true for us…

Having someone who shares our passion of electronica and rock n roll has been nothing short of magic…We’ve been huge fans of his work for many years from his production work with Primal Scream right up to now with his mixing mastery on the new Dandy Warhols record…He’s been an amazing guiding force for us musically and personally, long may it continue…

S] How are you looking forward to those upcoming shows? 

We spend every week in the studio experimenting and exploring sounds and ideas it’s become our natural habitat…But live is where we truly come…alive…

The energy and the atmosphere of playing live is second to none, we live for it. And when the audience get to know these new songs that energy is gonna multiply tenfold. Our home show at Strange Brew in Bristol in May is gonna be an electric night…

S] Talk me through developing ‘Shock Of The Future’ – some of the challenges, and best bits?

We wanted to create a stomping, pulsating  rock-rave that grooved and ripped like some lighting assisted steam roller. Once the groove was laid down I remember it coming together pretty quickly. It’s got one helluva guitar solo on it, one handed down from the rock gods. Blistering…

S] To what extent is that track a statement of intent for the future of the band? 

We wanted to smash our love of rock and electronica together to make something that’s so exciting you couldn’t help but move. What if The Stooges were produced by The Chemical Brothers…??

I think that’s been our intent for all the songs on this EP. The unifying euphoria of EDM with the relatable raw power of Rock n Roll. It’s melding all the things we love and hopefully you’ll get a sense of that when you listen or see us live…

S] What are the major challenges of taking your sound live?

Yea this is probably been the trickiest part of the process. Each one of us in the band is doing a multitude of things at the same time to try and recreate our recordings for a live setting. Everyone’s plate spinning and tap dancing  an array of synths, samples and sounds. It’s turning into quite the unique and formidable setup…

S] Is there anything I’ve missed that you’d like to plug before we finish? 

Everyone listen to our new single ‘The Shock Of The Future’ OUT NOW…! Also get down to our home show in Bristol at Strange Brew on the 2nd of May. It’s gonna be a phenomenal night of noise…

S] Thanks so much for the time!!

Thank you!!

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