A Chat with Chris Buxton from The Covasettes (09.07.19)
The simple fact of the matter is that all of us at The Other Side Reviews love The Covasettes. We love their music, their live performances, and it’s been far too long since we last featured them. Fortunately, before we started feeling any withdrawal symptoms, the group released their debut EP It’s Always Sunny Above The Clouds at the beginning of July – our ears thank you, boys! Telling us all about their EP and finding balance in their lives, here is our chat with the charming vocalist, Chris Buxton.
OSR: Now, it’s been quite some time since we last featured The Covasettes – scandalous, I know. I think the last talk was about ‘Top Drawer’. What’s been happening with the band since then? Give me a summarised catch-up.
CB: We all moved in together in September and have been gigging pretty relentlessly since then. It’s been a year since ‘Top Drawer’ and it’s crazy to think how far we’ve come since then, and also how much that song has done for us. Oh, played at Leeds Arena too.
OSR: You just released your debut EP It’s Always Sunny Above The Clouds. What can you tell us about the EP?
CB: We were really keen to make something which had a really consistent flow to it – much like an album but on a smaller scale. So, we dabbled for months to find the winning formula and this was the end result. It’s just four relentless summer tunes with a twist. We always like to keep things interesting and I think that comes through in this EP.
OSR: What does the EP mean to each of you on a personal level?
CB: I think we’re all just really proud of it. It was ambitious for us because we don’t have management or record labels telling us how things should be done or the best way to do things, and we’ve never done a release this big before. It definitely tested us.
For me, I wanted to break the mould of dropping a single and waiting three months for the next; this was the perfect answer. It allowed us to put songs out that maybe wouldn’t be singles on their own, like ‘Fine Lines’ for example. It’s an easy listening album track so it sits really nicely at the end of the EP.
To answer the question, I’d say we all just see the EP with a sense of pride and a small degree of relief. We pulled it off (somehow) and most importantly, people seem to dig it.
OSR: What’s up with the Care Bears as album artwork? Is this just something fun you cooked up at the last minute, or do the Care Bears carry some nostalgia?
CB: It’s funny because they weren’t meant to be Care Bears but that’s how they’ve come out. We’ll just have to ride that legal battle when it comes to it.
I’d spoken to Carl Thompson (the guy that does our artwork) about having a theme which contrasts an innocent and immature side with a darker, mature side. This was the best way to arrive at that I think. On the face of it, it’s all very cute but actually, on a closer look, everything is going wrong for them. It’s all very self-destructive and in a roundabout way that really represents the songs on the EP. Some do have much darker/sad meanings but we hide them pretty well. I’ll write a happy song one day.
OSR: Which bear represents which band member?
CB: No comment; that’s for you to decide.
OSR: What was the most difficult part of making the EP?
CB: To be totally honest, I’d have to say it was staying motivated. We didn’t go into a studio, record it in a few days and leave the producer to do the work. We recorded the whole thing ourselves and it was Jamie who did all of the production.
So, between gigs, jobs and life we had to find the time to record. It took us a long time and it was an unreal amount of work. It kinda makes me chuckle because, in the end, it all fizzles down to thirteen minutes of noise; yet to me, I can hear hundreds of hours of graft. It definitely brings a smile to my face when I hear it.
This is all why we do what we do – we love it. None of us complained for one minute during the recording process because we understood the value of what we were doing, and we’re all proud of the results.
OSR: Do you become embarrassed easily, and if so, what is the most embarrassing part of being in a rock band?
CB: Not particularly, but there’s still time to ruin our careers.
OSR: From what I read it took approximately a year from conception to production for It’s Always Sunny Above The Clouds. What did you learn about yourself as a band during this period?
CB: That we write really, really good tunes.
OSR: How do you find a balance between music and your ‘normal life’?
CB: We don’t really. We try our best to balance both but it’s very tough and there’s always more that can be done within the band, so we’re constantly sacrificing more and more. We know that if we want to make it in this industry we have a short time frame to do it. We’ve put everything into music, and we have to hope and pray that those around us understand.
OSR: If you had to describe each band member with a single word, what would the words be?
CB: Matt Hewlett – ‘Grandad’. Jamie McIntyre – ‘Nocturnal’. Matt Buckley – ‘Neil’. I’d hate to think what they’d say about me. If I was to guess probably ‘good-looking’.
OSR: The British accent is often considered the ultimate – blame James Bond. Do you think your accents are sexy?
CB: *laughs* No, absolutely not. Jamie’s is pretty fit to be fair if you like the queen.
OSR: What about tattoos? All of you look like clean-cut guys, so it’s a little hard to imagine either of you under a needle. Do any of you have tattoos?
CB: Watch this space is all I’ll say. When ‘Top Drawer’ reaches a million that’s going straight on my forehead.
OSR: I saw growth in The Covasettes sound from when we first discovered you and this release. Do you think you’ve grown over the last year as musicians?
CB: Without a doubt; because we live together we live and breath this band every day. I see it in our music too. The songs we’re writing at the minute are so exciting, and we’re pushing the musical boat out more and more. Watch out for that.
OSR: You are all in your early twenties. Do you believe your age influences your writing and performances?
CB: Performances not so much, but writing for me definitely changes because you’re writing about different stuff. When I was 18 – 19 it was about girls and getting drunk, and now I’m 22 – 23 it’s all about girls and getting drunk. It’s odd how life changes you, I suppose.
OSR: What do you have planned for the rest of 2019?
CB: Once again we’re being stupidly ambitious but I can’t leak anything. Just wait and be surprised!
OSR: Thanks so much for speaking with me, Chris! We look forward to all your future musical endeavours.
CB: Thank you. Love you. Bye.
To enjoy more from The Covasettes, check out their official website, Facebook or Twitter. You can also read our previous interview with Chris here.
