Essex, UK band the Bohicas have long been darlings of the British indie music press, but they’re getting ready to make their stateside debut with The Making Of, out August 21 on Domino Records, the label that’s home to other UK rock and rollers like Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. In their first American interview, we chat with the Bohicas about the Beatles, musical spontaneity and working with family.
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How long have you been writing songs?
About 10 years, I guess. I’m 26 now and started when I was about 16.
How did you get into songwriting?
I was copying my big brother. I wanted to be like him.
What’s your usual songwriting process?
I usually write at the piano. Music generally comes to me first. For me, that tends to be more fun than the lyric. Once I get the lyrics down, I’ll take it to the band and complete it there. I only do so much and take it so far on my own. We really want to rehearse it in a room and tie it up as a group.
Do you think you focus more on crafting a good melody or are lyrics really important to you as well?
I spend more time on the music and the melody, but that’s not to say the lyrics aren’t important. When it comes to lyrics I try my hardest to make them something that anyone that listens to the song would like. But I also try to make sure the lyrics don’t get in the way of everything else.
Who are your favorite songwriters?
LEnnon and McCartney, Randy Newman, Rufus Wainright. Also bands like The Strokes, Kings of Leon, the White Stripes – bands I listened to when I was a teenager. At the core, though, it’s always been Ray Charles, the Beatles and Randy Newman.
Do you ever co-write with anyone else in the band or do pretty much all the songs start with you?
It’s mostly me, but there’s a song on the album called “Girlfriend” that I wrote with the bass player Adrian. There’s a song called “XXX” on the album that I wrote with our producer, Ollie. We tried to limit ourselves and write a song with one chord but it ended up being two. Then there’s another song called “Only You” that I wrote with my brother. I’m the main songwriter for the band, but it’s not a stubborn thing. I’m open to writing with others.
Which of your songs was the most difficult for you to write?
“Girlfriend” took a long time to get right in the studio. The writing of it wasn’t that difficult, but trying to find the right sound for it was hard. The point of making this album was to have fun and not try too hard. If, at any point, it seemed like the band was trying too hard, it didn’t sound as honest or natural as it should. We wanted to capture and stick to spontaneity.
Do you ever write any other kinds of music?
I write all sorts. There are some songs I write that I know just won’t work for the band. They’re too poppy or too whatever. I know there’s a certain kind of song that’s best for the Bohicas, and that’s most of what I write, but there are things that don’t fit for the Bohicas that I have in my back pocket.
If you could co-write with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose?
I guess Gershwin and Cole Porter. I’d want to do classic American songs. Writing with any Beatle would be incredible. That’s a tricky one. You think it’d be cool to co-write with anyone, but co-writing is a very tricky thing itself. It’s very collaborative. I’ve come across some people that are very open minded, but there are others who you meet and can tell are part of some sort of complete, impenetrable unit, and they’re better for it. So those collaborations don’t necessarily work.
What do you think is the most perfect song ever written?
“Here, There and Everywhere” by the Beatles!
