“I principally obtained bullied into it!” teases Jay Schottlander, who ended up because the vocalist of Knives by necessity greater than something. However whenever you hear the influence of his bullish, coarse voice that offers a fixed swagger to their debut album GLITTER – Rage Towards The Machine’s Zack de la Rocha and IDLES’ Joe Talbot could be proud – you’ll perceive why he’s the person for the job.
“I’m very a lot into hip-hop, it was the primary style of music I can bear in mind loving,” he displays. “I bear in mind being 13 years outdated, writing raps and exhibiting my mum. I’m positive it’s all very embarrassing.”
However the peppering of harsh suggestions, goliath riffs and spirited grooves shortly present that Knives are usually not a hip-hop band. Furthermore, the way in which they incorporate saxophone and sprinklings of melody affirm that they’re rather more than one other noisy punk outfit.
Knives shaped in Bristol in 2022, when drummer Erin Prepare dinner reached out to Jay in a college group chat. “There’s in all probability 200 bands who gig in Bristol persistently,” says Jay, explaining how town is a breeding floor for individuals to satisfy like-minded musicians. Having navigated line-up adjustments, the present-day six-piece has been fixed for a 12 months.
“Occurring tour undoubtedly helps [the chemistry],” provides Erin. “Being that near everybody for a extended time frame, you’ve gotta determine everybody out and discover ways to get on.”
Bonding time peaked when Knives decamped to Llanbadarn Fynydd in rural Wales to report debut album GLITTER, which they rattled by in six days.
“It was like a college journey – we had lady and boy dorms!” says Erin.
“It’s essential to how the recording goes down. For those who’re feeling pressured, you may step out and have this view of this breathtaking mountain,” provides Jay, who stuffed the wait-time earlier than vocal takes by enjoying Heroes Of Magic And May 3.
“You wish to be locked into it for the entire week, and never have any exterior distractions,” continues Erin.
GLITTER thrives on its breathless momentum, be it Knives’ takedown of the music business in PHD, the animalistic CHROMA or unsettling jazz-punk opener THE DAGGER, written a couple of time Jay encountered a individual being Islamophobic on a bus.
“Lyrics are a manner for me to mission how these shitty issues have made me really feel, and put it on a web page [so] I can transfer on from them,” he says. “I don’t suppose any of us actually needed to be this open, political band that makes politics our factor. All of us are very political, however we love to do it as an alternative of discuss it… [take] motion after we want to.”
In the meantime, “wildcard” album nearer I SEE THEM FALL echoes the spookiness of Lamb Of God’s Memento Mori or System Of A Down’s Aerials, opening the floodgates for the place Knives might go subsequent.
“I needed a conclusion,” explains Erin. “It’s a stepping stone into future stuff.”
Alongside fellow noise-botherers like Enola Homosexual and Maruja, Knives are primed to win individuals over with their bold noise-punk. However, their ft stay on the bottom, holding issues enjoyable however purposeful.
“If we by no means performed a greater stage, I’ve [already] achieved the whole lot I might have dreamed of,” concludes Jay. “I might in all probability die glad.”
GLITTER is out now by way of Marshall
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Posted on Could twelfth 2025, 5:00p.m.
