Project Description
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Interview with
JOSH FRANCESCHI
from
YOU ME AT SIX
(21st September 2022)
Interview with Samantha Meuleman
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Photo – Tom Pullen
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Sam – Your new single ‘No Future? (Yeah Right)’ has such incredible energy! Can you tell us about the writing process and inspiration behind the song?
Josh – Thank you! So we were in our home studio and we wanted to try and, like rediscover what we think people liked about our band. So we kind of like, had this crash course meeting where it’s like, right what we doing? Let’s not just go into this album making any old racket, let’s try and figure out what we’re going to try and say both music sonically, lyrics and everything, and we kind of came to the conclusion that we think people like us when we do like straight pop rock, emo, pop punk music. And so, how do we do that without it feeling contrived or feeling like, dated. There’s some bands that have been doing the same sound for like, 20 years. And you really feel when they put out their records, just like it’s the same shit. So we were like, how do we make this feel contemporary. And I think with all the skills that we’ve got, over the last few records, and we have kind of like flexed our creative muscles and tried new things, found ourselves in a place where we can do that sound without it sounding too aging. So yeah, that’s kind of where that came from. And I guess, No Future in particular was a song that definitely would be on the album. And we’ve got Rou from Enter Shikari on it, and he just fucking smashed it and took it to a level that elevated it. And the song really is about like, just breaking the chain of like a negative cycle. And like, sometimes it’s really scary to walk away from someone, or people that are treating you badly, because I dunno, depending on how much of a grip they have on you, they can convince you that life without them is shit, whereas it’s not. And we were working with some people that I just felt weren’t contributing to us in a positive way. And it was a very difficult situation to get out of. I guess that’s really the sentiment of the song is, you know, just because you want to try and destroy us, doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to, and I think that in itself is kind of like a kind of song, I’d want to listen to going into war. Or listen to it in a mosh pit, you know, like, I want to scream it my mates faces, whilst I’m sinking pints and throwing them into the crowd, you know, all that sort of shit. And that’s kind of what we wanted with that song. And what we want on the record generally, is we want it to be like, you know, people’s national anthem, like their go-to that they just know and it feels like home. And I think if you’ve been a fan of the band for a while, you’re definitely gonna feel like you’ve got your band back. And if the band’s new to you, then you’re going to probably be like, Oh, they’re doing that thing, but they do it this way. And I think that’s our strength, is we can do something that a lot of other bands do do, but we just do it in the You Me At Six way. So I’m hoping that people enjoy it as much as we enjoyed putting it together, you know?
Sam – Yeah, definitely. And I feel like it definitely sounds connected to the song you released previously Deep Cuts, that sort of similar theme and what it’s about. Does that theme flow through the new album you’re going to release next year?
Josh – I think so. I mean, the record is called Truth Decay. And I think it is about looking at that in any situation, however big or small, there’s always truth and there’s purity there’s innocence. And there’s always then, unfortunately, something a little more, I don’t say sinister, but there’s always a flip side to it, which isn’t maybe fueled by good intent, or is a situation that’s spiraling or, you know, just a negative space really, and I think that’s kind of what the record is about. Throughout is just the good and the bad moments of a moment. And, you know, Deep Cuts, for example, was a song that like, it was the first song we recorded in Santorini. It was the first song that I wrote lyrics for. And I remember sitting down thinking fuck what am I going to write about on this album, like, what have I got to say? I’m kind of in a good place at the moment, so I can’t be too negative. And I don’t really want to write lovey dovey shit because, you know what I mean? I’m not really good at that I’m way better at writing just cynical shit. So Deep Cuts is me tapping into two of my best mates who are both in their own ways kind of coming out of abusive relationships or trying to get out abusive relationships or pursuing somebody that is quite clearly just happy in enabling the situation of rejection, they know what’s going on. But they’re also liking what they’re getting out of this, they just keep hurting this person. And I wanted to write a song that would just be like, I know, it sucks, but you’re gonna be fine regardless, you know? And I think we’ve all got, you the line that says, I know you’ve got deep cuts, it’s like, we’ve all got stuff that if we really want to go there, we can open up about and we’re all we’re all work in progresses, and we’re all dealing with trauma in our own way. It’s really interesting, because actually one of the people that’s about, when I played it to her, it acted as a catalyst for her to get out of the situation she was in. She was like, if it’s affecting you that much that you wanted to write about it and put it in the song because you love me that much then I’m missing something and I need to see it the way you’ve seen it. You know, and I think in the same way there’s another song on a record called Mixed Emotions, which is about us, really about us five. But it’s about young men generally and just looking at the toxic masculinity in which we’ve allowed to perpetrate our adolescence and our young manhood at this point. And looking retrospectively being like, fuck, I wish I could have done better for you in that situation. So it’s kind of like an open letter and like an admission of guilt, but also an admission of accountability, which I think is shared, and has to be shared. You know, I think that women possess this superpower of willingness to be transparent with their friends or their family, more so than men. I’m not saying every single situation. You very rarely find a room full of men all talking openly honestly about how they’re actually feeling. You know, they’ll pave over it with sports, booze, sex, whatever, the usual bullshit. And this was like, when we were making the song I read it to Dan in the car on the way to the gym. As like, as I’d written, it was like, a poem almost. And he pulled the car over and he was like, okay, I need to, like, reach out to me again. We started talking about it. And he was like, I feel like you’re talking about me? I was like, yeah, but I’m also talking about me, I’m also talking about him, talking about that, talking about this. And he was just like, fuck, man, if this song reaches just one person to check in on their mate properly, mission accomplished. You know? Yeah so I guess I always like to write about stuff that’s happening to me, and is like, my ongoing diary as a band member and all of that sort of shit. It’s been my lifelong diary being in You Me At Six. But I kind of wanted to tap into stuff that is just slightly more universal as well, I think. But yeah, just really just exploring the kind of the good, bad and the ugly of any and all situations. And I think that made it really interesting. I think it’s a very open record. And I think people that have heard it, I’ve got some of my mates who have been pretty critical over the years of stuff we’ve put out and they’ve obviously been very supportive as well, but hey’ve been very, very vocal about how important and how good they think the record is. So I hope you all share that opinion when you all hear it. We’ll see.
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Sam – Yeah definitely. And I’m really excited by the fact that you are writing about those universal things that people can relate to. Have you had stories from fans where they’ve just said, oh, this song has just helped me through this particular moment, or that particular moment? What do you think about that kind of relationship between your music and the fans?
Josh – I think we’ve been very fortunate to have that with our fan base in which there’s songs that have been there for them, when there was a void, there was an absence that they needed, something to fill that to pick them up, or to help bring them off the edge, you know? I think that when you when you make music, you have all these grand ideas of what you would like it to achieve. And it’s usually you know, oh well, hopefully, we’ll be able to sell out that venue and sell this many copies and do all this sort of shit. And then because you can’t possibly believe that something you’ve written as for you is then inhabited by somebody else who believes it was written for them, and so strongly that was written for them. And I love it when it happens to me, and I listen to a song and I go, how did you know? I think that for me is the perfect moment where the artists and the audience meet, and it’s the truest connection, and it’s the thing that is completely unaltered. You can’t put that in a fucking spreadsheet, you know? You can’t take that into your label and go see, look at this, it’s so much deeper and so much more visceral and important, and it helps and holds so much more weight. I remember the first few times having conversations with fans where I was a bit like overwhelmed, it’s when I was younger, I probably only like 17, 18. And they’d been like, oh, Save It For The Bedroom saved my life. And I’d be like, I mean, that didn’t happen, it can’t have happened. It’s a throwaway song, it’s gimmicky. And also there was a moment in time where that was, like, kind of something that it was quite an American thing. But I felt like young people would say to their favorite bands, your music saved my life, it was this thing that was very much in our scene of the Warped Tour, that sort of stuff. And so because I was young and probably just hell bent on being cynical, I was like, I just think there’s just so many people saying it for attention, right? But that’s an 18 year old kid feeling that way. And then as I got older, and by older, I’m only talking like a year or two older, I really started to like, tap into how in those moments for somebody, that’s their truth and that’s how they feel. So how how I’ve interpreted it or whether or not I choose to believe it is not important. And if someone’s going to be vulnerable with you and talk to you, it doesn’t matter if you think how could that song have done that? But something like Take on the World you know I get how people have had that as their first dance, like, I get it. My brain wired enough that I can understand that as a concept. But other songs or other moments, I didn’t. But as time was going on, I was just like, if they’re gonna share that moment of vulnerability the last thing I want is for them to feel like I’m not present in that conversation. So that’s when I really started to understand the weight and the responsibility that comes with this, outside of hopefully being a good songwriter, being a good frontman, being a good band mate, but just being a good human being. And so I felt that was like, I’m really glad that I figured that one out pretty quickly, because I think over the years, it’s in its 1000s, if not 10s of 1000s of people that I’ve met, that I’ve had this conversation with. And I think it’s those moments which they transcend just a simple thing of I was entertained tonight. It was no, I was accepted tonight. That’s where you get fan bases that go with you and they live with you for you know, we’re in our 16th year of being in a band. That surpasses a good song on the radio. To me that’s really important. And I think it will always be important and I live more for those conversations. That’s how I measure our success versus how I used to measure it when I was 18, 19 years of age, and wanting to make it. Making it for me is doing something that stems from a kind of self fulfilling situation, and one that surpasses that. And it’s just, human beings actually connecting and it meaning something through music. That’s pretty wild, you know, without getting caught up about it. But at the end of the day, it’s a great gift to be able to have been given and to be able to do something with you know, and vice versa. When it happens to me, I always, I have no shame I’ll message any artist on social media or, or I’ll dive across the catering area at a festival and tell them, yo you’re fucking song meant this to me at this point. And sometimes you don’t look super cool doing it, but it’s not about being cool. You know, it’s one of those moments in life where being cool is not on the agenda.
Sam – Yeah. That’s so lovely to hear. And I think it’s sort of a testament to how powerful music is. So, all the Aussie fans, they’re gonna want to know, are you guys coming to Australia to tour new album?
Josh – We absolutely will be. It’s not a question of if, it’s more when. I know we will be coming over. We’re just really trying to work out the diary at the moment, because it’s being being stretched all over the place. If it was up to me, it would’ve been one of the first places we came to, but I think when we were ready, you lot weren’t in terms of opening. So now that we’ve got a lot of stuff booked in already it’s about find the right time. But Australia, I mean, I was saying something the other day, it was like a family friend of my girlfriend’s, and it’s just that classic thing of like, oh so what do you do? You’re like yeah I’m in a band. Oh, that’s nice. Like, yeah, it is nice. And they’re like, so what’s your favorite place you’ve ever been to with your band? And usually they’re like, sometimes expecting you to say some dump in England or somewhere because that’s all they think I’ve done with my music. And I’ll be like, oh, yeah, we played this fucking wild show in Melbourne, at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl where it’s like, you see the whole of downtown Melbourne. And they’re like, been to Australia? I was like, yeah, I’ve been to Australia like 10 times. And they’re like, what? Yeah, we’ve been that lucky. So every time we come to Australia, which like, it’s fucking far out, you know, we’re just like, this is mental that we’re here. And I go a bit OTT when I go to Australia, I consider like the wild wild west like, it feels like it’s normal, but it’s also to me, it’s just completely abnormal, that we’re there playing music on the other side of the world. So I was just diving in the deep end and have a good time. But yeah, we’ll definitely back. I mean, the last time we were there was 2019 which was such an incredible tour so yeah, we need to come back soon. And we will.
Sam – We can’t wait to have you guys back. And thank you so much for chatting today!
Josh – No worries, thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it.
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‘NO FUTURE? YEAH RIGHT’ – OUT NOW
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Instagram – Facebook – Twitter
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Press Release 13th September 2022 (below) HERE
deliver new single
‘NO FUTURE? YEAH RIGHT’
feat. ROU REYNOLDS
LISTEN HERE
Alongside official music visualiser
WATCH HERE
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