Project Description

Interview with
PAUL and AIDAN THOMPSON
from
ALVAREZ KINGS

Interviewer – Dave Bruce

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“Emotionally-charged, hook-filled….The pop-driven single demonstrates how the group has come to win the hearts and ears of pop fans over the years, its tunefulness and emotionally-charged lyrics leading listeners deeper into the fold.” – PopMatters

“..sound like they’re ready to take on the world in Joshua Tree-era U2 fashion…” – Billboard

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How did you all find each other and decide to share your musical talents as a group?
(Paul) Well me and Simon are brothers so we didn’t have a choice in the matter. Aidan we met when we booked in a recording session at his studio. We liked his vibe and he had a real talent for songwriting and production so a few months later we asked him to join. It also happened to be a big plus that he unrelatedly shared the same surname as me and Simon.

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
(Aidan) We would say, ethereal and melodic. We like to incorporate synth soundscapes, pop vocal melodies with a base of heavy guitars. The reason people resonate is because the lyrics are a about real life subjects that everyone can relate to.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today? 
(Paul) I think we can all agree that the band and album that made us realize this is what we want to do as a career was when The Strokes came on the scene and released Is This It. Me and Simon were young and impressionable and they just seemed so refreshing at the time. Before that, all we really had for guitar music were poor acoustic rock bands and the aftermath of Oasis. We loved their style and back-to-basics indie music.
The Beatles were some of the earliest memories we had from our parents playing their records when we were younger.
More currently we have opened up to most styles of music. I listen to a lot of hip-hop and house music, Aidan digs country music while Simon is good at discovering the next big thing in pop and indie.

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Your new single has just been released! Describe its origin and evolution. 
(Aidan) It was a song that, as soon as we created the idea, we knew that we had to finish it. Simon had the initial idea when making over his spare room into his baby daughters nursery. He said when the room was empty, he found the acoustics awesome and he started firing voice memos over. And yes, the acoustics did sound great! The song is a story of an uncontrollable collision course of self-destruction from drug and alcohol abuse. We like to think of it as the desolation of a failed relationship, and self-blame.

Is there an EP or Album on the drawing board?
(Paul) We will be releasing the next single very soon and then the album will come out at some point later this year. You can expect that usual Alvarez Kings sound. Big production, analogue synths, guitar riffs and lyrics that everyone can I identify with.

Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
(Paul) With the pandemic the live touring part is out of the question. Live music venues are still closed which means our shows have been put on hold. Fans can still catch regular stripped back sets from our Instagram Live feed. We are looking at other alternatives such a parking lot show if we can figure out the logistics.

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Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist? 
(Aidan) I guess it is just a case of growing in all aspects of the band. We want to play to bigger crowds, we want to sell more records. There are other bucket list things like playing Madison Square Garden and meeting Paul McCartney; why not dream big!

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
(Paul) Just the connection we feel with them especially during those intimate shows. We’ve put years of blood, sweat and tears into making our music and to see it being enjoyed and sang back to us by other people feels so rewarding. That adrenaline rush before going onstage is like nothing you can create anywhere else. It is the greatest high of them all.
In terms of career highlight on the live stage so far? Getting to do three tours supporting Melanie Martinez was a crazy experience for us. We played all over the US and Europe in huge sold out clubs every night.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Interpol – Turn On The Bright Lights
Artist –  The Beatles
Movie – The Dark Knight
Place to visit – Los Angeles
Venue to play – Artheater, Cologne, Germany
Food –  Greek
Drink – Rum Old Fashioned
Person in History – Dr. Martin Luther King
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) A sleeve with a scene of some epic fantasy battle. Must feature a dragon and a wizard.

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Check out ALVAREZ KINGS below
Website – Facebook – Twitter

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UK’s ALVAREZ KINGS
Release New
“Emotionally-Charged, Hook-Filled” Single
“Words I Couldn’t Say”

Now Streaming Everywhere

An uncontrollable collision course of self-destruction from drug and alcohol abuse, the desolation of a failed relationship and self-blame. ‘Words I Couldn’t Say’ is the burden of the truth and a lie that is too heavy to carry.

UK alternative pop 4-piece Alvarez Kings has just released a new single titled “Words I Couldn’t Say” which is now streaming everywhere.

Vocalist Simon Thompson tells PopMatters, “The song came about when I was turning our spare room at home into our baby’s nursery as the acoustics were awesome. I was writing songs off of the back of some pretty extensive touring over the years. There were definitely some issues with alcohol and substance abuse as a result, which impacted heavily on relationships. It’s not necessarily an autobiography or about one person in particular. It’s a story of an uncontrollable collision course of self-destruction from drug and alcohol abuse, the desolation of a failed relationship, and self-blame. ‘Words I Couldn’t Say’ is the burden of the truth and a lie that is too heavy to carry.”

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About ALVAREZ KINGS

Four lads from South Yorkshire, UK who gleefully share their moniker with an infamous old school South American gang, Alvarez Kings summon pop power through timeless analog synth and guitar magic. The quartet—brothers Simon [vocals, guitar] and Paul Thompson [bass, keys, backup vocals], Aidan Thompson [guitar, keys, production], and Richard Walker [drums, samples, pads]—has quietly built up an international buzz since their 2012 formation.

BBC Radio proclaimed “No Resolve” the “Single of the Year,” while they impressed audiences at Isle of Wight and O2 Wireless Festival in addition to show-stopping stints on the Vans Warped Tour in 2013 and 2015 and support tours with Melanie Martinez, PVRIS, and Echosmith. Their 2015 EP, ‘Fear To Feel’, expanded their foothold in the U.S. Spotify featured the title track on coveted playlists such as The Indie Mix and Ultimate Indie Playlist, notching 40K streams in less than 12 hours and eventually amassing over 6M and counting. Meanwhile, they drew acclaim from Billboard, Huffington Post, Ones To Watch and more.

In 2016 the band signed their first record deal with Warner Bros and, preceded by the introductory focus track “Sleepwalking Pt.II”, released their full-length debut, ‘Somewhere Between’ in 2017. Recorded by Grammy Award-winning producer Carlos De La Garza [Paramore, M83] and recorded at Ocean Studios in LA the album was received with glowing reviews.

Up until 2018, the band toured their debut extensively, playing sold-out headline shows across Europe, UK and the United States along with some of their biggest festival appearances to date including Firefly and Summerfest. In 2019 they began working on their second studio album, which is currently anticipated for a 2020 release.

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AMNPLIFY – DB