Bristol band of brothers The Family Rain have built themselves to be cult Rock icons over the last decade, putting a slick modern tinge onto classic, Blues-Rock influences. As they gear up for their new EP they have just released their new single 'It Ain't Easy Being Mean' which sees them team up with one of our favourite rising artists, Dylan Cartlidge. We spoke with the band about this fantastic new collab, the upcoming EP and how they have developed over the years.
Q. Can you explain the lyrical ideas behind 'It Ain't Easy Being Mean'?
A. "I was toying with the title for a while and landed on ‘mean’ as the thing it isn’t easy being, for me it’s a song about becoming hard in a world which is full of plot holes and snake pits. The overriding sentiment is that it’s hard to harden up but sometimes it’s necessary. We gave Dylan the track with the chorus and intro hook, chatted about the message we wanted the song to carry, and the verses he fired back nailed the brief with an unbelievable force".
Q. Where would you say you source most of your lyrical inspiration from when writing?
A. "Almost all of our lyrics are autobiographical, we often use imagery and play with words to keep things from being to close to the surface, that said- this tune feels pretty raw".
Q. How did the collab with Dylan Cartlidge come about?
A. "Through the producers of the track ‘Bad Sounds’ they were running a session with Dylan who needed some drums laying down. It turned out Dylan was a fan of ours and had been for a while, and we had had a bunch of his previous tracks on repeat. Tim stepped in and played in some beats- That session went really well, we left buzzing to make a track together…the rest is history".
Q. Can you explain the thoughts behind the eccentric cover art of the new EP?
A. "The ‘Machete Western’ cover art was inspired by a singular man on a horse originally embroidered on an ancient Chinese Mural. I loved the shape and energy of the image and wanted to create something similar for TFR. Adding the three of us in a row riding the horse together was an attempt to represent our unity and that we are on this journey together- the elongated horse body felt like an Ed Templeton move who’s art I’ve always loved. The pink and turquoise colour scheme felt like the furthest thing from a trad rock cover which was a nice way to push the envelope".
Q. When would you say is the perfect moment to listen to the new EP?
A. "Probably riding a gigantic horse with no name and laser eyes across the desert, at midnight, with a machete in each hand".
Q. How do you think you have developed as people and as a band since your first release 10 years ago?
A. "Over time we have discovered our strengths and more importantly our weaknesses. I think you can spend a lot of time trying to nail something you find difficult, and that can feel rewarding, however- right now we are pretty much doing the opposite- relishing in the things that come easy to us, embracing that energy and embellishing the hell out of it".
Q. What is your favourite moment on the EP and which track do you think will produce the best live experience?
A. "When we were putting together 'It Ain’t Easy Being Mean’ the whistle moment in the second verse had us all hitting the ceiling, it was a lot of fun and felt like a nice bold choice. The track Machete Western has been a really great track to add to our live set and has been getting some love from the audience, it’s the closest we get to feeling like David Guetta- which from the off has been the ultimate goal".
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