Newly signed to Slam Dunk Records, Leeds electro-rock trio Artio have arrived with their debut single proper ‘Pyrokid’ – a seductively sinister and fiery release taken from a new EP of the same name. Frontperson Rae Brazill tells us more about their band, following a day of visiting art galleries and museums to get some inspiration for new artworks.
Give us the tl;dr of your time together so far – what have you been up to?
Artio have been a band since October 2018, but we’ve been close friends and gigging together in other projects since 2017. Since being together, we have done two UK tours, self-released three EPs, played some great gigs and spent all our free time writing music together.
What’s it like being an up-and-coming band in Leeds? Are there lots of opportunities?
Leeds is an amazing city to start establishing a career. There are so many great venues to play, like The Key Club or The Wardrobe, as well as promoters always looking to give new bands a chance. We wouldn’t be here without those opportunities from people such our label Slam Dunk Records, who have been supporting up-and-comers in the Leeds alternative scene for years. It’s an honour to be working so closely with them now on this project.
Where are your favourite places to hang out?
We love to hang out at The Key Club when we DJ as well as Pixel Bar and Oporto. I’m also partial to a nice walk, like Meanwood Park or just chilling in a beer garden.
What are your hobbies outside of music?
I do a lot of graphic design. I did all the artwork for these upcoming releases, as well as doing commissions for other bands. I also enjoy upcycling and reworking clothes to wear and sell.
Is being a musician living up to the hype so far?
Being a musician is everything I’ve dreamed of since seeing PVRIS in Manchester in 2016. I queued with my best friend for six hours, and since then I was sold. So far, it’s been amazing, a bit challenging but rewarding; the need to be constantly creating is tiring at times but creating is also a great outlet. And playing shows with all our amazing fans and playing Minecraft in our discord with them just makes everything worth it.
Our experience is probably quite different to a lot of other upcoming bands as none of us are big drinkers or anything, so our version of rock’n’roll and crazy tour life is getting a new stuffed animal at service stations and always having cereal bars in the van. Overall, we are really enjoying what we have and chomping at the bit to see what else we can do.
What are you most drawn to writing songs about?
Just current issues either I’m dealing with myself or in the wider world. I write a lot about mental health, relationships (good and bad), politics, climate change and just general life as a 20-year-old nonbinary artist.
What’s the best song you’ve written so far?
I would have to say the best song we’ve written so far, that’s released, is ‘Pyrokid’. We’re so proud of this single and what it means, and how it sounds. But the rest of this era has some absolute bangers to come also.
What other bands are you enjoying at the moment?
Bands we’re loving right now has got to be: Jools, Yours Truly, Nova Twins, Static Dress and Boston Manor.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
We’ve got some more music to come for the rest of this year as well as next year and some awesome shows lined up. We’re headlining The Key Club Leeds on 21st October; that should be killer!
Is there anything else we should know?
We have a discord server that anyone is welcome to join (link found in our Instagram bio) where we do regular twitch streams as well as super fun Artio community stuff, and first access sneak peeks. Come join the Skeleton Crew!
Taken from the October issue of Upset. Artio’s single ‘Pyrokid’ is out now.
