Brightonian rockers Thyla have had a big few months. They’ve been dropping bangers left and right, went out on the road with INHEAVEN, and played scorchers at the first few festivals of the season. Upset caught up with the four-piece to discuss all things 2018 – from their first few singles of the year to the unique stresses and anxieties that come with such rapid momentum, and on through to the eternal question – what’s next?
It’s been a big year or so for Thyla. Do you feel like you’re gathering momentum at the moment?
It’s only May, and we’ve done our first tour and released two singles. The response to both the live show and recordings has been immense so yes definitely!
Your recent tour included your biggest London headline to date – what was that tour like?
It’s always nerve-wracking playing a headline show out of your hometown. We couldn’t have asked for a better turnout at ours, that show was super special for us. We didn’t play London on tour with INHEAVEN, but the experience was epic as a whole.
How was your experience at this year’s early festivals like Live at Leeds?
It was really cool playing the Dr Martens stage at LAL, it was right in the middle of the high street, the weather was glorious, and the crowd were ace. We’re super excited for the ones coming up too!
You’ve said that Morrissey was a big lyrical inspiration for you – how do you balance our inspirations with their public personalities? Do you still consider him an inspiration?
Of course I do. Personally, I feel people are entitled to their opinions regardless of whether they agree with my own. His lyrics will always be an inspiration to me.
‘I Was Biting’ is about your discomfort with some aspects of modern society. What is it that unsettles you, and is this something you explore a lot?
These are themes we explore a lot in our songwriting. We all feel that there are lots of dystopian elements to today’s society namely in the wake of the social media climate. Ironically, more so than ever before, one can feel very alone. Our songs convey that anxiety.
‘Pristine Dream’ was about sticking to your guns and doing what you want to do. Is that the way you generally try to approach things or is compromise sometimes important?
It’s important to take advice from the ones you love and respect, so yes compromise is important. It comes down to a ‘check yourself in the mirror’ mantra. You’ve got to love who you are and what you do. Life is short.
Can you tell us a bit about writing and recording ‘Blame’?
‘Blame’ grew out of the chorus riff; it was one of those songs that materialised really quickly. We all caught the vibe almost instantly. ‘Blame’ is one of our favourites to play live, the response is always awesome. We really tried to capture its raw live energy on the record.
It’s a song about jealousy and anger, and people trying to be like somebody else. Do you think this is something we are all more guilty of now thanks to social media?
Definitely! Most people are totally immersed in social media; life is now fed through Insta filters and with that, for me anyways, comes a heavy serving of insecurity.
What’s next?
We’re gonna focus our energy on writing, with an EP in mind. We’ve got some exciting shows coming up too.
