We caught up with Irish band Kodaline to talk about their new song, upcoming album, festivals and more.
You’ve just released your latest single Follow Your Fire, can you describe the track for those who haven’t heard it?
It’s a huge change for us, we’ve been working really hard on our new Album and it is definitely a big shift in direction for us. I think it sounds very modern but it has a huge amount of us in there still.
How happy are you to release the track?
We’re beyond excited to get new music out there, we even released a n E.P. recently because it had been so long since our last record, we always have so many songs flying around it’s really nice to let other people hear them, hopefully everyone will love it as much as we do.
What’s the inspiration behind it?
This song is all about finding what makes you happy and just going for it, it’s very positive. For us we have always been supported in chasing our dream of making music for a living but there are so many people out there that maybe don’t get that kind of support so this song is for those people, always follow your dreams and you’ll be so much happier than if you just do what you should.
How long did it take from start to finish to create?
We actually got to work with Steve Mac on this track and he’s an incredibly fast producer, i think the whole song was written in the first hour of the session and the rest of the day was just spent fleshing out the music. Steve is amazing and has really pushed us to our limits which is the best way to be, no more comfort zones.
Why should people listen to it?
There’s so much music out there these days so i cant say why you should listen to us but we really hope you do, It would mean the world to us, and we’re Irish.
Have you played it live yet? If so, how was the reaction?
We’ve only actually just started rehearsing the song so Friday will be the first time anyone gets to hear the finished song. We worked with some amazing creators online to make their own version of the song with just the lyrics and the chords and some of them were amazing, it was such a cool idea and they did such an awesome job.
So does this mean a new album is on the way?
Yes finally, We’ve probably made about two and a half albums on the way to finishing this one but we’re so proud of the tracks that have made their way to the end that it all seems worth it. we really pushed ourselves to make the best album we could and hopefully we did.
When can we expect it?
Can’t say yet but it will be out in the next few months.
What’s it called? Or can you not say?
Can’t say that either yet, we love secrets but we’re so bad at keeping them you might find out sooner rather than later.
How does this album differ from your previous?
We have always kept all the writing in our little group but this time round we got to work with some incredible writers and producers that just made us up our game and change how we work. it still sounds like us but with some very different sounds around us.
Where can we see you playing next?
We’re playing a cool gig in Switzerland called Zermatt next and it’s in the Alps, we absolutely love Switzerland and we might even get to go skiing, and hopefully not hurt ourselves.
Are you heading to any festivals this year? (playing or attending).
We always love the Electric Picnic in Ireland, it’s one of the best festivals in the world as a punter. We’re playing quite a few across Europe and i think the first one is Isle of Wight which is always a great start to the festival season.
Which would be your dream festival to headline?
I think it’s the same for every band but the Pyramid stage is the top of the list for us, we’ve had such amazing Glasto experiences over the years it would be so good to be there at the very end and send people home singing our songs.
What about a lad’s holiday?
We’ve had a few over the last year, we just got back from a trip to the Philippines and Dubai, in about two weeks we just played two gigs so we had a lot of time to just explore and hang out with our crew who we hadn’t seen i n a while.
How do you spend your down time out of the studio?
We’re pretty big gamers at the moment, love the Nintendo switch for just getting a quick game of Rocket League in, Vinny even has a play station built into a flight case for touring so we always get a game in. But when we’re home to be honest we spend a lot of time in the studio heather it’s working on our own music or other bands, jay produces quite a bit and we’ve been writing with a lot of different people recently, we wrote a song on Callum Scotts new record.
What song have you got on repeat at the moment?
Huge fans of Khalid at the moment, “Silence” has been on repeat for a while and Sigrid “Strangers”.
What’s the best part about being in a band?
Getting to travel the world with your mates is the best bit, we’ve kept a lot of our crew from day one so it’s really a big family on the road these days.
What’s the worst?
I guess the same thing, Vinny and Jay just got married last year so it’s getting harder to be away for so ling but we really can’t complain, it’s the best job in the world
Can you describe your fashion/style?
Usually we would wear quite muted colours but recently we’ve been getting a bit more adventurous. All four of us are quite different so it’s hard to pin it down but we really love oversized tees and sweaters. I guess we just dress in things we like, but we were always pretty traditional rockers, black jeans etc. But recently we’ve started throwing in a bit more colour, one of us buys a mad jacket and the next person wants to beat it! Vinny started wearing white trousers on stage, I think that might have been the start
Who is your fashion inspiration?
I don’t know about inspiration but Bruno Mars is definitely raising the bar these days, and Macklemore is pretty damn sharp too.
What’s your on-stage look?
We each have some pieces that we go back to all the time for gigs, Mark and Vinny have been competing, pushing each other to find the most outrageous shirt or trousers, Mark’s winning at the moment.
What’s your night out look?
Our nights out usually come straight after being on stage so it’s very similar but hopefully with a fresh t-shirt….if there’s time.
What are you looking forward to most about summer?
New Music, It’s the most exciting time for us, almost like sending your kid off to school. You hope you’ve prepared them for what the world might throw at them but really you have no idea until you just take the plunge!
Thanks for chatting to us guys.
Check out the new track below, listen to their new track here.
