I was very happy to hear a sneak peek of Rila’s Edge upcoming single ‘Cause and Effect’, it’s the second single of the band and released on the 8th of May! Their infectious and powerful indie rock had me from the start and happily enough I got the chance to had a brief chat with guitarist Ollie and drummer Charlie. We talked about their inspirations, local favourites, work besides music and what the future hopefully has in store for them!
Could you introduce the band to us in one sentence?
Guitarist Ollie: Big sounding indie rock with songs that makes you go “ooh”.
Drummer Charlie: Haha sure, what he said.
Where do you go when you’re lost for inspiration?
Ollie: When I’m coming up with vocal melodies I almost always go for a drive and put a demo on over the speakers so I can try out some wacky stuff without feeling like anyone is listening. I also find that doing anything out of the ordinary will get me thinking fresh, or preferably not thinking at all! I really don’t think it’s possible to manufacture inspiration, sometimes it just happens.
Charlie: I think a lot of my inspiration comes from listening and watching to some of my favourite drummers’ play. I think this has a massive influence on motivation as well. Watching the greats do their thing creates an uncontrollable itch to get behind the kit and try to recreate some of that magic.
Where do you find new music?
Ollie: I find a lot of music through word of mouth, normally the other guys in the band telling me something good to listen to. I don’t really listen to much new music, I have about 10 albums on constant rotation!
Charlie: I can be very guilty of this also, I seem to get stuck in a cycle of about 10 artists that I find myself indulging in day by day, however, I do go by friend’s recommendations, if someone is passionate about a new artist then I will always check out what all the fuss is about. Aside from that, I do use some of the Spotify discovery playlists and tools to seek out new music from time to time.
Who are currently your three favourite local artists?
Ollie: I love Simple Fiction, a fellow indie band from Guildford, they have huge sounding tracks, it reminds me of the killers. George Rose is another local favourite. His music is very creative and contemporary and has some great songs on the horizon. Casey Lake is my final choice, they are kind of heavy. The way I’d explain them is as a more interesting Foo Fighters.
Charlie: I second Ollie’s choices for sure, some great stuff coming out from those chaps.
What do you think your music adds to the current musical landscape?
Ollie: I think we need more guitar bands to break through! There are thousands of new guitar bands but only a few in the charts. When I think of bands in the charts like Catfish and the Bottlemen, Blossoms or Foals, they are in the charts or on playlists because they are really great songwriters! Hopefully, we can bring that one day, but that’s not for us to say.
What do you do besides music?
Ollie: I work in a plant nursery just outside of Guildford, it’s very peaceful and lets me listen to music and podcasts basically all day! Aside from that I just make demos.
Charlie: I work in a cocktail and craft beer bar in Wokingham, I do enjoy work, for the most part, it’s very social and I just get to chat with people all shift. Our weekend playlist isn’t half bad either!”
What is your ultimate goal for 2021? (as this year is kind of hopeless, or isn’t it?)
Charlie: I wouldn’t say that this year is completely hopeless, I mean what a great time for music discovery, while everyone is shacked up twiddling their thumbs, most are accompanied by music of some description. I am however worried about the state of independent gig venues across the UK and whether they’ll get through this.
Ollie: Ok so assuming 2020 is a write-off, I’d really like to have an album released by the end of 2021 and to be gigging consistently, maybe go on tour to support a big band. Everything is so up in the air at the moment so it’s difficult to plan. Luckily we have got some tracks ready to release over the next few months of lockdown!
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