The frontman shares how a supplemental book expanding on the thematic elements of the album has been his focus and how taking on the role of producer for their sixth album was a unique creative freedom that pushed the band and ultimately challenged their audience.
The continued series of ‘Album of The Year’ interviews on Mosh Talks features a thorough catch up with Enter Shikari frontman, Rou Reynolds.
In taking stock the year and evaluating how everything has played out, Reynolds confided that despite having such a monumental recorded work in their April release of Nothing Is True & Everything is Possible, he has not written any music for the duration of 2020.
In navigating such a new reality, paired with a kind of a sequestered way of life, Reynolds has found it tough to tap into the kind of creativity necessary for Enter Shikari. What the frontman did share was that his book has given him a different kind of outlet of expression. So while things might be slow moving for anything new from the band, personally, Reynolds is still putting pen to paper.
Considering just how dynamic the band’s 2020 LP is, there really is no need for anything new just yet anyway. Positioned as one of the best releases of the year, the band’s genre-bending approach combined with its poignant lyrical delivery make for the kind of recorded effort that fans can marinate on for quite some time.
Reynolds shared how the album was written about this sort of existential threat, a way to kind of galvanize humanity under the same universal threat, then that same album was released during a pandemic. That reality seemed to merit more of an in-depth discussion, something more detailed about the songs, the music, the meaning – so Reynolds has been writing that book, delving into the album song by song, lyric by lyric to not only better clarify what is being called the band’s definitive work, but to speak to the overall theme of the record – the endless pursuit of reality and an attempt to cling to truth.
As for the shelf-life of the songs, Reynolds talked about how despite the album surfacing last spring, there seems to be a bit of unfound potential the music has that can only be unlocked in their live translation. The complete experience of any album is to listen to it and see it. With one portion of that equation missing, it’s hard to assess just how effective this album could fully be. What makes it most promising however, is that even without the live iteration, the album remains such a complete artistic triumph.
Reynolds also shared how this go round was particularly fulfilling as he also took on the role of producer. Sharing that he lived the album for a full year of his life, there was some added pressure and certainly significantly more hours and responsibility invested in the project, but with that came a unique creative freedom that had been explored in the band’s prior efforts.
As for the unique instrumentation and the multi-genre signature that is synonymous with Enter Shikari, Reynolds had a unique take on how they approach their craft. While most artists might consider how palatable their sound might or may not be, the frontman talked about how their focus is less molding their music to be more palatable and more about challenging the audience to catch up. That dynamic showcases a certain confidence that might come off as arrogant, but nonetheless shows that the band certainly expects more of not only their fans, but of themselves creatively.
Watch the complete interview with Rou Reynolds of Enter Shikari on Mosh Talks special ‘Album of the Year’ series and then watch the band’s latest mind-warping visual for their track, “T.I.N.A.”
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