With a new album scheduled for release and a string of tours lined up, 2016 looks to be an exciting year for Max Raptor. The band kindly took some time out before a gig to talk to me about their recently released (and thought provoking) EP Damage Appreciation, their upcoming album and naturally, their course of action during a zombie apocalypse.
1. So firstly, how would you introduce
yourself to an audience in a country that you've never played before?
Ben: We'll
find out!
Matt: Yeah,
we're going to Europe next year for the first time.
Interviewer:
Switzerland?
Matt: Yeah, Switzerland.
Then we're announcing some more dates for around May at some
point. Yeah, the
answer is I don't know what the answer is.
Wil: I
imagine hello.
Ben: In
French.
Wil: Hello?
Ben: Salut.
Wil: Salut.
Ciao. We're not going to Italy, are we? We'll take a little book.
Ben: A
phrasebook.
Wil: A
phrasebook. (Adopts a humorous tone.) Or, of course, modern phones these days
have translation devices. Then you hold your phone up to the mic and it'll say
"hello".
Ben: But
everywhere speaks English. They'll probably just do it in English.
Wil: Oh,
ignorant!
Matt: I once
designed a website and they asked for it to be in French as well. That's why I
just did Google Translate. Obviously the back button that was on it was a literal
translation and they had to ring me up and said "it says the word spine".
There we are!
Wil: I
thought it was going to say something way more inappropriate.
Matt: No!
Wil: Oh my
god, spine!
Matt: Well, it was a long day.
2. How has the reaction to Damage
Appreciation been so far?
Matt: Really
good. We're really happy with it. I think people have responded to it well.
Wil: They've
taken it on board, under their wing. It's been a year and a half since we
released anything so it's gone way better than expected. All good.
3. Your songs have always had a
political nature to them but for your most recent EP, did you feel that this was
a natural progression or more that it was inspired by the elections, like a
catalyst?
Wil: The album's a little bit about politics. There are other themes on the EP as well so it's partly that, partly other content. Blue
On Red was about how the main political parties have amalgamated and become the
same thing. It disenfranchised a lot of people and people were getting bored; I became completely apathetic to the whole
process. Then, as we released it, Jeremy Corbyn took the reins of Labour so
it's kind of ruined the whole thing because he's fully left and I think the Conservative party are getting
way more right wing. The more they stay in power, the more
and more extreme they're going to become so I think it's definitely shaken it up. I don't know if it's
for the good or for the bad but it definitely engages people more.
Interviewer: Like how you wrote "bored" rather than "board" in the lyric video.
Wil: Yeah,
that was intentional. Don't worry, it wasn't our misspelling!
Pete: Well
spotted!
4. I've heard that you'll be recording
your new album in December. How is the writing process going?
Matt: It's
going well. We signed to Hassle officially throughout the summer but those
conversations have been going on since November last year. We originally didn't
know if we were going to be doing an EP or not so we had written about 25 songs
just to get those 4 so actually, it's going really well. We've got a large
percentage of it done so we've just got to tweak a few bits. It's going to be
good hopefully.
5. Would you say you have a band motto
or philosophy when you're recording songs?
Matt: Don't
let Pete drink whiskey. It's probably fair.
Pete: If Matt
says the word "comp", I'm going to poke his eyes out.
Matt: Pete
records our demos and the particular word is "comp" that he hates. It
just means copy a bit and stick it in but he absolutely loathes it because it's
always said. Look at him, he's so happy.
6. Do you write your songs with the
intention of reaching out to people and making them think about things or is it
more of a personal process?
Wil: We've
definitely got live shows in mind as well. You can kind of lose it completely
if you're singing stuff that you can relate to and we've always got the live
thing in mind. Well, I definitely do when I'm thinking about lyrics and
breakdowns on guitars. It's always the live aspect. There are some personal
things there as well which people can identify with because if I sing it, then
it represents a 100,000 people. If someone else sings it, it represents another
100,000 people. People can get on board with it for sure.
Interviewer:
Like how the last song on your EP is about depression.
Wil: Yeah,
that's a tricky one. We haven't played it live yet but it's just about getting
through dark, dark times and making a concerted effort to turn your life
around.
7. You announced that you're playing
with Press To Meco and Allusondrugs. How did this tour come about?
Matt: Really
quickly. It was sort of out of nowhere. It's really good.
Ben: We got
an email off Facebook from Press To Meco's label manager and he was super enthusiastic
about it straight away.
Matt: That guy
has basically spear headed everything and just been getting it all done, getting
Scuzz on board. We said yes and straight away, there were 17 dates and we were
like Jesus Christ, fair play. Even today on the announcement, I've never seen
anyone so proactive in a long time in spreading the word in forums and groups
that I didn't even know existed and he's just shouting about it. Hats off to
the guy, he's absolutely storming. To be honest with you, it's all really nice
because we know Allusondrugs and we know Press To Meco as well very well. Originally,
we might have been playing some shows with the Press guys now but that didn't
quite work out. It's absolutely lovely really, you know, a big group of mates
going on tour. It's going to be fantastic.
8. Would we be able to hear some new
material then?
Ben: Maybe.
We'll possibly try to work a couple of bits in but we generally try to keep it
all under wraps until it's on the verge of being out in the open properly. It suits
us a bit better just to make sure it's all practised but also, just to have
something to hold on to.
Matt: Album
wise, I think the album is looking at late April hopefully as a release so there
might be something out at that sort of time but we don't know yet.
9. Who would survive the longest in a
zombie apocalypse and why?
(Collective "oohs"
and Wil says "zombie apocalypse" in an American accent)
Ben: You
wouldn't because you couldn't plan your way out of a wet paper bag.
Wil: I
already know my exits here, do you?
Ben: Yeah.
Pete: No.
Interviewer:
Anyone else?
Pete: Me.
I've thought about this before. I think I'd do this quite well. I'd have to get
on a ship that had no zombies on it and I'd sail out. I mean, as far as I'm
aware, zombies can't swim.
Matt: Have
you not seen Land of the Dead?
Pete: Yeah
but they don't climb up onto a ship. I think it's highly unlikely if I sailed
out into the middle of the ocean that they would actually find me.
Matt: Then
you've got to think about supply levels, fresh water.
Pete: It's a
bloody big ship.
Wil: What,
parked in London?
Pete: But we
didn't specify if we were going from London.
Wil: But
we're here now.
Ben: So
you've only got ship on your list.
Matt: Unless you
own this ship, presumably you'd have to wait until everyone on board had
already been killed so you could then steal it.
Pete: Well,
what if you're in a land locked city? Just a good crew...
Matt: So
you'd need a crew now for this as well.
Ben: So it's
not just your ship.
Pete: Well,
at least I've thought about it.
Wil: I think
you should get a speed boat.
Matt: To
answer your question, not Pete either. I think I'd be pretty bad at it because
I can't really run that quickly.
Pete: But
then again, what is the point? Once everyone's dead, what are you going to do?
Ben:
It's Pete's optimism that will really carry us through any moment of distress.
Matt:
Day to day.
Pete:
Really, what's the point?
Matt:
I would never want to be in that situation with Pete.
Pete:
Just end it because it's better than being eaten. Or being a zombie.
Ben:
Just end it? (sighs)
Pete:
Yeah.
Matt:
So we're not surviving now. We're killing ourselves. Thanks mate.
Ben:
What about an attic? You go into an attic and you pull the stairs up and you've
got tons of supplies up there. But then you might get rickets if there's no
natural light or scurvy if you've got no fruit.
Pete:
Oh, you'd get scurvy on the ship.
Wil:
It's a nightmare!
Matt:
Just take lots of cartons of orange juice.
Pete:
I'm sorry everyone, I've ruined this question.
Wil:
You've got Berocca.
Pete:
Berocca, me on a bad... good day.
Ben:
You on a good day?
Wil:
Get the Berocca out and sort the zombies.
Pete:
Zombies on a good day.
Ben:
You could just pen them in.
Pete:
They're not sheep.
Matt:
Where are you penning them? They're after you.
Ben:
Just lasso them.
Matt:
What, like Nick Frost keeps Simon Pegg in his shed in Shaun of the Dead?
Ben:
Yeah.
10. Last question (cue
laughter), what's your favourite word?
Wil:
Oooh, I think mine is deluge. It just sounds so nice and you can imagine being
covered in water but very rapidly. In a deluge.
Ben:
I like the word curmudgeon because it sort of feels like it fits the moment but
it's a great word. You know, it sounds like what it is. Sort of.
Wil:
Yeah, can you explain that?
Ben:
Well, it sounds like droopy and sad and (puts on a somewhat dull, old man tone)"uhh
curmudgeonly." Isn't it mate? (pats Pete's thigh)
Matt:
I like the word confusion. (Silence for it to sink in then laughter from
everyone) I always have. It kind of sounds like what it does. And what's yours,
Pete?
Pete:
No? That's a good word. I don't know. Love?
(Collective
groans)
Wil:
No love.
Pete:
I don't know. Something long. I can barely speak so I don't like any words. I
can't get them out my mouth.
*After
the interview, we decided that Pete's favourite word should be catastrophe for what
some may call obvious reasons*
