Throbbing Epistle

And So I Watch You From Afar know how to make an attention-grabbing noise. Whether it’s conjuring up an on-stage tempest, or launching a promo blitzkrieg– there’s one thing you can count on: if you’re in the same room as the North Coast four-piece, you’ll soon know all about it.

This month sees the release of the band’s self-titled debut album, and while there’s nary a vocal to be found on it (excepting, of course, the 40 strong choir on ‘Don’t Waste Time Doing Things You Hate’), it’s a fierce, romantic, belligerent and anything but (to borrow a title from one its stand-out tracks) voiceless piece of work.
Don’t let the absence of lyrics fool you into thinking the band have nothing to say. As their song-titles suggest, there are plenty of ideas and theories seething and simmering below the water-line.
Guitarist Tony Wright has popped his head above the surface to give us the low-down.

SET GUITARS TO KILL
Tony: “This is the ludicrously named opener to our ludicrously self titled album. It’s one of the rare few tunes on the record that was named before we’d even started writing it! Usually we mull over titles for an agonising time making sure it’s both outrageous and (hopefully) thought provoking in some way.
The track itself is a real departure from how we’d been perceived in the past. Basically we wanted to make a hard rock track you could dance to. We think we did that. See you on the dancefloor.
A LITTLE BIT OF SOLIDARITY GOES A LONG WAY
An incessant riff with nice big chord explosions. We wanted to write a short punchy pop piece with our twist on it. The main hook hangs around in your head for an un-natural length of time. Then we shift it into a nice anthemic middle section. The sentiment behind the title is strength through our peers and the magnificent things happening musically on this Island if we all pull together.
CLENCH FISTS, GRIT TEETH…GO!
The heaviest track on the album, and one we especially love playing live. The title says it all really!
I CAPTURE CASTLES
An older song that first appeared on our debut, self released EP, This Is Our Machine And Nothing Can Stop It, almost like a signature tune for us. It marked a departure from the earlier stuff we did when we originally started jamming. We hold it dear to our hearts and felt it had to be included.
START A BAND
The sentiment behind this is pretty self explanatory, being in a band is all any of us really know and it’s all we ever want to do. Probably a bit presumptuous of us, but we think everybody should have this much fun!
TIP OF THE HAT, PUNCH IN THE FACE
One of the last songs to be written that’s included on the album. it’s a jaunty beast to begin with then takes a sinister turn halfway through. We hope you like it, we fuckin’ love it.
IF IT AIN’T BROKE, BREAK IT
A riffy, hook laden, hectic monster of a tune. Its almost like two completely separate tracks welded together. Like a cut and shut second/third/fourth/fifth hand car! Its pretty intense and easily the most fun track to play live.
THESE RIOTS ARE JUST THE BEGINNING
Another older track that first appeared on our limited edition, Tonight The City Burns EP. It was named at the time the Burma riots were taking place, and, kinda like ‘White Riot’ by The Clash, it’s a nod to how sometimes riots are the only option to incur positive change. Not like those asshole drunken students who rioted in Belfast on St Patrick’s day. We don’t endorse violence in any way, but sometimes when a group of people have injustice relentlessly served to them, unfortunately their situation forces them to take action. Like an animal backed into a corner that’s frightened, occasionally they’re gonna lash out to make it be known that they’re not going to take it any more.
DON’T WASTE TIME DOING THINGS YOU HATE
Almost like the antithesis of , ‘These Riots…’, it’s a party recorded. It’s got a real samba feel to it in the middle, not to mention the 40 strong choir of our friends and peers. Personally this is probably my fondest memory of the recording session. We wanted to sound like a real celebration; we hope you can hear that.
THE VOICELESS
Another oldie, it’s a real live favourite. We felt it had to be recorded again, because there was so much scope to expand on it with instruments we normally wouldn’t use. Rocky O’Reilly, our producer and all round legend, got his lovely wife and equally legendary, Angie, on to add some strings. Piano, Organ and glock were all thrown into the mix too.
EAT THE CITY, EAT IT HOLE
The final track, and one that we feel sums it all up. There’s so many different sections in it that leap from genre to genre. One second dreamy, the next all jagged, after that linear and so on, the best thing we could recommend for you to do is go and listen to it, and we really hope you enjoy it. I’ve rambled enough!”