Sweet Sweet Music spoke to Will Harris about being a bottler-upper, creating a sound that was just perfect, Grandaddy, and seeing Brian Wilson perform ‘God Only Knows’.

What was the moment you knew you were on to something?

The moment came remarkably early on. Our old drummer had moved away, and we needed a new bassist too, so we put out a call. We weren’t expecting much response, but we were overwhelmed with offers! Two of the first to respond were our now drummer, Simon, and our now bassist, Robin. The first time we all practiced together, I thought “This is it!” We were instantly tight, singing great harmonies and creating a sound that was just perfect for the songs I had in my head. We’ve just got better and better ever since and our musical connection grows and grows.

As an artist, you chose to show your emotions to the world. Is it always comfortable to do so?

No, not at all. Ironically, I am not good at talking about my emotions at all. I’m definitely a bottler-upper, and my music has always been an outlet to release emotions that I might not want to actually express in person. I find it very strange when people 100% understand what I’m saying in my songs, as it feels as if they’re getting a bit too close! It might sound strange, given we sing these songs onstage and release them to the world, but I have a few songs that, despite being available globally, are still intensely personal and almost even private to me. But I also know that these personal songs tend to be the ones that resonate the most with people, and I really love the thought that people might feel a real connection with them too.

When was the last time you thought ‘I just wrote a hit’?

Last week, actually. I’ve had an idea going around in my head for months, and it was always clear to me that it was a good idea, but I couldn’t quite place how it would work. Last week, I was just messing around on the piano and came up with a totally new, totally different, piano part, and I thought, quite literally, ‘I just wrote a hit!’. I can’t wait to play it with the band.

You can pick 3 co-writers to write new songs with. Who? and Why?

Oooh, this is a good question, and my answer would probably be different every day. But for today, I pick Jason Lytle, Jimmy Webb, and Bjork.

Jason Lytle, because Grandaddy is probably my favorite ever band (and also he was kind enough to allow us to use one of his photos for our album cover). Jimmy Webb because he wrote Wichita Lineman and that is the only song I can think of that is literally perfect (there are a few others that are very close to perfect, their only flaw being the fact that they aren’t Wichita Lineman). And Bjork because she is a creative genius, and I think it would be awe-inspiring (and an awful lot of fun) to work with her.

What’s the gig you’ll always remember, and why?

There are loads of amazing gigs we’ve played that will always be wonderful memories, but for a single gig that I’ll remember I have to go with seeing Brian Wilson at Kendal Calling in 2017. Kendal Calling is a wonderful festival located about 2 miles from my house in Cumbria. They always punch above their weight in terms of line-up, and in 2017 they got Brian Wilson playing Pet Sounds. I’m a massive Brian Wilson and Pet Sounds fan, so the idea of seeing him live, essentially in the woods by my house, was utterly insane! We had just finished our set and were dropping our gear back at the car, and a bus drove towards us, with Brian Wilson in the front seat. That memory is indelible. And then to see him perform God Only Knows, surrounded by my friends, there… Words can’t describe what that meant to me.

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