INTERVIEW: Binaries

For readers with long memories, Northumberland/North Tyneside trio Binaries may seem a tad familiar. That’s because, pre-plague, they operated under the moniker What We Call Progress, peddling a taut, electro-infused brand of alt. rock which wore its influences on its sleeve, but never at the expense of core duo John Pattison and David Young’s own sonic ambitions.

“A lot of the reset was down to Ivy [Hollow Mead, drummer],” vocalist/guitarist John reveals. “Dave and I felt we’d squeezed about as much out of What We Call Progress as we could – especially live. We’d see other bands and think we needed more dynamism, so we explored getting a drummer and that’s where Ivy came in.” Initially a live-only recruit, the zeal and humanity she brought to their music necessitated a wider collaboration – and with it, a fresh start. “We felt we needed a name change to represent that,” John reflects: “It felt like something new.”

Buoyed by fresh creative impetus, this month sees Binaries hit a milestone their earlier incarnation never reached: the release of their debut album. Featuring 12 tracks – some brand new, others adapted from material dating back as far as 2018 – Disaster Patterns’ meld of melodic muscle and dexterous textures is both an echo and expansion on previous works. Traces of Mogwai, Four Tet and especially Radiohead remain prominent, yet over 46 minutes this finely honed statement projects an effervescent sonic personality that’s distinctly its own.

These songs are about awareness and expression – doing things that are human and creative

“What we’ve produced is quite different to anything I’ve been involved with before – or even listened to, frankly,” admits Ivy. “My background is in deathcore and grindcore, and we wanted to preserve that heavy, driving element to the drums. Some of them sound like repetitive loops you’d hear from a computer, whereas others wouldn’t sound out of place on a modern metal track. It’s a sound I doubt any of us could have come up with independently.”

Lyrically too, Disaster Patterns strikes a potent chord, chronicling humanity’s reliance on (or enslavement to?) technology in a bleak, dystopian future-turned-present. “The themes – alienation and isolation through technology– aren’t exactly a novelty, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less pertinent,” says electronics guru David. “I’ve certainly had my own mental health struggles, and a lot of that has been compounded by social media, and every aspect of our lives being mediated by technology.”

“We’re not writing about the units – mobile phones, the internet – per se, but rather the impact they have on us as people,” John elaborates. “One of the core starting points was that feeling of having everything pushed at you, all at once, all the time. Look at your news feed and you’ll see dogs doing tricks and your pals having babies – lovely! – but you’ll also see wars and decapitated bodies. And what’s worse is that you’re over it all in less than a minute. It’s too much to process.”

Moreover, the band regard the humanity at their record’s heart as their own private form of protest. “It can seem pretty grim out there, but at our core I don’t think any of us are completely hopeless,” John muses. “These songs are about awareness and expression – doing things that are human and creative, which have that spark of life to them. It gives us something to cling onto.”

Disaster Patterns is released on Friday 8^th November. The band play The Globe, Newcastle on Friday 6^th December.