INTERVIEW: noyou

Since forming in 2019, Sunderland’s favourite pop rock heroes noyou have gone from strength to strength – and after six months of hard work, they’re back with a shiny new EP this month. Poor Hearted is a dynamic six-track work which delves deeply into a myriad of themes and emotions. Talking to Connor Jobes, one of four core band members, it’s evident that the EP is really thoughtfully crafted and emotionally driven: “Speaking personally, to be ‘Poor Hearted’ is to be generally dissatisfied with where you’re currently at in life. We explore various aspects of this sentiment across the tracks, touching on personal struggles, unfulfilled desires and the quest for meaning.”

The production on Poor Hearted is excellent, and even more so when you discover the whole thing was pretty much fully born and self-produced in Connor’s home studio. “We usually start by writing a demo together on my computer. Since we can all play various instruments, everyone’s ideas are welcome, and no one sticks to just their main instrument. Once the demo is solid, we figure out how to play it live, then hit the practice space to refine it. Our goal is to make it sound like a cohesive band, not just a group of guys trying to replicate something they made on the computer. We like to play the songs live early to see what works in a gig scenario.

“For Poor Hearted, we followed this process, then booked a studio for a weekend to track drums. The rest was recorded, mixed and mastered in the room it was written in, my humble home studio. We booked recording sessions over several days, and the lads would come down and stay for a while. We had a lot of fun doing it!” It’s remarkable how much the band’s enjoyment of the recording process shines through the tracks, even in the more emotional songs.

Heavy emotional themes are often present in our lyrics, and it’s proved therapeutic for me to channel those feelings into something productive

Speaking of these emotional songs – lyrically, Poor Hearted can be gutting at times. What’s admirable about it is how openly heavy themes are expressed throughout: there is a refreshing lack of taboo in these tunes. “Lyrics are always something that are tough to get right. It can be difficult sometimes to say what you want to say and get the right things off of your chest, without it sounding cringe or like you’re calling anyone out. Heavy emotional themes are often present in our lyrics, and it’s proved therapeutic for me to channel those feelings into something productive.”

The EP is wholeheartedly original, created with no particular influences in mind, but I’m told that the band have a shared love of artists such as The Band Camino, Biffy Clyro, Nothing But Thieves, The 1975 and The Japanese House. If any of those ring a particularly potent bell in your head, I think it’s safe to say you’ll also enjoy noyou.

And for old and new fans of the band, there’s a massive show at Independent on Friday 27^th September: “You can expect to see a performance from us at the top of our game, featuring both new tracks from Poor Hearted and some fan favourites. We’re planning a dynamic set with high energy, emotional depth, and a few surprises along the way. It’s going to be an awesome night, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone.”

Poor Hearted by noyou is out now. The band play Independent, Sunderland on Friday 27^th September.