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The South Shields musical outfit tell us about the inspirations behind their new EP
South Shields five-piece The Oldman Sound release their new EP, Fair-weather. Released via the band’s own Foxtrot-Foxtrot Recordings label, the three-track collection combines melodic indie-pop and guitar-led songwriting. The title track is accompanied by an AI-assisted animated short film, while the EP was recorded and co-produced by Adam Forster at Birdsong Studios. Formed by Andrew Coiley and Andrew Forster, the band has evolved from a home-recording project into a five-piece featuring Kristos Kabiotis, Wez Westgate and Sarah Farrell-Forster.
The title track pairs warm, melodic vocals and heavenly harmonies with chunky electric guitar and gently strummed acoustic textures, riding an easy groove before shifting into more reflective territory, where twinkling keys and hypnotic vocals create a rich atmosphere. Dead Strings leans into a late-Seventies Bowie-esque sound, its laid-back pace gradually opening into more adventurous terrain, while Tame (A Saint’s Life) channels a Beatles-like singalong spirit, driven by buoyant keys, moody strings, gritty guitar riffs and infectious vocal hooks.
Here, the two Andrews discuss the inspirations behind the EP…
Andrew Coiley – Fos and I have a lot of similar tastes in music, initially bonding over 60s bands like the Doors, Love, Captain Beefheart and excessive double albums like Exile on Main St and The White Album. On this EP I can really hear our mutual love of alternative/lo-fi (Dinosaur Jr, Flaming Lips, Beck, Pavement etc..) as well as classic 60’s pop songs – which always reminds us to rein things in when we get a bit too indulgent.
Andrew Forster I can hear bits of Teenage Fanclub, XTC, The Beach Boys and Field Music in there too. I’d been listening to a lot of folkier stuff around this time and Coiley leans towards heavier bands but it’s definitely more interesting when things happen somewhere in between. We’d been obsessed with making a White Album-style record of songs inside songs (eg Band on the Run or The Past That Suits You Best). We’ve written plenty that way for the album, but for this EP the structures are more straightforward.
AC Fair-weather came about quickly when I showed Fos a riff that I had, which he then figured out some chords for. We wrote a few other sections for it, and he had a riff which we adapted for the end section. We had the music and a basic arrangement in a few hours, and Fos had the vocals ready a week later. For the guitars on the EP I tried to capture some slightly heavier, drier sounds than previously. I was trying to get a sound somewhere between George Harrison and Jimmy Page, who are big influences… I failed but think it turned out canny anyway.
AF The end section was originally faster and sounded too much like Vampire Weekend. Coiley suggested slowing it down, more hypnotic and it all came together. Lyricists that inspire include obvious ones such as Ray Davies, Black Thought, Bob Dylan, GZA, Alex Turner and Jeff Tweedy. In terms of modern stuff, I like Cameron Winter and Caspian from Twisted Teens. Sometimes the Oldman words are deliberately on the nose; sometimes there’s something else underneath. It’s important to leave a bit of room for people to find their own meaning.
AC This EP was the first time Fos and I made a conscious effort to keep the demos really minimal so the band could have more input when they came to rehearse the songs with us; there was more space for them to play about with and make it their own. It has definitely given the EP its own feel.
AF We had mainly been a home and studio project, playing the odd gig. Fair-weather came alive when the band (Wez, Kristos, Ciaran and Sarah) got hold of it in rehearsal. We wanted to release something that had more energy and felt more collaborative. These three tracks captured a burst of momentum through working with producer Adam Forster. Dead Strings began with a nod to Beck and his Americana classics such as The Golden Age. The demo was really slow and drenched in vocal reverb, but felt far too close to its influence, so we reshaped it.
AC Tame (A Saint’s Life) took the longest to finish; we dismantled and put that song back together a few times until we were happy with the arrangement. Its working title came from the demo’s Tame Impala feel, which was built around the distorted bass, but I think the finished song sounds nothing like that, but can hear influences from Kinks and Pink Floyd and Beach Boys on that one. There are also appearances from Ian Black (SLUG), Paul Jeans, and a string arrangement from J G Winter. With two drummers and around 100 separate tracks to mix, it certainly tested Adam’s sanity.
AF For production, I usually send Adam notes and reference mixes (things like 70s Abbey Road recordings), but we didn’t for the title track, as it felt more collaborative.
AC I am proud of how the EP and short film have turned out. Fos’ melodies and lyrics are as amazing as usual. His and Sarah’s vocals sound amazing, and the band came up with some great parts. Adam captured the tracks brilliantly and despite our many influences, it still sounds like Oldman.
AF I had an idea for a video that was way beyond our budget and technical abilities. I grew up watching Camberwick Green and Trumpton reruns via my mam and wanted to do a seventies-style stop-motion animation in that vein. I experimented with AI tools to design and animate the characters. The learning curve was really steep, and editing tested my limited skills and patience. Hopefully that little world in the video captures some of the song’s meaning.
