Trash Boat | Brainwork | Artwork Feature

Though only a year young, UK pop punk newcomers Trash Boat have made little short of a flying start. The St Albans based quintet came bursting out of the blocks in July 2014 with their debut E.P, the aptly titled ‘Look Alive’. Boasting buoyant guitar licks and vocal melodies custom built for impregnation on the temporal lobe, ‘Look Alive’ saw Trash Boat quickly capturing attention. A flurry of live activity followed, the band hitting the road to share stages alongside Me Vs. Hero, Light You Up, Roam, Homebound, Six Time Champion and Knuckle Puck. ‘Look Alive’ received rave reviews, its lead track ‘Boneless’ earning the band a coveted spot on Rock Sound magazine’s covermount CD, and securing the band a worldwide deal with respected international label, Hopeless Records. Since securing a sought-after place on the label roster, alongside such well respected names as All Time Low, Neck Deep, Taking Back Sunday and New Found Glory, Trash Boat have been hard at work on the follow up to their debut and recently released their sophomore E.P ‘Brainwork’. Here vocalist Tobi describes the process and thoughts behind the creation of its artwork….

Artist: Jake Carruthers

Why we picked him: We had seen a bunch of stuff he had done for other bands and were really digging his style, we were interested to see what he would do with our brief and he smashed it to be honest!

Creation Convo: Our original EP artwork featured that little ragged purple/blue guy so the brief we sent over to Jake was asking for not only the theme of reflection, but we also wanted to see someone emerging from him like he was shedding skin.

What the art is attempting to represent is growth from adversity, the 'Look Alive' guy was on his knees and looking hopeless, with the Brainwork art we wanted him looking like he was picking himself up and moving forward, shedding his skin, reflecting on his issues and gaining some perspective (several puns in there I'll leave it to you to find them).The term 'Brainwork was coined as even though a lot of the lyrics to Trash Boat's song address physical issues, the biggest struggle is in our heads.

Trash Boat released ‘Brainwork’ via Hopeless Records on 18/05/15. Watch their most recent video for Eleven here: 

Miss Vincent | Reasons Not To Sleep | Artwork Feature

The follow up to their well received 2013 E.P Creepy, Reasons Not To Sleep sees Southampton’s Miss Vincent switching it from creepy to gloomy. Playing their self-styled ‘moody punk rock’, paying homage to the likes of Alkaline Trio and AFI, RNTS see them take their craft to the next level. “The songs we wrote for this record have a much darker, aggressive, and unhinged feel to them,” says Alex Marshall, lead vocalist and guitarist. As they gear up for release on 11^th May via Engineer Records, they discuss the creation of the artwork… 

Creating artwork is actually one of my favourite parts of being in a band, whether it’s for tour posters, t-shirts or EP covers. For the ‘Reasons Not To Sleep’ artwork we worked with the very talented Joshua Kelly AKA J-Monster Art. I think I found his page on Facebook one afternoon, had a look through some of his work and really liked his style. There was a Wednesday Addams and an Evil Dead inspired piece that he’d done which totally sold it for us. He takes influence from guys like Godmachine and Dan Mumford, some other great artists that we’re fans of. 

Initial Sketch by J-Monster Art 

Aesthetically we wanted the cover to be very dark and moody and make sure it reflected the tone of the music. We originally planned to use a photograph rather than getting something illustrated like we did for our first EP ‘Creepy’, just to do something different, but after throwing some ideas around we realised illustration was the way to go.

The concept came from an EP title we were playing around with which was ‘Into The Dark’, which was intended to reflect our move into darker musical territory. I had this idea of a guy with a light bulb for a head about to turn off a light switch, just to represent the idea of light vs. dark / positivity vs. self-deprecation, which is a big part of 'Reasons Not To Sleep'. 

We told J-Monster what we wanted to create, he sketched an idea and we went from there; we asked for some small changes along the way but mostly we just let him do his thing. I think he totally got what we wanted to do and he was the perfect guy for the job.


Reasons Not To Sleep is out May 11th via Engineer Records! Check out the single, 'How Much Further?' below:



Miss Vincent's Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Bandcamp

Milestones | Equal Measures | Artwork Feature

Averaging an age of just 18 (17 when they wrote and recorded Equal Measures in 2014, with former Bring Me The Horizon / now All Time Low sound guy Phil Gornell), Milestones have meticulously constructed five songs that positively belie their young age and relative inexperience; Equal Measures is the glorious, compelling sound of raw, natural talent put to the test, tracks such as anthemic single ‘Nothing Left’ offering up simple but soaring melodies that tingle the nape of your neck and leave you totally hooked. Here vocalist Matt discusses the creation of the artwork for their debut… 

“For our EP artwork we decided to go with Bootch Art & Design because he has completed some amazing work in the past. For example, he worked with our lads in Yeah Detroit (whom we toured with in February), so we went from there really. 

We mentioned what concepts we wanted to portray and then altered a few different sketch versions until we were happy. The creation of the cover really was based around the lyrics concerning uncertainty, which focus mainly a sense of security being taken away from you. When you cherish something so close, sometimes you forget that the feeling isn't invincible and isn't eternal. We tried to capture this by featuring a guy leaving his home, as a home represents what I mentioned; security. You never expect your home to not be there the next day, the same way the lyrics portray that sense of uncertainty and feeling lost. 

We also wanted the setting to be a wooded area, in order to give the idea of being lost afterwards. It's not like he's just losing his home and everything he's known, he also has absolutely no idea where he's going now, he's completely lost and alone. 

I suppose the whole record is a quiet reminder for me never to hold on and be too certain on things. Never to count on tomorrow really. We're very pleased with the outcome and would like to thank Bootch for doing a good job with it!”

Equal Measures is out the 6th of April! Check out Milestone's video for 'More to Me' below: 



Milestones' Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Bandcamp    

Nathan Detroit - Track By Track Guide & Artwork Feature

Already on their third release in just two years, Nathan Detroit have clearly been on a creative quest to find their best self. Mission accomplished. To be sure, forthcoming release Peace Of Mind sees the Wiltshire quintet frothing with melodies and punchy, infectious hooks, the EP’s four tracks feel positively jam packed 
with killer choruses and memorable refrains. Here vocalist Jamie guides you through the themes and lyrical inspirations 
behind the offering, track by track…

"As we embarked on a further release, we wanted to make sure we were happy with the general direction we were heading in. As we began writing, it became pretty obvious to us that it was going to be a step forward and one in the direction that we had all talked about at the start. The finished product has a clear path from song to song, with a general theme of progression from beginning to end and a feeling that can be related to so many different situations and circumstances: mostly those that helped write these songs in the first place, those that everyone goes through in life. 

‘The Way Down’ Having established what the direction of the EP was going to be, we were able to start right at the beginning with ‘The Way Down’. The general feel of the song and the lyrical inspiration revolve around those regular day to day things that can feel like as if they are just getting too much. We have all had that poignant moment when we think, “I can’t take any more of this” and “enough is enough”. This is not necessarily a negative point of view, it can be seen as a positive message through hard times, signifying a turning point. I think it’s an honest song and one that emphasises the importance of balance. ‘Never Enough’: When approaching this EP we determined that it was important for us to touch on things which we had never addressed before.

 ‘Never Enough’ was written to portray a time in all of our lives, when being yourself is scrutinised to the nth degree, perhaps to the point of oppression in some cases. Everyday life can be pretty strenuous, but as the song progresses it demonstrates the need to continue with things, prioritising and living by your own terms. The message is to have the strength to recognise what you need to do to keep going. 

‘I Will Always Be Part Of This World’: This was a massively emotional song to write and by far the most vivid in terms of imagery. I address some issues which had been presented in ‘The Way Down’ and ‘Never Enough’, but with an element of reflection and contemplation. It was always an important part of the message of the EP to encourage taking steps forward and as the Chorus states, it’s a slow and steady road but one which does have an end, there is a realisation that things are going to be ok. 

‘Every Heart’: From the beginning we knew we wanted to clearly address a specific idea with ‘Every Heart’, the idea that no matter what happens, we all have something to offer. It was my vision to take the emotional elements explored in the EP and at the end, put a fun twist on them, leaving listeners with the general message that we can all contribute something. In fact we probably already do. ‘Every Heart’ marks the final step on the journey from feeling emotionally drained to knowing there is a positive future. 


Guitarist Callan also describes the process behind the artwork...

“For this release we definitely wanted to focus on the packaging, as we felt this is a genuine step up with the band. Before I had even joined Nathan Detroit as the second guitarist, I had made artwork for the band, but had never considered myself as an “artist”. In fact, I have only really taken art seriously over the past year or so through my venture (C.Milward Graphics & Art).

With this cover I wanted to make it feel more organic, so I decided to make it a hand-drawn effort. I began with the ‘brain-guy’ in the centre of the piece. I’m not really sure why I decided to go with this idea, but I had recently been really digging the cover for the new Polar Bear Club recordand wanted to put my own spin on the style. I also have been liking a lot of posters coming from Rockets are Redand wanted to use a similar bold & natural colour scheme. The overriding message of this release lyrically focusses on switching from a negative state in your life to a positive, (hence the title “Peace Of Mind”), so I wanted the cover to represent that transition in one scene, as well as give it a“Sci-Fi” theme…

After drawing the brain character I moved on to drawing the scenery, such as “the hill” and “ray of light” beaming from the top of it. Once assembled together I played with a lot of simple colour schemes to give it a “evening woodland” feel. I actually hated the cover at this stage for a while! I think a lot of artists go through this with their artwork. Everyone is their own worst critic of course. However, once I started playing with the detail work I really began to fall in love with the piece and call it “finished”.Working on the whole thing, it took the best part of 8 hours a day for a week. This is the longest period of time I’ve worked on artwork, but turned out to be one of my favourite pieces I have produced. I can’t wait until the release date just to hold a physical copy of it! Oh and see if you can spot the Squirrel with the final cover, it’s tricky to spot!”

Peace of Mind is released on August 11th. Check out the video for The Way Down below:

Homebound - Coming of Age - Artwork Feature

South East pop-punk quintet
Homebound have spent a year 
behind closed doors, writing, writing and writing some more, until they were ready to share their infectious fruits with the world. The result is their 6-track debut EP ‘Coming Of Age’, complete with hook laden vocal lines aren’t without substance and context: “The lyrics deal with that time in life when you start having to make decisions regarding your ‘future’” states vocalist Charlie. Here the band talk us through the process behind creating the artwork for the release…

“When it came to the artwork for the EP, none of us had any idea of what we wanted it to look like. It had to be original and something different; something you might not necessarily expect from a Pop Punk band. We came across Joe at LookHappy Design and explained the EP concept. With his mind being ten times as creative as ours, he managed to draft all sorts of awesome ideas until we decided on this one, which we felt depicted the EP and everything it stood for perfectly. That is, the fear of stepping out into the unknown, filled with a sense of danger and wildness, then having to choose a path to follow. It really grasps the feeling and sentiments we shared as a band and we couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.”

Pick up Coming of Age for free here.

Trash Boat - Look Alive - Artwork Feature

Though only officially founded at the start of 2014, pop-punk quintet Trash Boat have already played their first shows and recorded their debut E.P, ‘Look Alive’, which just saw release on 23rd June. Bursting with buoyant guitar licks and the kind of vocal melodies you only need to hear once before they’re imprinted on your temporal lobe, ‘Look Alive’ is a formidable first strike from Trash Boat’s arsenal. Drummer Oakley takes us through the design process for 

their iconic cover… 

“The artwork took quite a bit of time to come together, but I think it turned out for the best as a 
result. The initial design involved just the kneeling character, which was done by Natas Designs who has worked with the likes of Gnarwolves. We basically all loved his work and just gave him creative reign to do what he wanted, inspired purely by giving him our band and EP name. He killed it, for the name 'Look Alive' it just fitted perfectly. However, we felt it needed something else to get away from a boring vanilla background. After a photo shoot with Snooty Fox Images, we got the reference sheet for the background for the EP cover. It fitted really nicely and was what we thought was missing from the original design. I ended up putting everything together, very organically, we couldn't be happier.”

Download Look Alive on Bandcamp here.

You can also check out our review of Look Alive here.