Turin Brakes went back into the studio earlier this year which caused much excitement for us fans as it meant that hopefully a new album was in production.  They teased us mercilessly on Twitter by uploading Vines of what they were up to and have pretty much kept us in suspense ever since.

Their last album We Were Here was released in late 2013 to good reviews and was their sixth studio outing.  Signed to Cooking Vinyl, the album was recorded at Rockfield Studios and engineered and mixed by Ali Staton.  One of their Twitter posts showed that they had returned once more to Rockfield, so clearly something was afoot.

Deciding to use this as an opportunity to find out more about what was happening, I spoke to Olly Knights and asked him if he would answer some questions about the possible new album.  He was kind enough to do so, and he also updated me on the current situation with the production.

Turin Brakes 1Firstly, the good news.  There is a new album in the pipeline!  But secondly, the bad news is that it’s not ready for release yet and it probably won’t be until next year.  I’m sure other fans like myself were hoping that some new material would be available this year, but it seems we will have to wait just a bit longer.  I wouldn’t be too disappointed though as it just means that we have a lot to look forward to in 2016, and I for one am still very excited.

As the interview I did with Olly is mainly around the new album, I have decided that I won’t be posting it in full until the album is due for release.  See, something else for you to look forward to!  I am, however going to give you a little pre-empt of the full interview by posting six choice questions and answers now.  Hopefully this will whet your appetite and keep you intrigued and excited about what’s to come.

So, how did it feel to be back in the studio and at Rockfield of all places?

It was actually great, we worried it would feel too similar to the We Were Here sessions, but as always it took on its own identity as did the music.

Has the creation of the new album been a labour of love or did you find it an easy task?

We’ve done more pre-recording work than ever this time. We spent about three months in my little garden studio playing and playing and playing all the new ideas until we knew what really felt great to play together, so important! Once we de-camped to Rockfield we had barely enough time to get through all the epic material, but somehow we did it by the skin of our teeth.  Ali Staton our co-producer/engineer virtually gave up sleeping to get it done!

What can we expect this time as you have something of a reputation as a band that sounds different on every record?  It this likely to be a return to your folk roots or a side step into pastures new?

I’d say it’s more of a pastures new type of record, but with all the experience of what happens when we leave our comfort zone thrown in.  It’s unmistakably TB, but with some new twists and turns both sonically but also deep down in the roots of the songwriting.  We wanted to go straight for the jugular on many songs, so working out what the real point the song was trying to make was either lyrically or musically and then making damn sure it makes it!

What are your hopes for this album?

I’d love to see the music reach a wider audience again, it’s been a while. I’m not embarrassed about the idea of making music that resonates with lots of people, just as long as it’s bloody great…. It’s nice to feel your building something rather than just cruising I guess.

From a solo point of view, do you have any plans to write and record a second album?

I do, but it keeps not happening.  We were quite busy co-writing even during “down time”, but at some point new ideas will saturate my being and I will have to get them out before they evaporate, because they do.

And finally, just out of interest, what other artists are you enjoying listening to at the moment?  Any recommendations?

I have a stack of vinyl from Laura Marling, Jessica Pratt, The Staves, burning a hole in my conscious at the moment.  It’s safe to say my leaning towards strong female artists hasn’t lost its drive… Still looking for the next Joni Mitchell I guess.

And that’s it.  But only for now!  Hopefully this has given a little bit of insight into what we can expect with the upcoming new album.  The full interview will be posted in due course when we hear more on the release date.  So stay tuned as trust me, there is still a lot more to come.