Q: Can you share the story of how WESSON came together as a band, and what inspired the decision to create music together?
A: Chris started it all under his own name “Chris Wesson” and has written his own songs
for many years. To establish a more cohesive sound, he set out to start a band that could write the parts together. Chris had met Dale, Callum and Jimmy over the years at open mic nights and jam nights. He had always thought about them if he was ever to put a band together. It started off with Dale and Callum and after about a year of the band being a three-piece, they decided that the addition of a lead guitarist would enable Chris to focus on his vocals and serve to add more intricate lead lines into the songs. Dale, Callum and Jimmy got involved in the project because they felt they could use their experience to take the song and the band to the next level by adding depth and texture.
Q: “All We Are” is described as a cathartic creation. Could you elaborate on the inspiration behind the album and the themes you aimed to explore?
A: The themes for the album are self-awareness and reflection on life experiences. Chris
took a lot of inspiration for the lyrics from his personal life and things he had going on
around him. He started to become aware and understand the effects that those
situations were having on him and that helped him to come to terms with what was
going on. The music itself is based on different influences throughout the decades, based around the genres of Indie, Rock, Alt, Pop/Punk Britpop etc. Lots of classic bands, like the
Beach Boys, The Beatles, Queen, Radiohead, The Stone Roses, The Police, My Chemical
Romance, Blink-182, Green Day, Oasis and Blur etc.
Q: Can you walk us through the band’s creative process in developing the album, from initial concepts to the final recording?
A: Chris will present the skeleton of a song to the band. If they like it, they will start off by being openly creative and allowing their ideas to flow in a jam-like situation. Once some basic ideas have been put down, they will slowly sculpt the song and go through different ideas for each section, until they agree on parts they all like. The arrangement changes a lot during this process and will often evolve massively over the period of several rehearsals or even months. The outcome may only loosely resemble the original idea and may not even ultimately be recognisable as the same song. After the song has been recorded, the post production can also massively change the sound of the song and will add that final bit of magic.
Q: How do you feel “All We Are” represents the evolution of WESSON’s sound, and what
elements do you believe set your music apart?
A: There is a definite journey involved in the creation of the album. Understand, Second
Chances and Breathing In were written before the others joined the band and then the
rest of the songs were written together. My Self, Unhappy Ever After, Voices and Stay Or
Leave was then written as a band and stayed in a similar vein to the previous songs, but
had more influence from the rest of the band. Songs like Made Me Happy and All We Are,
start to emerge as the style develops and the band starts to experiment with new sounds. The first 6 single releases from the album were all produced by Jeremy Rompala. My Self, Second Chances and All We Are, were then produced by Callum and Jimmy. This helped us to get closer to the sound we were looking for. By the end of the album creation, we were getting closer to where we wanted to be.
Q: Were there any notable collaborations or influences that played a significant role in shaping the album?
A: Jeremy Rompala who produced the first 6 songs, had a big impact on those songs. He
shaped them, with creative arrangement and sound design ideas. He added synth sounds, which we probably wouldn’t have done ourselves. With the last 3 releases, Callum and Jimmy went for a more acoustic approach, using extra guitars, organs, piano, strings and lots of layered vocal parts.
Q: Why did you choose the title “All We Are” for the album, and how does it encapsulate the essence of the band’s journey?
A: We in part chose that name, as it was the final track on the album that hadn’t been previously released. It also made sense, as it reflects us putting it out into the world and saying “Here you go, this is what we are about and what we have to offer… for now!”
Q: Do you have a favourite track from the album, and if so, what makes it stand out to you
personally?
A: We all have different favourite songs. Chris’ favourite song – Made Me Happy “Made Me Happy came out really great on the recording. It’s one of those songs I’d have on my playlist, as all of my favourite influences are coming through. The harmonies, melodies and guitar parts are just so good. I really like the journey of the song but the best part for me is the second verse going into the halftime anthemic section at 1:18. Go and check it out!
The story in the lyrics is a happy sad sentiment. It’s about finding a silver lining, coming
to terms with things and acceptance of the past.
Dale’s favourite song – Voices
“Voices has always had a special place in my heart. It was one of the first songs that we
wrote together and it always takes me back to that time. I’m a massive fan of the Chorus vocals and can’t help but sing along every time I hear it. I have to lean away from my microphone when we play it live, otherwise, everyone will hear me singing it! I also love Callum’s backing vocals and wouldn’t be upset if he let me sing it. I have fond memories of discussing the song with Chris and writing the storyline for the video. Unfortunately, the video was never fully realised.”
Callum’s favourite song – All We Are
“I particularly like the pacing of All We Are and the journey the song goes on. I’ve always enjoyed playing the song live and I feel like we’ve been able to do the journey justice in the production also. My favourite part of the song is the Outro/climax of the song which starts at 2:20. The guitar solo leading into the key change at 2:52, has a great rhythm. That’s the moment to listen out for!”
Jimmy’s favourite song – My Self
“The song My Self sounds quite nostalgic to me. It’s reminiscent of the rock music that was popular when I was a kid, with its big epic Choruses. I really enjoyed writing and recording all of the guitar layers and adding them during the production stage of the process.
When I listen to the song, it’s great to hear them coming through, along with the guitar solo at the end.”
Q: Every creative process comes with challenges. Can you share some of the obstacles
the band encountered while working on “All We Are” and how you overcame them?
A: It was such a learning curve on so many levels. We had to learn how to write and
arrange the songs together as a band and be able to agree on a sound that we were all invested in. In that time, we also learnt how to produce the songs ourselves, during the
writing process but also in post-production and mixing. We’ve had to learn the whole process and learn how much there really is to it all. We learnt how to release the songs ourselves and now we are learning to promote ourselves, also.
Q: What do you hope listeners will take away from “All We Are,” and how do you envision
it connecting with your audience?
A: We hope that they will understand that someone has been there before if they are
going through a tough situation. It also has a feel-good factor to it and we hope people
get a pleasant feeling when they listen to it. It’s like having a friend in their pocket, which
they can connect with, whenever they need it.
Q: If you could convey one message to your fans through the album, what would it be,
and why is it important to you?
A: You’re not alone. We have all been through tough times and come out the other side. Life is an experience and we don’t want to let it defeat anyone.
Q: What can fans expect from WESSON in the future? Are there any upcoming projects
or collaborations that you are particularly excited about?
A: We have an acoustic EP coming out in February and we will also be releasing a few singles in the run-up to our second album. We look forward to filming some new music videos for those releases and also some documentary-style footage is on its way.
