I rarely do band interviews for this blog. But I could not pass up the opportunity to speak to one of my favorite bands, The Speedways! In advance of the release of their amazing new album Talk of the Town
, Matt and Mauro from The Speedways were kind enough to answer a few of my questions. Enjoy! F & L: You have a new album called Talk of the Town releasing very soon. Could you tell us a little about this album and how it might be different from the last one?
Matt: The recording process was different this time. We tracked as a full band, so the takes are 'live', so to speak. Then we overdubbed the vocals, lead guitar, keyboard etc. I think it definitely gives the songs more energy.
Influence-wise, we tried a few more things. We all love soul, '80s pop and '70s rock as much as the usual suspects, so there's a new flavour to our overall sound for sure.
Mauro: The influences are probably a bit wider, or more unexpected on this one - we were listening to all sorts and chucking all sorts of ideas into the mix this time. Doing some things we hadn't done before on albums was definitely a motivation, as well as trying to surprise people. Essentially, it's just us broadening what you'd think of as the "Speedways sound"!
F & L: The Speedways originated as a one-off solo project but became a proper band in 2018. With this new album, you have a true full-band effort featuring singing and songwriting contributions from multiple members. Yet it all sounds distinctly like The Speedways. In what ways has this band evolved since the four of you first got together?
Matt: It's strange because we hardly ever get chance to rehearse! But we do seem to have a telepathic tightness and shared headspace when it comes to being Speedways.
I mean, originally "The Speedways'" was an alias I gave myself in order to sing my songs, and as you say, the intention was only to make Just Another Regular Summer, but it's evolved massively since then. The new album is definitely the result of that evolution.
F & L: Let’s talk about the making of Talk of the Town. This was your first major release post-COVID. What was it like when you got together and started rehearsing new material? Had some of those song ideas been floating in your heads for a while?
Matt: I hardly wrote a note during 2021, but I did have a dream that the next album would be called Talk Of The Town — hence why I eventually wrote the song "Talk Of The Town."
I had "A Drop In The Ocean" knocking around for a couple of years, but all the rest of my contributions were written specifically for the album.
Rehearsal-wise, we worked really hard in the limited time we had. It's amazing how prepared and proficient we actually were when we recorded! Jez (producer) was a big creative presence as always.
Mauro: Getting back in the rehearsal room and getting stuck into the new material was great. It wasn't all plain sailing for sure; we were challenging ourselves and the songs, trying to hone them to be the best they could be, and that can lead to hitting some frustrating dead ends. Once we finally got into the recording studio, though, it was really satisfying to hear how prepared and in shape we were, in comparison to how we made Radio Sounds, for example. I think my ones kind of came in a bit of a batch around the same time, but some of them ("Wrong Place Wrong Time" in particular!) went through several rewrites before they made it to the band!
F & L: I’m sure people are dying to know about this one. Speedways’ songs are full of heartbreak and drama. To what degree are these songs autobiographical?
Matt: 100%. It was a bit different for me this time, though. I've said before that Just Another Regular Summer was a love letter to a special moment in my life. Radio Sounds was largely about what happened (and almost happened) after Regular Summer came out. They really are chapter 1 & 2 for me personally, I guess. My lyrics throughout Talk Of The Town have remnants and references to that story, but there are also other stories, less specific lyrics and a more guarded approach.
There's always drama, disappointment, jealousy and romance, but most of all, I hope people get the sincerity. I mean it all, for better or worse!
Mauro: As far as the ones I wrote lyrics for, to some degree, definitely - looking back to recent, or not so recent situations, thinking about past mistakes or whatever. There's some bitterness in there, but that can be a good way of getting that stuff out of your system, haha!
F & L: With this new album, you’ve managed to satisfy the power pop fans even as you transcend the genre. I might even say it’s a power pop album without strictly being a “power pop” album. What are your thoughts about how the term “power pop” may or may not describe The Speedways?
Matt: I guess like most genre titles, it's just a convenient term of reference, really. It gives people a rough idea of what you're gonna sound like, but beyond that it doesn't really matter. I'm happy for people to call us power pop; there have been some pretty great bands over the years that have carried that label too.
Mauro: It's a good question! I have pretty low tolerance for all those "This doesn't count as power pop" conversations myself. I'd say we clearly fit the tag, because I see it as a broad church!
F & L: What's your favorite song on the new album, and why?
Matt: That's a tricky one because you could make a case for any of them, but just because it came to me in a dream and because we all had such good fun recording it, I'd go with the title track - but only just!
Mauro: Oof. Hard one. Changes a lot, but maybe a toss up between the title track and "Shoulda Known."
F & L: Please tell readers when and where they’ll be able to purchase Talk of the Town.
Matt: Ok, the album will be available to stream/download on Monday, November 21st! You'll also be able to get your hands on the CD that day too. The vinyl will be available a few weeks later on December 12th. Pre-orders for the CD and vinyl begin Thursday, November 3rd from our big cartel site - thespeedways.bigcartel.com
F & L: One more question for Matt: You’ve been releasing a lot of solo home demos on Bandcamp. What has been your motivation in sharing these songs with the world? Can we look forward to more?
Matt: My OCD means I have to keep making them so that the layout on the Bandcamp page is even. I'm not even joking! I have another full EP to go up soon (maybe next week) called The First Stone.
I just really enjoy making them. Without sounding corny, I'm doing it for myself, and if 5 or 6 other people give it a listen, then great. I think they're some of the best songs I've ever written mixed in with some untidy misfires. It's fun, and it makes me happy. They're all very personal, lyric-wise. I like using sound clips. I've got Lana Del Rey telling me to shut up at the end of one song and Ally Sheedy talking about how she got her role in St Elmo's Fire on another. It all makes sense in my head. I have a Christmas song recorded called "In The Cold Light Of Christmas Day" which I'll put up at some point (probably Christmas) & then leave it there till next year.
