Nothing to do with bicycles

After three successful albums, fast-selling gigs at festivals and a world tour, the Bombay Bicycle Club returns with a hypnotic fourth release, “So Long, See You Tomorrow”, installed at No 1 in the UK.
British music mag NME called them “the hottest band to come from North London for quite some time” on the basis of their 2007 debut EP, “The Boy I Used to Be”. It praised their “diverse approach to melodic rock with post-punk sensibilities and unique quirkiness”.
The Club has cycled through folk, electronica, world music and indie rock, constantly surprising listeners with hits “Shuffle”, “Always Like This”, “Leave It”, “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep” and the more recent “Carry Me”, “Beg” and “Feel”. They’ve headlined shows across North America, Australia, Europe and the Far East – but haven’t yet made it to Thailand. “What seems to be the problem?” we wanted to ask bassist Ed Nash.

Back on your bikes yet?
We’ve been on tour for the last two months or so straight and now we have a little bit of time at home, so I’m just hanging out, drinking tea, playing with my cat and all of those things you like to do off-tour.

Feel good to have a No 1 hit?
Actually, although it’s quite amazing and I feel quite privileged, it’s not as important to me as some other things. It’s far more important to me that people in Thailand are interested in what we’re doing. It’s kind of better than the No 1 to me.

How is the new album different from its predecessors?
I personally think it’s quite different, and that seems to be general reaction to it, but I don’t think it’s too far away from what we did before. I think it kind of takes up where songs like “Shuffle” left off on our last album – that kind of dance-y and electronic sound. I’d say that’s predominantly what this album is.

Okay, you’re going to have to explain this “Bombay Bicycle Club” for us.
It’s quite embarrassing, actually. I have to say for the record that none of us particularly likes the name Bombay Bicycle Club. But – this is before I was even in the band – they were sifting through names when they were going to their first gig.
They saw a restaurant called Bombay Bicycle Club and, since no one thought the band would go anywhere proper in the future, they were, like, “Let’s just call the band Bombay Bicycle Club.” And that went on to really affect the rest of our lives. Now I have to explain it all the time. It’s such a silly name! And it still refers to a curry house in North London [laughs].

Have you ever played in India?
Jack, the singer, and I went there to play, just the two of us, about a year and a half ago. We played in a town just outside Bombay, actually. And I heard we were mistaken for an actual bicycle club!

Your sounds are very eclectic. What’s your musical background?
I played in kind of a guitar band before this, an indie and punk band. Suren, our drummer, is very well classically trained in percussion. He plays tube percussion and xylophone and things like that. He’s about the most classically taught in the band. The rest of us used to play in another band.

Do you intend to keep exploring different genres or have you made up your mind?
We never really intentionally change our sound. It was just the songs that were being written at the moment. So I don’t really know the answer to that question. It could change and in the same way it could stay as it was, you know. I never really know what it’s going to be like in the future.

How would you describe your style, then, if you had to?
That’s very difficult since our albums are so different. I’d say there are couple of things that unite all of the albums – an emphasis on melody especially, and Jack has a very distinctive voice. Lyrically all of the songs are about day-to-day life and just what’s happening at the time. They aren’t too deep or political or anything like that – just real-life experiences.

Considering your eclecticism, ideas must fly around in the studio.
Yes, everyone has different ideas, but I think one of the reasons this band has lasted so long and that everyone gets on well is that we do have similar tastes in music. So, even though it does seem quite eclectic and erratic to outsiders, everyone is on the same page when we’re making music.

Which track on the new album did you most enjoy making?
I think maybe the first song, because it started off as an instrumental, with a hip-hop beat, almost. Then we added these rock-guitar sections at the end and middle, so you have these two contrasting sides, which I find very interesting. And then at the beginning, which actually opens the whole album, you have this very cinematic introduction. The sound is completely odd.

What’s the story behind the video for “Feel”?
I was sitting in an Indian restaurant in Sydney with Jack and we were watching TV. And I was, like, “We should make one of these Bollywood music videos.” It’s very crazy and unlike any of the videos we had in our minds.
We kept the idea at the back of our heads until “Feel” came along and we decided we’d use this idea. And, to make it work, it had to be entirely authentic, so the only input from us is really the song itself – all the rest is all done by proper Bollywood director and choreographer.

You’ve got fans in Thailand pining to see you.
I’ve never been to Thailand! I don’t think anyone in the band has ever been to Thailand and we would very much like to come and play. [If we do get to visit,] if anyone would like to come and say “Hey” afterwards or show us around or have any tips about what to do, please get in touch and we’ll be very happy to meet you all. I can’t wait!