Words: Miljan Milekić
If you’re into hardcore or post-hardcore, the chances are that name Wars popped up in some of your conversations during the last few years. And it’s all for the right reasons. With their brand new record, ‘A Hundred Shivers,’ they decided to do things differently, dividing it into four different EPs and finally making a full circle on November 24th. We caught up with the singer Rob Vicars to talk about it. Check it below.
Your new album ‘A Hundred Shivers’ is finally here in its full form. So how does it feel to finally get it out and soak the reactions from the fans in full?
Rob: It’s an incredible feeling, really. After a really uncertain couple of years where we’ve been living and breathing this record for longer than we initially thought we would, finally being able to share the whole thing and have listeners able to go start to finish with what we’ve made is unique, euphoric, slightly unnerving.
You choose a pretty unconventional way for the release, offering the record in the form of four EPs before releasing it in full. What was the main idea and motivation for this approach?
Rob: Ultimately we wanted to be able to communicate more often – to tell our stories in a big way but rather than once per album cycle, do it multiple times around each of the themes that encompassed the different phases of the record. As creatives, that felt exciting and was the plan before that little global pandemic got in the way. When it did, it was obviously a huge setback – though, with our plan in place, it at least meant we could keep releasing music throughout and working wherever possible as a band. Which was lucky – and lots of artists weren’t in that situation at all. So in spite of the setbacks, I think we felt pretty grateful to have something to cling to in all this!
READ MORE: Check our interview with the English band Trash Boat
It seems like every part of the record tells a story, perfectly functioning as a whole but also as a part of a bigger narrative. And by doing so, it feels like you gave the record some breathing room, and gave fans a chance to digest the record more slowly and with more attention. Was that the idea from the start, or did you have something else in mind?
Rob: Yeah that was absolutely the idea. We wanted to be able to focus on what the tracks were saying and how we wrote them, and writing in chapters that each had their own theme and stories, but that all fell under the one umbrella of the ‘A Hundred Shivers’ record actually felt really natural. I think it unlocked a new way of thinking for us when it came to both writing and releasing music.
So, how was the feedback? Are you happy with the reactions so far?
Rob: We are absolutely blown away – we have such an awesome group of fans that manage to blow our minds every time we release – it’s been amazing to get to try something new with them, and have feedback on each track and chapter, and then to put out the whole story now. I don’t think we ever stop being grateful for those that have joined our community and it’s always super exciting welcoming new people in as well.
By doing something like this, you took lots of hard work in terms of scheduling, doing different artworks, and in general, giving so much attention to details to each individual part of the record. How challenging was it to launch a project of that scale?
Rob: It was really challenging, it had lots of moving parts, and there was so much we wanted to say – but it was challenging in a way I think we really savored. Getting to have an artwork for each chapter and getting to create around just a few songs that made up that part really galvanized us creatively. Of course with the year being so uncertain, there were things that had to move and be swapped around last minute, but this way of writing and releasing helped that happen in a way that felt natural and true to us.
It seems like a lot of attention was given to the visual part of the record – from the artworks for every EP, to every video you’ve released. How important was it for you as a band to provide the fans the visual insight into your story as well?
Rob: We always put a lot of thought into all aspects of our releases, from their relationship to each other to the more visual side of things. It was actually really exciting getting to create so much time and time again, and build a story around each part of the whole record. Tying songs and chapters and videos and albums together visually is, for me, one of the most rewarding parts, and so it meant lots that we were able to do it so often this time around.
READ MORE: Check our interview with Sheffield metalcore heroes While She Sleeps
With all that hard work going into the album itself, can we expect something similar at your live shows as well?
Rob: Our live shows have always been a bit of a fireball of energy and passion – it’s a real outlet for us and I think a truly different experience from how it is on record. It feels like it’s where we belong, connecting with people at shows, and letting that side of our music take the center. So we absolutely hope that we’re able to get out more and see people – it’s been a crazy couple of years not being able to play live and when the flag is green we’ll be back to it in full force for sure.
Follow Wars:
Website: weareallwars.com
Instagram: instagram.com/weareallwars
Facebook: facebook.com/weareallwars
Twitter: twitter.com/weareallwars