How did you guys end up signing to Xtra Mile Records, and how has this experience been for you guys so far? Barney - We've been friends with Dan from the label for a long time, we even talked to them about releasing our second album back in 2007 but we decided to stick with our own label at the time. Over the years, Xtra Mile has grown and grown in size and prominence and we've always respected what they've been doing. When we decided last year that we'd like to have a label put out "Sonic Boom Six" and not do it ourselves this time, there were several labels interested. In the end, there were even some bigger labels talking to us but we met up with Charlie, the boss of Xtra Mile and his take on the record and the plan to get it out there was so realistic and sounded so close to how I saw it that it was really attractive. Add that to their proven track record with Frank Turner and the fact that he was happy to work with us to make our own decisions and plans, rather than dictate to us, then that was our decision made. From the signing onwards, it’s been great to have that support behind us and a team that know what they are doing and can help us move onwards and upwards and realise the potential of this record. Little things, like they let us have the materials we wanted for the packaging of the record. They have helped with advertising, the video for ‘Virus’ and all sorts of aspects that go into the release of a record. It’s such a good feeling to be part of a label with a cool, diverse roster and to be in a significant place on there. So, up to now, we’re stoked with how everything’s going, and with the whole team around us.
What made you pick 'Virus' (awesome tune) as the first single to release from this record, and how happy have you been with the response from your fans so far? Laila - From the second we wrote 'Virus', it kind of became the blueprint for the album so for us it was already a big tune. Live, the reaction had been really strong. We wanted to drop a song that summed up the feel and sound of the album and was a talking point so 'Virus' totally made sense. The mish-mash of big chorus’s, rapped verses, socially-conscious lyrics, big rock riffs and beatdowns with dancey synths and reggae is definitely the blueprint for the whole album. It had to be a banger because it felt like we'd been away for a while so we needed a tune where people would go 'wow, SB6 are back!' The response from our fans has been pretty great, most of them have loved the video and have appreciated that we've honed our sound to reflect the SB6 we are in 2012. There's been the obvious, 'they've changed, etc' comments but that's inevitable with any new release which is different than the last. Whenever we release anything new it's a gamble because we've mixed it up so much in the past, the one thing that stays consistent is the messages that we deliver in our lyrics.
How did you go about deciding that this album would be a self titled record? Barney - In 2009, when Ben, our old guitarist and major contributor to the band left SB6 we were faced with the decision to give up and call it a day or carry on. We felt we had unfinished business, that we hadn't realised our potential, and made the decision to carry on. However, with such a major overhaul of members, it took a few years to rebuild everything. With the few years we've been away, we've really rebuilt the band from the ground up in terms of the writing, recording, instrumentation and stageshow so it really is a relaunch. We call it rebooting the franchise! So for it to be called 'Sonic Boom Six' makes complete sense. The challenge to the listener is 'if you thought you knew who Sonic Boom Six are, then think again'. I think making the record selftitled is another way of underlining that notion.
What would you say are the main themes and influences that run throughout your latest self-titled record? Barney - After writing so many albums and lyrics that were really meant directly for a certain kind of person preaching to the converted if you like - this time my challenge was to write lyrics that would make sense to anyone listening, no matter what scene they're into or where they're from or whatever. We don't really like the label of being a 'political' band, but being so influenced by punk and hip-hop, it's natural for me to write songs with a message. But the message of Sonic Boom Six isn't some firebrand political polemic, it's a lot more consciously on the fence than that. I guess it's politics for people that aren't into politics in a way. The best example on the album is ‘The High Cost of Living’. We're not about telling anyone how they should live but we’re politely suggesting that the world would be a better place if we all thought about and took responsibility for our own actions and realised our place in the world and our effect on other people. I call it conscientious consumerism. I hope the lyrics to this song are thought-provoking in the sense that they’re simply saying be thankful for what we have in the West and realise the implications of having it. I don’t think that’s a notion that many bands sing about at the moment in such a non-partisan way. The album discusses issues like climate change, multicultural Britain, the media's romanticism of soldiers, the riots of last year and the current government in a way that is hopefully interesting and engaging without being clichéd.