Alex Spencer has released his new EP ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’.
The new EP marks a culmination of years of work and a turning point for the musician, from a young busker to a rising artist with the release marking a maturism in both his sound and lyrics.
To celebrate his EP release, Alex shared 5 tracks that influenced ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’.
Arctic Monkeys – Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?
The ‘AM’ album by the Arctic Monkeys really influenced the production of a few songs on my EP especially ‘Clouded Thinking’. When we got the original demo back, something felt off, it just lacked a certain punch or kick. Around that time, my producer Adam French had just gotten a brand new bass, so we decided to experiment with it on the track. ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’ inspired me its gritty, punchy bass line and edgy feel. I also loved the high-end, catchy backing vocals they really add energy and texture, which we wanted to capture too. The keys came about pretty naturally just from jamming. There was this beautiful piano in the studio, and when we started playing around, the punchy keys and pre-chorus melody clicked straight away.
Declan McKenna – Brazil
‘Brazil’ didn’t just influence the EP sonically, it also shaped how I felt about writing. I’ve been listening to it since lockdown, and it always puts me in a good mood. It’s a always on my summer playlist, just good vibes all around. That energy really inspired ‘Bucket List’, both in its summery riffs and overall vibe but also around the idea of doing whatever you want, no matter how big or crazy, tied into the concept of ‘Bucket List’. Get out there, tick things off, live freely. Originally, ‘Bucket List’ had a more laid-back, dreamy sound. But over time, it naturally developed into the fun, upbeat summer banger it is now.
The Wombats – Greek Tragedy
While writing ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’, I was listening to a lot of indie pop stuff with the big choruses, lots of synths, guitars you can dance too. While producing ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ I knew I wanted to layer synths and create something that blended indie pop with house a proper banger. One day, ‘Greek Tragedy’ came on a playlist, and I was hooked by the synth in the intro. That inspired us to try out different arpeggiated synths, and one of them ended up forming the main component of the track. I wanted to write about the concept of “where do we go in the future, whats next?” Everyone has so many different theories on the afterlife, the song turned into a concept of life and death talking about the uncertainty of the future for my generation on a deeper level, also linking with the hispanic culture of celebrating day of the dead with the lyrics in my song, “Ya no temo a la muerte” which translates too “I no longer fear death”.
Royel Otis – Oysters in My Pocket
This song was on repeat constantly in my ears while I was writing the EP. It’s just such a vibe super bouncy and full of good energy. What stood out most was the gang vocal style they use. It feels loose, youthful, and had that raw energy. So we decided to try it ourselves. We set up a mic in the middle of the room, and three of us just sang our hearts out. We laughed, made weird noises it didn’t have to be perfect. But the raw and spontaneous energy in the end really brought up some of the songs.
Catfish and the Bottlemen – Hourglass
‘Hourglass’ was one of the first songs that introduced me to Catfish and the Bottlemen and they’ve been one of my favourite bands ever since. The song has this like powerful emotional drop that really connects with listeners. I wasn’t actually listening to ‘Hourglass’ while writing the 3rd track on my EP, ‘Pessimistic Nobody’, but once we got to the production stage, it felt like a good reference. The song had a slower, sadder tone, and I wanted it to be more raw and heartfelt, similar to the feeling ‘Hourglass’ gives. ‘Hourglass’ also hugely inspired the opening riff of ‘Bucket List’. So even though it’s quite a different song, its influence found its way into multiple places across the EP.
Listen to Alex Spencer music influences:
Stream ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’: