Music group FLYNT, made up of Emma, Calvin, Steven and Brad, recently released their newest single Sweet Nothing, which was named Track of the Week on BBC Introducing in Cumbria, and they are releasing the music video to the song this Friday. During the pandemic, FLYNT performed on BBC Radio 1’s Virtual Big Weekend, and they returned to live shows for the first time since the pandemic last October at HMV Workington. Next week, FLYNT will be performing their headline show at The Yellow Earl in Whitehaven and they will be performing at festivals later this year including Kendal Calling and Eskfest, as well as releasing a new original track Do I. FLYNT recently spoke to us about their latest release Sweet Nothing, having their music played on the radio and their upcoming music plans.
You have recently released your new single Sweet Nothing, can you tell us about it?
Sweet Nothing was one of our first songs that we put together. We’d really craved a song that had a big, slow dig. And we also wanted to really play on those R&B chords. It was like: “if Royal Blood and Haim made an R&B song… what would it be?”. And Sweet Nothing happened from that.
How long were you working on the release and how did the track come about?
This one came together across many versions. We recorded it live for BBC Introducing about three years ago for a video live session, then we made a demo, then we made our own recorded live session, then we made a second demo, then we finally took it to the studio. We spent a good while still honing in on our sound and how we wanted it of feel. Once we got it feeling right when playing it live, we felt it was time.
The single was named as a Track of the Week on BBC Introducing in Cumbria, how is it hearing your music played on the radio?
It’s awesome. So many bands and artists always say that you never know if a song works until you hear it on the radio. It just feels different, and knowing people are listening to it no matter where they may be is so exciting. We’re also super grateful of the support BBC Introducing has shown us over the years. They’ve been responsible for so many big moments for us and they continue to help us grow as a band.
Having released numerous singles previously, what do you enjoy most about releasing original music and seeing the response from listeners?
I think it’s just that feeling of having contributed to something new. You get to create something, with no rules or boundaries and just see who likes it, who adds it to their playlist, who plays it in the car, who loves coming to the gigs and who enjoys the musicality of it. I also love seeing how people pick up on different parts they like.
Who do you think your music will appeal to and how would you describe your sound?
Anyone who is a lover of pop, done a bit rougher. We’ve always been suckers for those pop melodies, and right now it feels like it’s a golden era for people exploring vocals and melodies. We love to get involved in that approach, but we also love the dirtier sound of people like Jack White, Royal Blood, Alabama Shakes, HAIM and others. So this is a joining of the two for us.
We understand you will be performing at festivals this summer, what are you looking forward to for these events and which shows do you have coming up?
Yeah, we’ve got a bunch of shows across the summer that we’re really looking forward to. We love festival shows and this year we have Kendal Calling and Eskfest, which we’ve played before and absolutely love returning to. We also have our own show in our hometown next week, and we’re announcing another show in our current city of Liverpool soon!
You returned to live music last October for an in store performance at HMV Workington, how did the show go?
It was great. HMV is such a staple of our local area, and we’ve all found ourselves in there buying vinyl, CDs and Blu-rays over the years. To setup a gig and play our tunes in the middle of it was initially jarring, but really good. The crowd seemed to appreciate the smaller setup and it felt very intimate.
What was it like performing on BBC Radio 1’s Virtual Big Weekend and how different did you find the experience performing online during the pandemic?
The virtual stuff was really hard. We’re a band that was built from live shows. So not having that direct interaction and FaceTime with our listeners was really hard. The virtual opportunities were amazing and we loved being a part of the VBW. We hope we also get to play it for real sometime!
Can you tell us about each band member and how did the group come together?
You have Emma leading vocals, Calvin on bass, Steven on drums and Brad on vocals and guitar. We were all performing in our local music scene as individuals for years, but we never really joined up until five years ago. Emma was working on a solo project, and Brad, Calvin and Steve had been playing as a trio for a while. Emma’s voice and songwriting just absolutely blew my mind and the idea of writing together got us really excited. We wrote three songs in the first few days and it went from there.
Did you all know you wanted a career in music and how did you get into it?
Yeah, we’ve all been very music focused our entire lives. Steve played in the school band, Emma sang and started writing super young. I always sang and performed and Calvin was a bassist to many-a-band before FLYNT. It’s definitely what drives us.
What do you enjoy most about working together as FLYNT?
The fact that we’re all from the same place, with the same love for the same things in music. Our tastes are so aligned and we love going to the ultimate lengths to make stuff work. We love experimenting with melody and we just love chunky, semi-old school sounds.
What are some of your favourite music artists to listen to?
It’s an eclectic mix, but we love almost everything. Haim, Christine & The Queens, Charlie Puth, The Police, Sam Fender, Emily Kind, Thundercat. So many!
How do you like to spend your time away from music and performing?
I think it’s always music for us. If it isn’t FLYNT, it’ll be some noodling or making some stuff for our shows and online content. Some of us work in video production so we also have loads of outputs there when it comes to creativity.
Do you have any upcoming music plans that you can tell us about?
Yes, we do! We have another song coming out in the summer called Do I and we’ll be playing plenty of shows, as well as… a music video release for Sweet Nothing!
The music video lands this Friday, and it’s our first in a while so we can’t wait for people to see it.
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