Earlier this year I had the privilege of watching rockers The Never Ever perform at a gig in Brisbane. Completely captivated by their music and stage presence, I recently sat down with singer Dylan Nash to chat about their EP Ghosts and Ghouls, recording in New York and their upcoming Hoodie Weather Tour.
Based in Sydney, the young five piece band consists of Dylan Nash (vocals), Bradlee Smith (guitar), Lani Miller (synth), Pat Ortiz (vocals and bass) and newly recruited drummer Marc Malliate.
The Never Ever family welcomed Marc with open arms as they introduced him via their Facebook page after months of suspense.
“I’m so excited to have him in the band,” says Dylan.
“Marc’s a really nice and genuinely talented person and someone who lifts the whole energy of the band. I’ve played with him for years and is literally the best drummer I have met in my entire life.”
However, before Marc was introduced into the band, the remaining four members travelled to New York to record their latest EP Ghosts and Ghouls when they were contacted by producers who have worked with artists such as Forever the Sickest Kids and Four Years Strong.
“We didn’t feel like it was real when we got the call,” laughs Dylan. “We were like someone’s kidding us. But I was travelling to New York shortly afterwards, so I met up with them and I was like guys we’ve got to do this. These guys are going to work really well with us.”
A fair amount of the lyrics for Ghosts and Ghouls were written in America, but Dylan describes the whole recording process as unbelievable.
“Other than the whole getting to record with amazing people in amazing in amazing places, the songs turned out great and it was so much fun being in another country with four of your best friends.”
Working alongside people that have previously worked with bands in a similar genre helped The Never Ever todevelop song ideas and get a second opinion.
The recording took place in a completely isolated situation.
“We were completely contained from the rest of the world. Our parents would call us up and stuff but we really didn’t have much internet. It was 24/7 thinking about the EP. There was so much focus and drive between us four.”
Ghosts and Ghouls which was released on June 21, reflects the bands aim for a dance and pop EP without resorting to the whole disco dance beats all the time.
Dylan describes the EP as something that you can dance to but in different ways.
“There’s some funk parts. There are some weird drum parts. But we’re just looking to play music that we can pump up the crowd with live.”
The lyrics from Ghosts and Ghouls differ from the last EP and are quite personal dealing with issues such as growing up and realizing the sort of person you’ve become and other character traits you see in people.
“The first song Spiders describes people dealing with mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression and how difficult that can be perceived by other people” says Dylan.
In two weeks the band is set to head off on The Hoodie Weather Tour with bands Nine Sons of Dan, A Sleepless Melody, Way With Words and With Confidence.
Quite excited about the tour and bringing Marc along for the first time will bring out a different side to the live shows and how the songs will translate live.
“His drumming style definitely brings a new style,” says Dylan.
“The cool thing about our set is that there are so many elements that we can evolve live or strip back down live. So it’s going to be a really fun, dynamic show and we’ve put a lot of work into it.”
He also adds that being on uni break means he can fully focus on the music and not have to worry about writing essays in the back seat of the car.
“It’s just focussing on the music and I can’t wait.”
Ghosts and Ghouls is now available to download on iTunes.
Be sure to check out The Never Ever on The Hoodie Weather Tour this July:
Sydney: 5th July
Brisbane: 7th July
Perth: 11th July
Adelaide: 12th July
Melbourne: 13th & 14th July.
Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au
By Angela Ruggeri
