In the run up to the release of Croydon natives Bellevue Days' debut album, 'It Can't Possibly Go Wrong Ever', we caught up with their three vocalists - Alan Smith, Daniel Lukes and Joe Blackford - and asked them to take us through the inspirations and themes of record.
Alan Smith – Guitar / Vocals
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE – ‘CATH’
I was listening to a lot of Death Cab during the recording and writing process of this album and I think that reflects in some of my guitar parts and with one or two songs lyrically too. In one of our tunes ‘The Joy of Living’ I took inspiration in the way Ben Gibbard reflects upon his past, in a somewhat bitter sweet way, but with a sprinkle of optimism too. I’ve always liked the way they’ve structured there songs and how it just gives so much feels.
THE ALBUM TITLE
I saw this sketch with writing above it in some public toilet in some bar or something, it said ‘It can’t possibly go wrong ever’ with some weird little man with his thumbs up, I took a picture of it and it really stuck with me, the irony mainly because it kinda felt like a lot of things WERE going wrong. I kinda had that at the back of mind whilst writing some of these songs, so it was quite nice having a subject matter (yet pretty vague) whilst writing for the album.
Joe Blackford – Bass / Vocals
MENTAL HEALTH
I tend to write songs about what’s going on at the time but mental health is always relevant. A couple of mates were going through a bad time and that ended up being the main thing behind ‘Dashboard Jesus’.
SCOOBY SNACKS – FUN LOVIN’ CRIMINALS
We wanted to make one of our songs ‘Shotgun’ have a cool feel to it and had ‘Scooby Snacks’ in mind for that. Also accidentally slightly ripped off the vocal melody to that ‘what do you do with a drunken sailor’ sea shanty for part of the verse. Pretty sure that was written in the 1500’s though so it’s all good on the copyright front.
Daniel Lukes – Guitar / Vocals
WHERE IS MY MIND – THE PIXIES
This is a song we’ve already referenced loads in basically all our records. Every element, from the simple bass line and chord progression, to that lead guitar line, and the ghostly ‘oohs’ in the background is super timeless and iconic.
I think to finally get it out of my system, I had to write a song that was very on-the-nose in parts as a homage to it.
The song ‘Losing Touch’ is about reaching back at the things which defined me growing up, so I think the way ‘Where is My Mind’ wormed its way in there subconsciously was really fitting.
28 DAYS LATER – IN A HOUSE, IN A HEARTBEAT
The theme from the film 28 Days Later, by John Murphy, is one of the most unsettling pieces of music I’ve ever heard. The main line is just four notes, slightly discordant, and they never quite resolve – so it ends up just looping and looping, always getting more intense.
In part of the track ‘FREAKIN OUT’ I started playing that guitar line as a bit of joke, but it kinda worked, so I kept it (with a couple of changes so it wasn’t a straight rip-off). It’s subtle, and short-lived, but I think it really adds to that paranoid feeling that we wanted to evoke in the song.