Tom Smith on Editors: 'We feel like a gang in control of our own destiny'
Editors are taking fans on another stylistic detour with their latest album. The indie rock band’s figurehead Tom Smith chats to Fiona Shepherd about anxieties, finding the right home for his songs and the beauty of music
‘I’m always writing about being scared of something,’ insists Editors frontman Tom Smith. He’s attempting to pick at the thread which runs through his band’s forthcoming eighth album, the evocatively titled Surface, Echo & Sound, which he says refers to ‘that noise of the modern world. In the songs I’m finding ways to get through that or get some kind of connection to make those anxieties go away.’
The album as a whole is a slightly different noise for the veteran Brummie indie rockers, or at least a return to a more classic rock sound following a succession of electronica-facing albums, the most recent a post-covid studio odyssey touched by the hand of their friend and collaborator Benjamin John Power aka Blanck Mass. ‘EBM was quite a daring brutal electronic thing and I don’t know how we could have gone any further with that,’ says Smith. ‘Throughout our career we’ve made records that have pushed, ebbed and flowed stylistically. We’ve taken our audience on a bit of a journey and this is another sidestep in some ways. It feels nice to reconnect with that more traditional way of doing things.’
With Power unable to join them this time and Smith’s acoustic debut solo album (There Is Nothing In The Dark That Isn’t There In The Light) fresh in the mind, the direction of travel was towards a more organic come-all-ye songwriting circle. ‘I’m always writing, putting songs and ideas in little boxes for later. Sometimes it takes a while for them to find a home,’ says Smith, who worked with Snow Patrol’s Iain Archer on his solo record and has also released two albums as Smith & Burrows with Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows.
In the end, Surface, Echo & Sound was a fully self-sufficient undertaking, with Editors’ guitarist Justin Lockey taking on production duties. ‘It’s nice to be in a situation where the five of us are steering the ship,’ says Smith. ‘We feel like a gang in control of our own destiny. We’re in our mid-40s now, and it’s not about being older and wiser, but there’s a certain comfort in your own skin. It felt appropriate and right for us to be sat around making a more adult record. It’s a good reflection of who we are.’
There is even something of the philosophical tone and earthiness of country music on a couple of tracks, though that might just be the rasp of Smith’s voice and the mandolin talking. He describes recent single ‘The Rush’ as ‘this conversation between two people, drinking late at night, thinking about life. Ultimately, it’s the idea that anything rewarding leaves its mark. There’s a hangover from the good times; you don’t get the ups without the downs.’ That gentle yet trenchant reflection spills over into Smith’s conversation. ‘We’re selfish as musicians. I don’t think too much consideration for your audience is a good thing. You make the music that you really need to and I’m thankful to still be doing what we do. Music’s beautiful, right?’
Surface, Echo & Sound is released by Play It Again Sam on Friday 30 October.