From left: Tristan Evans, James McVey, Brad Simpson, Connor Ball
For its third and latest studio album, “Night & Day,” the British pop band The Vamps steered its sound to a direction it has yet to explore.
From clean and sprightly pop-rock songs, the four-man group now finds itself flirting with electronic dance music (EDM), with ditties like “All Night” and “Middle of the Night” getting a marked dubstep treatment.
Alienating fans is a possibility most artists have to grapple with when changing musical styles. James McVey, The Vamps’ lead guitarist, admitted that it was “a little scary” for him and his band mates at first. But luckily, he said, things did fall into place.
“It’s important for artists to embrace change and adapt with the times and the new environment. Music in the United Kingdom is very EDM-influenced now. So, we felt that going down that road was a natural progression for us,” James told the Inquirer in a recent interview.
“Night & Day,” which is distributed locally by MCA Music, has two editions—“Night” dropped in July, while “Day” is set to be released later this year.
The group decided on such a concept, bassist Connor Ball explained, because they had a lot of material they didn’t want to go to waste.
“The songs in ‘Night’ are more emotional, but not necessarily sad. ‘Day’ will be more upbeat, happy and with a party vibe,” Connor said. “The instrumentation is different. The things we talk about in the new songs are different—more honest, if you will.”
“The album is truly a departure from what The Vamps has done in the past,” James added.
But, while they may have decided to shift genres, the band’s essence, the young men stressed, remains intact. “If we can keep a unifying thread in our music—the way we play the instruments or write the lyrics—fans wouldn’t feel that our new music is different,” Connor said.
The Vamps, which is also composed of lead singer Brad Simpson and drummer Tristan Evans, enjoys performing live onstage as much as it does staying inside the studio, creating music. And Manila has become one of the quartet’s favorite stops when they’re on tour.
Mounted by Ayala Malls and MMI Live, The Vamps’ recent concert at Vertis North was its fourth in the country. “I enjoy seeing new places and meeting new people. And our fans here in the Philippines, they’re all so passionate and dedicated,” said James, who also recalled one of his memorable fan encounters here.
“One time, at an event, some fans tore down the barriers across the venue,” he said, laughing. “It was a crazy!”
If they could emulate other bands, James and Connor said these would be Maroon 5, Coldplay and OneRepublic, which all have managed “to sustain their careers through reinvention.” “It would be great if we could work with them someday,” Connor said.
Meanwhile about their idea of success, James said it’s simply being able to tour and come up with new music.
“The music industry is unpredictable; it’s very up and down, which is quite exciting,” James said. “It’s a little scary, too. But, we will make music for as long as we can.”