Myriam Adams are a post emo pop band from the Midlands. Despite their indie sensibilities there is so much that separates this quartet from their peers. Their new EP Sexy Suburban Sadness takes influence from Grime, Punk and Hyperpop and all of that just on the blissfully short opener angerangercute. They have achieved 500 monthly listeners on Spotify and received a BMA nomination… but all they really want to do is play a gig.
You recently played a livestream set for the 01/21 Festival. What was that experience like for you?
Jacques (Songwriter and Vocals): “Yeah, it was pretty good. It’s nice to just be doing something at all but it’s not the same as playing live. We are quite proud of our live shows as they are quite energetic. Also only me and Freddie could do it as we live together. We couldn’t get together with Archie and Ethan because of what’s happening… it’s just not the full Myriam Adams experience you know? Having said that, we are just grateful that we get to do stuff like that at all really.”
Where does the band name come from?
Archie (Guitar): “Me and Freddie actually went to the same nursery but we went our separate ways after that and then became friends again. We loved writing fictional stories and the main character in every story we wrote was named Myriam Adams. We had a series of novels about Myriam Adams who was a detective. For some reason he was a man named Myriam Adams and off he went, solving mysteries.”
Where does the bands aesthetic of black and white images and the occasional pink text come from?
Jacques: “At first we were just like what are we? What kind of band are we? We wanted to have a strong image essentially and we have always been full of teen angst as a band… the black and white photos play into that very well. It’s also a very easy look to achieve… every photo can be turned into a black and white one. And that’s Myriam Adams. As well as this, we often like to romanticise thing and a black and white filter can often add depth and make seemingly normal things look pretty.
Each describe your sound in one word.
Freddie (Bass): “Voluptuous”
Jacques: “Raw”
Archie: “New”
You recently released your new EP Sexy Suburban Sadness. Are there any reoccurring themes on the EP, either sonically or lyrically?
Jacques: “Sexy Suburban Sadness is that black and white aesthetic. It encapsulates what we are and who we have been up until this point. We had wrote a couple of songs and then we read quite a negative review of The Neighbourhood, a band we absolutely love. The review was saying ‘This album is just a bunch of sexy suburbanite sadness’ and we were like ‘Oh, that’s really good.”
Freddie: “It’s a very crap name but it certainly encapsulates our cheesiness.”
Jacques: “Yeah and it’s like romanticizing things but not being particularly clever about it… which is basically the EP in a sentence. If you look at the video to Babe, it’s us topless and we know we aren’t stereotypically fit lads. Like we don’t go to the gym. Well, except Archie that is.”
Archie: “Aw stop it you guys.”
Freddie: “But yeah it’s like we are being very self-aware but not very self-aware at all.”
Jacques: “Yeah for a lot of the EP we just wanted to be as annoying as possible.”
Despite the groups’ desire to be irritating, the new EP is certainly the best release in their discography. It is 15 minutes of pure teen angst that would almost definitely soundtrack a 2021 remake of Skins. It is not only a great EP in its own right but it also showcases the copious amounts of potential this young band has.
Did any particular artists influence the sound of angerangercute?
Jacques: “Yeah, you wouldn’t know it by listening to the song but originally I wanted to make something like Doorman by Slowthai. I just couldn’t pull off the rapping at all. So I just decided to shout. The second half of angerangercute was very much influenced by stuff like Barbie Girl by Aqua and Jesse Rutherford. So yeah, a bad attempt at Slowthai turned into this Punk, Hyperpop thing.”
How have you improved on this new release?
Archie: “I feel like we have improved at song writing on the whole. I think our songs now have a more defined structure… we know what we want to do with our songs more so than on our previous two EPs. That really allows us to get our message across.”
Freddie: “We’ve stuck to our guns on this one. We knew what we wanted to do and we did it.”
Jacques: “Yeah that’s true. We knew what we wanted to do, we did it and we are very proud of it. We have three EPs out now and we were experimenting a lot on the first two. We experimented on this one as well but I feel on this release we were very confident in the things that we wanted to try out. ”
Freddie: “Yeah on the first two there is a lot going on… on this new one there is still a lot going on but it feels like it is all needed.”
Why did you decide upon that image for the EP artwork?
Jacques: “I’d say the whole EP is a homage to teen culture and growing up in the suburbs. It basically glamorises the whole experience of growing up. Hollywood is essentially the epitome of glamour, tackiness, seediness. We thought it was the perfect image. Some stores still have the old artwork which is just a lawn and a house with the words Sexy Suburban Sadness on it… I definitely prefer the new artwork. We also have a video called Welcome to Sexy Suburban Sadness which I love because it creates this weird idea that it’s an abstract place.”
Are there any improvements you could make to the new EP?
Jacques: “I know things would have panned out very differently if we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic. On the music side, I have explored a lot, and I know what I want a lot more on our next release. Making the EP was very liberating and natural because we were just pushing things. I think if you asked me in a few years’ time, there would be a lot I would want to change… but right now I’m still in the honeymoon period of the release.”
Freddie: “With the first two EP’s, if I listened to the instrumentals too much I couldn’t enjoy them. This one I can properly listen to it and enjoy it for what it is.”
Jacques: “We’ve been around for a couple of years now… when you release your first EP, it’s a big deal. When you release your third, it’s still important but you know something new is going to come afterwards.”
What’s the story behind the closing track Hugs?
Jacques: “Two lovers at a house party… it’s the first time they’ve hung out together. It’s very naïve but that’s the point. With the pandemic… it makes you realise things. We’ve just finished college… I’m just like ‘Oh shit, I’m not a man yet.”
How has the city of Birmingham affected the band?
Jacques: “There’s a lot of talent in Birmingham. It makes you realise that there a lot of bands doing the exact same thing as us. We went to college in Stratford where there was like two other bands so you never felt like there was any competition. Then you go to Birmingham and there’s load of bands… I love it. It’s quite inspiring really when bands do break through. The Clause got signed a few months ago and it’s very motivating to see bands that actually do that. The support for us had been amazing recently. Tim Senna has been backing us a lot. But yeah, it’s an amazing community and I love the night life in Birmingham. Snobs especially.”
Archie: “Oh no, I hate Snobs so much. Every single time you go there, you have someone start on you. Every single time without fail.”
With their energetic live shows and instantly recognisable sound and aesthetic, Myriam Adams are already taking Birmingham by storm. It certainly makes you wonder how long it will take for the rest of the UK to catch up.
Favourite album of 2020 and anticipated release of 2021?
Jacques: Chip Chrome and The Mono-Tones by The Neighbourhood. You’ve got to hear it. It’s a crazy, beautiful concept. I’m hoping Frank Ocean drops this year but he hasn’t announced anything.”
Archie: “Mine would have to be Moral Panic by Nothing But Thieves. For my 2021 release, there is an artist called Bakar who hasn’t announced anything yet but he’s released a few singles so I’m assuming an album is on the way. ”
Freddie: “I’ll have 1000 gecs and the tree of clues by 100 gecs. It’s a remix album but I do prefer the original album 1000 gecs.”
What is the next step for the band?
Jacques: “In terms of new music, you’ll be getting something this summer. However, we do have a couple of things coming up this month. We’ve got a documentary coming out about the past year. We also have a full band livestream which we recorded a couple of months ago down in London. That’s the 9th of March and it’s going to be completely free to watch. We are very excited about that.”
Even during a pandemic, Myriam Adams are thriving and who knows where the return of live music will take them. In conclusion, this is a band you need to start paying attention to.
Interview by Aidan McGuire
Massive thank you to Myriam Adams for everything
Myriam Adams Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/6QYv15pNhDhCK1GtBHyfnB?si=G9DfhtO0Th2uihEo1FFtMA
Myriam Adams Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/myriamadamss/
Aidan McGuire Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/1atUaV3lMEAUaKxCyHCsql?si=5z6JS2RTSRWEgAZi2AlxeA
Aidan McGuire Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aidan._mcg/
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