MUSICBHAM.COM 5 Does anything that Inkline added because we need the band — I’d say NOWHERE influence you in your “normal” that’s the glue that holds us together. SQUARES musical style? What does the songwriting process BY JONES WILLINGHAM Yeah, actually. I find myself look like for Nowhere Squares? PHOTO adding in the vocal loops that BREANNA CONLEY SAXON he made when we play live; Justin [Cordes Wilm] and I are the when we do “Rude Thing” now, principal songwriters for the band. I sing it with the repeating vocal I always have lyrics bouncing around that he took from the chorus. in my head, and I can always count on him for the tune to go with it. Are there any other remix albums We never write complete songs in or tracks that you enjoy? one go — we might start something..., but then we go to the rest of the I remember Bjork put out that album band. ... It’s dangerous to write a Telegraph which was basically her song all by yourself because you’re album Post remixed, and I played that going to end up disappointed when a lot when it came out. I think one the band gets ahold of it and it’s not of the coolest things about this whole exactly what you thought it would release is that Inkline and Nerves be. A band like this, where everyone Baddington kinda hijacked our album, brings in very incredible personalities chopped and screwed it and threw and interests, is going to change it graffiti all over it. I never considered so much. That’s where our strongest our music being used that way, songs come from. ...For that matter, so it’s really ear-opening to hear Wes [Reid] is a songwriter himself, so what he did with it. we’re entering an era where we have three songwriters in the band. irmingham punk-rock where he remixed “Quit It” and How do you feel like your sound has mainstays, Nowhere placed it behind this trippy animated changed after two decades of music? The three-headed monster era of B Squares (Paul Wilm, visual of us. It looked incredible, Nowhere Squares Justin Cordes Wilm, and I was flabbergasted at how we Our sound has evolved, but I think Mikey Williams, Andy Sizemore, sounded remixed. After the show, it’s gotten to the point where it’s But I’m excited to see where it will and Wes Reid), have been playing I told him how cool it was, and crystallized; no matter what we add lead us. together in some form or another for we joked around about hearing the to it, it still maintains our original twenty-one years. However, 2019 whole album remixed. Eventually, sound. You couldn’t listen What’s on the horizon for has brought a new element to the it became a reality, and he just to our entire discography and ask, Nowhere Squares? fold with the release of All Mixed Up sent me song after song, and I was “Who are these guys? They’ve and Nowhere to Dance, a remixed continually blown away. changed so much!” Our songs are We’re writing a new album, companion album to their 2018 very quirky and energetic now even and I’d love for us to drop a double release All Messed Up and Nowhere It’s incredible how well the compared to 20 years ago — I think album in the future. to Go. Featuring work from Inkline electronic drums and bass meshes we’ve become a super-charged of Birmingham rap group Nerves with your punk sound. version of ourselves now. The double album idea is interesting. Baddington, All Mixed Up offers a What do you think constitutes an stylistic detour with the appearance Yeah, it sounds amazing. I think it was It’s rare for a band to stick around album in 2019? of 808 drums and heavy bass in challenging because Ryan didn’t the Birmingham music scene conjunction with the Nowhere even have the stems (individual with the consistency that Nowhere For starters, a concise album is great Squares’ impressive and chaotic pieces) of the tracks — he was Squares has achieved. How do you because I feel like people’s attention energy. MusicBham spoke to isolating the vocals and drums and feel about the scene that surrounds spans are very short right now. I don’t Paul in anticipation of the release each instrument himself and then you now? know why I’m obsessed with a double on Earth Libraries: remixing it all together. ...It’s just album; I have the vinyl mentality, mind-blowing to me. ...Thanks to the The scene comes and goes - some meaning that I think of albums as Hi Paul! How did the remix album magical world of computers, we can bands stick around for decades like Side A or Side B. So for me, I love it with Inkline come together? do this just by sending stems back we have, or there’s turnover and new, when, say, Side A has a dedicated and forth to each other. It also might incredible acts that show up. We theme or flow that might be reflected We were scheduled to play a show influence our recording, too — you found consistency in the fact that if on Side B. That idea doesn’t really with Nerves Baddington at know, we can mess with something we weren’t playing music, we’d all be work on Spotify or stuff like that, but The Nick in the winter of 2018 and in the studio with the thought that it sitting in an insane asylum. It’s a great I don’t let that hinder my process Ryan (Inkline) made a promo video might get remixed down the line. way for us to exorcise our demons when I’m picking out an album