Overpass discuss their debut UK tour, which started in Sheffield, and their latest song Changes

With an age range of 18 through to 19, the guys were all the same year at school but it was social media that brought the collective of lead vocalist Max who also plays guitar, bassist Indie, drummer Joe and Elliot also on guitar, together as a whole.

Max in his lilting Midland accent gave an insight into how Overpass came to be “I put out on Twitter, any bands going, and Joe responded saying, actually lad, we need a guitarist for our band, so we did that and through the rehearsals I eventually started singing.” At the time, they were between 15 to 16.

Bassist Indie chimes in saying, “we got together as a group but we were doing our exams so then we stopped for a while”, Christmas came around… life got in the way but they eventually found their way back together again.

“I was thinking that I really wanted to be in a band after seeing The Twang”, Max says.

“After seeing all these other artists around Birmingham, I thought we could be like these guys”.

“We’re actually supporting The Twang”, Indie adds “we’re opening for them on the 18th (of December), it’s weird that the bands we started listening to like The Claws, The Twang, and now we’re supporting them”.

The one thing that you notice straight away about each of the members is that there is no hierarchy of spoken order, it’s very much a collective who are in this together. Talking amongst each other and seamlessly flitting between subjects with ease, humour, and an openness that you can only hope they retain as they go from strength to strength. They’re oddly and endearingly as in sync off-stage as they are when they’re performing to a crowd.

For a band that is so young, I guess, it’s when they fully unleash themselves as they open their set that their natural pomp emanates proudly. They sound bloody good and there’s a captivating aura to the band, an amalgamation of innocence, energy, combined with a joyous hope. It felt less like an interview and more a chat with a group of friends with music as the driver.

At the back end of 2021, Overpass released the single, Changes, a fast-paced, guitar driven affair.

The song signified a change in direction for the quartet, stylistically at least. But it’s very apparent that this is a band who are growing and evolving before our very eyes, and it’s a beautiful thing to behold.

Indie spoke on the band's first song, the rather excellent One Night Lover.

“It’s a very stripped-back song, without too many effects on the guitar, it’s quite raw”, Max chimes in saying “it’s quite raw”, “yeah, it was like the first time we’d ever recorded our music”

“It was literally a year back as well, which is mad really” adds Joe.

“Things for us are happening so rapidly and we’re getting better and better with each song, and we understand which sound that we want to move towards”

It’s easy to be enthused and excited by a new band, enjoy their energy but it takes something special, or should that be a special collective, to feel that the future could be bright for these young souls.

They seamlessly rattle through 12 songs, a number of which are their own. Interspersed with a collection of covers. Case in point being Oasis Halfway Around the World, Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart, which thankfully, omits the schmaltzy cover renditions as has become the trend for some of the Christmas adverts in recent years.

How have you found the recording process, especially after the last couple of years?

“We actually went into what I’d say is a proper studio for the first time, where you can go away and stay there and just play with things”, says Max as he recalls their recent trip to Vada Studios, where the producer Matt worked with the Coventry band The Enemy, amongst others.

“It’s just so cool to work with someone that can get our sound, push us in different directions and let us figure out what we want and like to do. That is what it is about. We’re just trying out new things and seeing where we go from there.”

While their own material is perhaps a little thin on the ground at the moment, each release to date showcases a clear growth, I can say without a doubt that they’ve yet to do a bad song. Stylistically they’re changing from track to track and live they’re incredibly accomplished and a compelling act to follow.

If the 2021 incarnation of Overpass is any indicator, I genuinely expect them to deservedly establish themselves as a key name in the rising indie scene in 2022.

Changes is out now on all streaming platforms, you can follow the band’s progress on their website: https://www.overpassband.com/

You can also follow Overpass on social media.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/overpass.band/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/overpass.band.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/overpass_band