EXCLUSIVE! : Pusher – ‘10,000 Hours’ – Exclusive first stream + interview.

Think back to the first time you heard your favourite band. You could probably tell in a few heartbeats that you were going to like them, and before the first song had ended, you were in love and wanted more. Well get ready, because if you haven’t yet, you’re about to meet your next favourite band.

Yorkshire five-piece, Pusher are one of those bands that are capable of creating an enormous sound that instantly captivates the listener, draws you in and has you clambering for more. Tomorrow see’s the general release of their eagerly awaited EP, ’10,000’ hours. Faithfully capturing the essence of the bands live performance – which believe me, is up there with some of the best we’ve ever seen – Backseat Mafia are delighted to be able to bring you an exclusive stream of all five tracks today.

We got hold of giutarist, Nevyn to tell us the story behind the EP…

BM: So, 10,00 Hours…

Nevyn – 10,000 Hours. It’s something we have wanted to do after releasing a number of songs over the past 12 months, kind of feels like the next step. The intention was to make a collection of songs that flows, not just a group of singles and I think the E.P shows another side to us that perhaps the songs we have released previously haven’t been able to.

BM: You took a more hands on approach to this release than you have previously. How did that come about?

Nevyn – It was recorded in our own space with engineer Casey Wood. It was done very much in house, recording the tracks with Casey and then been mixed by us. We have tried with recording studios before and have had to pay to record/mix in a day and were always underwhelmed with the results. Keeping it to ourselves until the master has been the most successful process we have had. It would be great to work with someone in the future where time/money is not a factor.

BM: Was there a particular ‘feel’ you were looking for with the EP?

Nevyn – The intention is to make music that in some way evokes emotion, to create a reaction. There is nothing worse than someone saying, “its alright”. As for the sound, it sounds like us, people will hear influences and there are some that are obvious to us but ultimately it sounds like the 5 of us. May sound cliché but that’s just how it is.

BM: Talking of influences, people have been drawing comparisons to Echo & The Bunnymen, Oasis, Joy Division as well as pinning various labels; psych, indie, post-punk, even gothic. How would you describe your sound?

Nevyn – Our influences differ between us, though the same few names are constant. It’s a hard question to answer without automatically been associated with a band/scene. I think the only thing that matters is that we are making music we feel will last, it is in no way a quick fix, we are here for the long haul.

BM: Ben, your drummer, joined the band after the rest of you had been together some time. How did that come about?

Ben – Well I’d been in other bands in the past as a guitarist, which is how I got to meet the rest of the band, through gigging and what not. They’d been together in a band for quite a while with different drummers but then they finally asked me to join them and we basically went from there.

Nevyn – Ben took no time to settle really, was easy. We all felt very much on the page in what we set out to achieve.

BM: We caught you guys playing live a few weeks back and to be honest were blown away by your live set. For those that haven’t yet had the privilege, how would you describe a Pusher gig?

Nevyn – They’re full on. Live is really where we feel natural and where we feel we will be noticed. Getting away from home, away from our jobs is the most fulfilling part of being in a band, Its a release. Like I said, to create a reaction is the aim. We want to interact with people, to captivate an audience and create something special.

BM: Word must be getting round; Your next gig is with Exit Calm, and it’s sold out.

Nevyn – Yes. It’s our final Gig of the year, on the 20th of Dec in Barnsley. First time Pusher have played in Barnsley. There will be a lot of new material as well as the E.P. It’s a sell out so should be special. This year has been great for us, between festivals and the amount of gigs we have done. Hopefully we will get a positive response from this release and really push on next year.

BM: What are the plans for next year?

Nevyn – We will be touring March/April again next year to support another release and then into the summer with major festivals. The next release will be psychical.

Pusher are definitely going to be one of the bands to look out for in 2015. Pusher are a great band, with a great stage presence. And to top it all, they’re from the North – what more could you want?

PUSHER are:

James Gilroy – Lead Vocal

Matthew Clayton – Guitar/Backing Vox

Nevyn Stevenson – Guitar/Backing Vox

Thomas Hemingway – Bass

Ben Scarff – Drums/Backing Vox