National Service are back with their new track, “Repeater,” and you can take a listen right here at New Noise.
The bandmates and three friends began making music at school. Vocalist Fintan Campbell met guitarist Iain Kelly while the pair were studying at Goldsmiths University in 2009. National Service came to full fruition in 2017 with the additional of longtime collaborator, drummer Mathew Alston.
The band signed to indie label Fierce Panda the same year and released their first single, “A Little More Time,” to critical acclaim. Following their second single, “Timid Kisses,” National Service released their debut EP, Foreign Love, followed by sophomore EP, Meltwater. The latter marked a shift into more ambitious and expansive territory, effectively ushering in the new era for the band.
“Repeater” is the second single from National Service’s new EP, set for release early next year. Written, recorded, and mixed by the band, they dish out ethereal riffs onto a sea of distortion and fuzz, resulting in an overall exciting and hazy alternative bop.
National Service describe mixing up their writing process in 2020, taking turns to write a fully formed part and get themselves out of a bit of a creative slump, which is how “Repeater” came about.
“The simplicity, and forthright, unencumbered approach to writing was what really got us going, and that’s what inspired the chorus really,” the band say. “We just wanted to keep smashing at the four chords and write a pop-tastic melody over the top. Obviously, we roughed it up with some fuzz guitar and a killer guitar line from Iain, but essentially it’s a pop-chorus. The sound is worlds apart, but harmonically and melodically, it’s always reminded me of MGMT funnily enough. In terms of the verses, it’s just straight up hip-hop. Matt’s drums, mixed with our old bass player’s line just make me want to bop my head and two step—This had a big impact on the melody and phrasing of the vocals.”
They call it a “big slice of National Service, through and through.”
Listen to “Repeater” here:
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Photo courtesy of National Service
