Leatherback’s new single ‘Bystander’, featuring a B-side ‘A Plague on Both Your Houses’, will release on the 18th December 2020 with an accompanying live stream to celebrate. Check out the interview with Matt below, and don’t forget to pre-save the new single on Spotify here!

1) Your music has a very unique edge. Are you inspired by any particular artists/ genres?

Loads of people that inspire me, but a big one would have to be Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. There’s also HIDE, Mick Gordon which I draw from a lot. Obviously, I have a fondness for Industrial artists, but I listen to loads of different stuff from different genres and I think it all gets mixed in in one way or another.

2) There are some fantastic soundscapes and atmospheres in your music. Do you create your own electronic synths or prefer to use premade sounds?

A bit of both really, sometimes I’ll be tinkering for hours building a synth patch up from the ground, but if a preset does what I want it to straight away then I’ll use that instead. A lot of the time, the atmospheric stuff in Leatherback is built up from samples that are stretched and mangled, then with a whole bunch of effects layered on top.

3) What is your favourite part of the compositional/ production process?

I like the writing most, that’s the point where I get to plug stuff in, mess around with different ideas and experiment with making different sounds. Mixing and mastering tends to frustrate me because I get distracted by the next thing, or messing around with one element of the mix. I often find I have to put strict deadlines on myself, otherwise I’d never be happy that anything was ‘done’.

4) With the restrictions on live music, live streaming has enabled you to perform virtually. How does this compare to live shows?

Honestly, livestreams don’t compare to live shows. They’re a good way to keep going through a pandemic like this but I miss that energy exchange that you get with a live show. I’m looking forwards to being able to get back to proper gigging, whenever that may be.

5) The new single releases on the 18th December. Following this, what does the future hold for Leatherback?

I have a couple of thing’s ticking over that I’m not sure I can talk about just yet, but I’m still working on my first full length album the I started earlier in the year. I’m also hoping to get back out on the road once this COVID mess is all over, but that may be a while yet.

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