EXCLUSIVE: Snow Patrol – 'Wilderness' Calling

It has been seven years since Snow Patrol released their last album. Band member Nathan Connelly opens up about their newest album and upcoming shows…
Snow Patrol have been around since the mid 1990s and yet they are still a big name in the music industry. Through the years they have adapted their style to the most current trends while staying true to their original sound. They have stayed relevant and have built a base of incredibly loyal fans.
Members of the band met while studying in Dundee and have been friends for many years. “We’re brothers, we are family,” explains Nathan Connelly. “We’ve known each other for a long time and we’re closer than we’ve ever been.”
“It’s been a little while since we’ve released an album,” says Nathan. The last album they released was back in 2011. “We are a lot freer and more confident in the studio than ever before, and I think that comes across with our new record.”
Over the years Snow Patrol have experimented with many sounds and genres. Some albums have been mainly pop, some have been more rock. There have even been some electronic touches.
“In the last five years we’ve all been doing different things, some of us have had side projects, some of us have been writing for other people, and in different genres that we would normally be in, so that’s all been brought back to this record,” he explains. Despite all of this experimentation, when describing their latest album, ‘Wilderness’, Nathan says: “at the core it’s still big, melodic songs”.
“I think we are starting to understand what our strengths are a lot more than we ever did,” he explains.
In many ways, ‘Wilderness’ is a very personal album in which lyricist and band member Gary Lightbody has opened up about many issues. “Gary’s written about love a lot, and I guess he still is,” comments Nathan. “Although now he’s writing about different relationships like with his father and his father’s dementia.
“He’s also been writing about things that he’s been dealing with and has opened up about publicly, about depression and stuff,” he adds. “But there’s things on this record that deal with that and other internal struggles.”
“It’s not all doom and gloom though,” he admits. “It’s also a hopeful record, and in fact one of our most upbeat ones, probably.” According to Nathan, the album is very much about our connection with the world and “being in touch with yourself.”
Snow Patrol have been taking to the stage for many years now. “Performing live we’ve certainly come into our own – we are what we are and we’ve been exploring and settled into it more so yeah, we’ve grown up!” says Nathan.
All members have been friends for a long time and know each other well. “It makes things a lot easier!” he explains. “It’s an amazing job and we love it. Being away from your family and friends is made easier when you get on with the other band members.”
When preparing for their shows, “we like to be together a few hours beforehand,” says Nathan. “Being together just helps us connect on stage, so we hand out and have a few drinks and get in the zone, as it were.”
“We make music to get out and play it,” Nathan concludes. “We are just dying to get out and play. We are very excited to get out and thank our patient fans.”
SNOW Patrol’s latest album ‘Wilderness’ is out now.
> Naomi Round