Track By Track: Attack! Attack! U.K.

ATTACK! ATTACK! U.K. vocalist NEIL STARR goes track by track through the band’s latest album, The Latest Fashion.

“Everyone Knows”
We wanted to start the album off with a track that kicked the listener in the face, and the opening riff to this song does that. Lyrically, it is also a great way to start the album, because it details our intent to move on with album two and keep the momentum going from album one: “We can't stop now, we won't slow down.” We have been really busy since the release of [the last album]. We have toured relentlessly and we continue to keep working hard; it’s all we know! We are also declaring our belief in our music: “Only we can fail us now.”  We want to take on the struggling music industry and make our band a success.
 
“No Excuses”
This song was written about someone we know who likes talking shit about people behind their backs, and then face-to-face, they are all nice to them. I think everybody knows or has come across someone like that at some point in their lives. This was a good second track because it's full of energy and continues the theme from “Everyone Knows.”
 
“My Shoes”
Ryan [Day, guitarist] had a dream one night about being chased down by a group of guys in his hometown. Where Ryan lives is a very small place, full of some really weird people, and there are a lot of drug-takers. “Spend a night in my shoes” is talking about living in a small town and coping with the challenges it brings, especially when everyone wants to pick on you because you are in an international touring band.
 
“Blood On My Hands”
This song was written just after the birth of my baby daughter. Lyrically, it refers to the enormous responsibility you immediately have to deal with by becoming a parent. At this point in the album, you have had three hard-hitting tracks, so we felt like the mood should change. This song has a completely different vibe.
 
“Seen Me Lately”
We wanted to pick the pace up again, and “Seen Me Lately” seemed like a great choice because it’s fun and to-the-point musically. The [lyrical] concept was inspired by a Counting Crows song. It talks about how somebody has changed from who they were and when they realize it, they don't like the new person they see before them.
 
“Latest Fashion”
The title track of the album and a completely different style of music and singing than anything we have done before. I go through stages of hating the music industry with a passion, and this song was written when I was at one of my most angry moments. It really pisses me off when so many great bands go unnoticed by media and fans just because they don't dress a certain way or have a “cool” haircut. Music should be about music and not fashion. Growing up, I used to want to smash my bedroom up when I listened to “Freedom” by Rage Against The Machine. I hope people get that same anger when they hear this song.
 
“Nemesis”
This was the last song we wrote for the album, and it is my favorite song on The Latest Fashion. It's personal to me, because I am my own nemesis. I put too much pressure on myself to succeed and hate losing when I compete or do something I care about. I often find myself not doing certain things because I am scared of not doing a good enough job, and I know that I will hate myself if I let anyone down. Writing this song has helped me understand this is a problem; hopefully, I can overcome it.
 
“Best Mistake”
Again, this song was written just after my daughter was born. It tries to portray the emotions you feel when becoming a dad.
 
“We're Not The Enemy”
This was the first song we wrote after finishing the first album. The song has had many different versions of lyrics and structures, and there are loads of different demo versions of this song. It was probably the hardest song to write, because we couldn't all agree and settle on a structure and musical feel that we were all happy with. Eventually, with the help of Romesh [Dodangoda, producer], we came to the final recorded version that we are all stoked with.
 
“Not Afraid”
This was the first single from the album. We felt it was a good crossover from album one, and a taste for our fans of what was to come. Will [Davies, bassist] emailed me the music, and it only took me two listens before I had written the lyrics and melody. It was one of those songs that just came together easily. It's my favorite track [off this album] to perform live.
 
“No Tomorrow”
I had written the music, but had been struggling for months to come up with lyrics and melodies I was happy with. A close friend of our guitarist suddenly died in June last year, and it came as a real shock to everyone. The emotion I felt at that time—even though I didn't know him very well personally—was overwhelming. It inspired me to finish the song, and I came up with the lyrics and melody really quickly. Lyrically, it talks about the sadness and pain of losing someone you love and how with the help of friends and family, you can get through the dark times. The feel of the song itself is dark, and we felt it was a perfect way to end the album.