Track By Track: Funeral For A Friend, 'Conduit'

Funeral For A Friend are set to release their new album, Conduit, on January 28 in the UK and on February 5 in the US. Bassist Richard Boucher gave AP the following run-down of the meaning behind the Welsh band's newest material.

“Conduit”
This is probably one of the heaviest tracks we've ever written. It’s a speeding roller coaster of aggression. It has a heavy hardcore influence. This is one for the live set, for sure.

“The Distance”
This was one of those tracks that just seemed to instantly work when we tried it in rehearsal. Once we heard Matt [Davies]’ vocals, it became quite clear that this needed to be a single. It has a strong stoner influence with a modern twist. It’s simple and upbeat, and was fun to record.

“Best Friends And Hospital Beds”
This is the track that probably best represents the sound of the album. It has all the other aspects of the other tracks in one. Fast-paced, aggressive, and catchy with some tasty guitar riffs.

“Nails”
“Nails” was the most fun to record. It was fun playing and recording the multiple floor toms at the start. These added a massive weight to the intro and really make it sound dramatic. This track is quite dynamic in sound.

“Death Comes To Us All”
Originally written on a seven-string guitar we felt it sounded a little too low so we transposed it to six. I remember the breakdown in the midsection came from a jam in rehearsals. It’s always amazing when things are spontaneous and just work. It’s a song about obsession and not being able to control your thoughts.

“Travelled”
This is the shortest track on the album. It’s a beast with lots of movement. The chorus has quite a strange vibe as the bass is playing a lot of chromatic notes.

“Grey”
This track has one of the heaviest beat downs we’ve done! It has great intensity and tension. The verses are riff-tastic, then it opens up to a nice, simple, driving chorus. It’s about someone changing and becoming a shadow of his or her former self.

“Sun-less”
Everyone loves the classic style of letting the guitars fade while the bass keeps rolling. It’s timeless and always sounds good, so that’s what we did. It builds nicely to a melodic chorus.

“Elements”
This was definitely the toughest track to write. When we first tried it in rehearsal, it just didn't work. We kept the basis of the song but changed up the rhythms, and it slowly started to come together. It took perseverance, but we finished it. It has lots of tapped guitar parts which give it a spacey feel. This has the most unconventional song structure on the album.

“High Castles”
This track was the first one we wrote, and it gave us a basis of a direction for the album. We'd already been playing it live and it always went down really well, so it was great to have it on the album.