Seeing Double: The Split Influences Of Bad Sounds

Ewan and Callum Merrett on their formative sounds...

Ah, brotherly love.

Fighting over your favourite football team, trying to get the highest score possible on the Playstation, forming innately talented, incredibly exciting buzz bands.

Wait. What was that last part?

Bad Sounds are one of the most exciting new groups in the country, a band whose myriad of fresh sounds is matched by a stunning, creative, and highly imaginative live show.

The project hinges on two brothers, with Ewan Merrett and Callum Merrett driving the group forwards.

Clash caught up with the pair to find out a few of their formative influences…

– – –

Ewan…

Missy Elliott – 'Under Construction'

Missy Elliott is my hero and I think she's insanely underrated. No one has had a bigger impact on me lyrically. The way she makes sound effects in her tracks in the middle of a sentence is the coolest thing ever and she's hilarious! Literally can't get enough of her!

This is my favourite of her albums but I love them all. Her and Timbaland were such an unstoppable duo at this point and I think they were both leaning on each other a lot after Aaliyah died so I think it made them ever tighter as a unit and they bring out the best in each other.

– – –

K-Murdoc – 'iMANGANation Vol. 1 '

This is a weird album, it's basically an instrumental mixtape he made of his beats (most of which he'd already used on Panacea tracks) but the whole album is sequenced together with anime samples. I got it as a free download on Bandcamp when I first started getting into hip-hop when I was about 17 and I literally listened to it straight for about a year!

I literally had no idea how it was made and I used to spend so much time trying to understand how it worked. I'd never heard an album with a concept like that before either it just totally changed how I listen and think about music.

K-Murdoc is nowhere near as big as he should be, too. He was doing a lot of things that huge people do all the time now but he did it about ten years earlier. I emailed him asking for advice when I was starting out and lost my shit when he replied and was super helpful! Such a nice guy!

– – –

Gorillaz – 'Demon Dayz'

This album is amazing. It blows my mind how close Danger Mouse did this to 'St. Elsewhere' – he was unstoppable in this era! I feel like there was so many amazing people on this album and they were all at the top of their game when they made it. I think it's the album that every musician dreams of writing.

– – –

Callum…

4. Beastie Boys – 'Paul's Boutique'

It's always a struggle to choose between this and 'Odelay' by Beck. Both were produced by these guys called The Dust Brothers who Ewan and I are really into. They have this super cool way of chopping to like four totally irrelevant samples for a like half a bar each and then back again to the original beat of the song… it shouldn't work but it totally does and it always sounds amazing.

Highlight for me is the intro to 'Hey Ladies' it loops in mono for a couple of bars and the its the coolest groove ever, then it goes super duper stereo without really changing and completely blows my mind.

– – –

5. Gnarls Barkley – 'St. Elsewhere'

Danger Mouse was having "a moment" around this point in his career. This album came out just after 'Demon Days' by Gorillaz which he also produced. It has 'Crazy' on it, which was No. 1 for like ever. The drum programming is out of this worrrrrlllldd. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, the first few times I heard 'Just A Thought' I was screaming at the speakers "wtf is this all about?", but then it just clicked with me and it's possibly my favourite track on the album.

I haven't even gotten started on Cee-Lo's voice yet, but then again everyone knows his voice is incredible. Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green is the best combo since chocolate and peanut butter.

– – –

6. Marvin Gaye – 'Let's Get It On'

My favourite album ever. It wasn't a tough decision either. It literally listened to it once from start to finish and at the end said to myself (possible even out loud) "that's my favourite album". There's just a magic about it. I'm always in the mood to listen to it.

Obviously the song 'Let's Get It On' is sort of associated with corny scenes in films and stuff these days but it's just an absolutely masterclass in songwriting. Marvin's voice is soft and silky one moment then raw and powerful the next. He was a true genius, and although this album may not be his biggest artistic triumph ('What's Going On' obviously wins that prize), but it just ticks a lot of boxes for me.

– – –

Bad Sounds new EP 'PHRESSH' is out now.

For tickets to the latest Bad Sounds shows click HERE.

Buy Clash Magazine

-
Join the Clash mailing list for up to the minute music, fashion and film news.