The Vamps Channeled Elton John And Boxing Sweat For Cherry Blossom

Past the fuzzy guitar and pounding drums of The Vamps's lightheaded love ode wedded in Vegas" lies a secret weapon: a dialed-up piano part that marks the chorus as a secondary hook. Its music-hall glee is reminiscent of Elton John, and the eye catching line is just a taste of the patchwork at play on the British group's eclectic new Cherry Blossom album.


"This is a body of work that we've never really done in this way before," guitarist James McVey told MTV News on a recent call with the entire musical group. "Effectively, half of it's being produced by the males. We've written it all. It's hopefully got their unique DNA into it."


Since McVey formed the categorize with vocalist Brad Simpson by means of the social media in 2012, the quartet — rounded out by bassist Connor Ball and drummer Tristan Evans — have endured early YouTube covers fame plus a gradual sound developments that took them from the peppy pop-rock of "Can We Dance" to arena screamers and electronic-tinged festival banner wavers. Cherry Blossom finds them stepping into a new realm. "Better" is pure dance fizz, while "Chemicals" unearths a grit previously missing from their sonic sheen. They're overjoyed of how far they've come.


Although any time if they discussed to MTV News ahead of the album's October 16 release, they said how the offered celebrations for Cherry Blossom had to be amended because of the continuous pandemic. "We'd typically be going on a massive night out, ending up in a different nation with Brad's eyebrows shaved off," Evans mentioned. Nevertheless, this time around, we are probably going to get with each other, we'll invest in several nice bottles of red wine, and just have a nice chill night, probably. If it could get upset, we can go irritated. Yet it's unlikely."


There will be plenty of time to go angry — as much as can be safely done, naturally — once the order resumes its tour plans in 2021. The Vamps are set to play nine shows in the United Kingdom next spring, and they've already begun rehearsals. Case in point, those run-throughs, which also featured the new Cherry Blossom material, were the initial time the four saw each other since lockdown started. "It's so weird, because you get back and you're like, [it's been] four months, I miss these males Simpson mentioned. "First thing that you desire to do is go up and give them a hug. And also you can't do it. It was so, so weird."


With Cherry Blossom out right now, perhaps elbow bumps (and nice wine) will have to do. MTV News discussed to The Vamps about making the boxing-themed video for "Better," what fans can expect from their tour next year, and more.


MTV News: You've been a musical group for almost a decade right now, getting to know each other more deeply as you go. However is it also like you're discovering new sounds that you never heard before and then wanting to try a similar thing in the studio?


James McVey: I think in the past, maybe that was true. I mean, as soon as we began the musical group, it genuinely did begin with us in our parents' houses with acoustic guitars. So I think certainly, the opening album was quite acoustic-driven, because most of these songs were written on acoustic guitars and built from that. And over the years and the different albums, we have been influenced by other artists, and group kind of movements in the industry — going '80s, as an example, or whichever. However right now for Cherry Blossom, we actually did the opposite. We didn't listen to bands or artists in regards to thinking, oh, what can we take from that and make our own?


I think what was cool about this album is a lot of the song began from lyrical concepts. And if you're writing down things in a book or whichever, and also you find that it's an other way, as an alternative opposed to listening to a track and thinking, "Shit, let's make a song like blah, blah, blah," you're beginning in a different place. And I think that really cooperates the. Along with these gentlemen have been producing for years and years and years, since the initial album. And I think after awhile they've developed their own fashion and sound in their own rights.


MTV News: as soon as you were making Cherry Blossom, how did that dynamic play out and why did you put it into action?


Tristan Evans: Of course over the years, we've evolved as musicians and song writers and people. So we just sort of come with each other and just put all our emotions on the page and visualize what comes out of it. Yet I feel like it's routinely been the same where we're best companions and it's quite easy to gel in the studio and it's quite easy to make something that we're all vibing. Because I feel like we all go in for the same goal.


MTV News: wedded in Vegas" has such a cool, famous piano line that's almost a hook in and of itself. Where did that came from any time while you were recording it?


Brad Simpson: I'd purchased a upright piano about per year ago, which is so nice. [We] wrote most of them of it on acoustic guitar, and then I think I was attempting to look for certain lyrics in the chorus and then just turned around and played the same chords, nevertheless on the piano. And the guy who produced the song, Lostboy, heard it, and he was like, "Ah, there would be actually a cool sort of moment there." He is a fantastic piano player. And he was like, "What about something like this?" And I was like, that's the vibe, yeah. We talked about Elton John quite a lot during the session, that big energy and the grandeur of it and the grandeur of his sound. And I think it sort of subconsciously made its way into song, certainly by way of the piano as well.


MTV News: Would any of you actually ever get wedded in Vegas if the night went that way?


Evans: Probably. It's a lot cheaper, isn't it? There's stuff to do. And it's hot. So why not?


Connor Ball: I feel like you could wake up in Vegas not remembering that you did do that. So that's the dangerous thing.


MTV News: "Better" recently got a glossy, stylized, boxing-themed video. Although Brad, you have got to work the bag for most of it. I was curious how long you actually had to shoot physically punching the punching bag.


Simpson: Longer than I would have admired. You know what I mean? It wasn't a case of like, "Oh, OK, you've done the boxing shot, right now go and grab a shower." No showers. So the rest of the day, it was not good for me or anyone around me.


Ball: You were boxing for a good two hours.


Evans: It's funny how they thought they'd have to [apply fake] grease and [to] sweat [you]. Immediately after like 20 minutes, it was just natural.


McVey: I think actually, speaking about sweating — as soon as we did an efficiency shot, you do the same thing literally 15 times. And I think it's funny how they take little clips from the different takes, and on some of these, like a close-up of Brad, it's one of the early ones, there's no sweat. And there's one clip, and I think it was a bead of sweat, either on your nose or in your hair, was sweating. Yet it happened literally two seconds right following the opening one. We genuine go for it in those performances, man.


MTV News: You just reported plans for a 2021 tour in the U.K. Can you talk a little about those plans and maybe what your fans can expect?


McVey: Putting on a tour, not knowing realistically where the world's going to be in six months from right now, is quite a scary thing. And initially before the pandemic, we were planning a big world tour where we would cover everywhere. And it's hard because I think there's more chance of us being able to tour, I guess, in our own nation before anywhere else. Yet what we're doing with this is we're putting this on sale with the ideal intentions, hoping we can do it. If not, then we'll figure out. We'll tour whenever we can.


MTV News: Talking about this year, we all naturally had to be apart, had to be isolated. Nevertheless you guys are creative unit as a musical group. That must've been challenging in terms of creating and thinking as a unit. What was that experience like?


Simpson: It was weird, man. However I actually think, turning negative into positive, we're so lucky that we have all the equipment at our disposal. We managed to prepare and finish stuff totally by means of the the Zoom. And I think it's weirdly brought people with each other in a bizarre way. Do you suggest what I mean? I think you're checking up on people that you wouldn't typically check on, and you're speaking to people more regularly than you generally would. I had a family member Zoom quiz whenever a week with family member members that you visualize maybe as per year. So it was really nice. And I think from a creative aspect, it actually just made us sort of go, OK, we've just got to approach this in an other way. Hard yourself and doing something different from a creative aspect, I routinely think, breeds exhilarating new things. Each person worked on their house set ups, got it to a place where we may would be sending stuff back and forth, and got the album done.


MTV News: While in this year, was the person that you discussed to or texted with the most? And I have a feeling it was each other.


Simpson: We had a few really good nights. We had good nights in where each person got a glass of wine or a beer, and then we had a FaceTime. We did it soon after wedded in Vegas" was written and FaceTimed around. And then there was just a couple other moments where you'd FaceTime each other and you also didn't realize, yet you're both having a chill night and maybe having several glasses of wine or whichever. And you're like, oh yeah, this is excellent, and then just be having a little bit nightcap with each other. It was nice. It was sweet, very wholesome.


MTV News: Was there any go-to music that you were listening to sort of help get you through?


Evans: I mean, not necessarily to assist me get through it, just enjoying the vibe:


Mötley Crüe. That was fun. And then Post Malone. I think I was just obsessed with that Hollywood's Bleeding album. A lot of the new Yungblud stuff.


McVey: Taylor Swift releasing an album was astonishing. It categorize kind of came out of nowhere, however I'm a massive Taylor Swift fan. It was the album that I sort of wish trim maybe released two albums ago. And thus whenever it came right now, I was like, yes. Better late than never.