This week, we sat down with Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs as they make their ascent and become the premier pop punk powerhouse of this generation following the launch of their debut album Become More on July 24th. In this exclusive interview, we explore the band’s origins, the humorous genesis of their moniker and the evolution of their fast-paced punk roots.
Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs, welcome to A&R Factory! Before we get into discussing your upcoming releases, we have to know the story behind your moniker.
Haha, you’re not the first to ask and you surely won’t be the last. People’s minds often head straight for the gutter when they see our band name, and while we don’t blame them, there’s actually no filth intended!
It’s a reference to our first-ever rehearsal. Or, to put it more accurately, our bassist’s (Jay) audition. He’s since admitted he was very nervous, but all we could see was him struggling to work the amp in our practice space. He was just turning the knobs on the amp and they were doing nothing, and someone said they were just aesthetic knobs, which we jokingly said would make a good band name, and it stuck.
The reason it’s Dan Bibby AND the Aesthetic Knobs is because, initially, it was a solo artist and backing band situation, which very quickly changed as we became a four-piece collaborative band that wrote everything together. We just never changed the name. We’ve thought about changing it a few times. Who knows, maybe one day we might.
What brought you together as a band?
I had written an album I wanted to play live and needed to recruit some friends to help me pull it off. I was already in a cover band with Pete (drums) and Hagrid (guitar/vocals), so they were easy to find. I’d known Jay for a few years, and he reached out after I posted an ad for a bassist. As soon as we played one show together, we knew we’d found a stellar combination of people – even if we say so ourselves.
Which roles does everyone play, and to get to know you on a more intrinsically human level, what kinds of idiosyncrasies and neurosis does each member bring to the outfit?
As well as my guitar and vocal duties, I’m the main coordinator of the band. I make sure we stay on track with writing, rehearsals, organizing studio sessions, that sort of thing. We don’t have a manager right now, and there’s a surprising amount of admin and social media stuff for an independent band that I tend to take charge of too. I can get a little overbearing with it all, as I’m sure the other guys would agree, but I struggle to ever really switch off.
Hagrid is great at adding flair to key moments in songs, and even he’s admitted he doesn’t quite know what he’s doing in the moment! He has an incredibly improvisational approach to many aspects of being in a band, which generally tends to serve him and us well, but it can stress me the hell out.
Jay is one of the band’s biggest fans – by his own admission. So, he’s kind of like an embedded cheerleader for himself and all of us. He has a natural ability to inject enthusiasm into many situations where it can be difficult to stay motivated. He also has a knack for coming up with perfect solutions to crossroads during writing sessions. The downside? He likes to make up his own terminologies to refer to these brilliant ideas. So, it can take a while to translate what he’s saying.
We’re forever counting our blessings that we have a drummer like Pete. Not only is he great at his instrument, but we don’t have to share him with any other bands! Anyone in a band will know how rare it is to find a drummer who ticks both boxes. He can also be a bit of a hothead when he sets his mind on something. He’s not particularly immovable, but he does have a tendency to get his point in before everyone else, and he says it loud.
What can your fans expect from your debut album, Become More, which is due for release on the 24th of July?
It’s something of a sonic rollercoaster. We tried to make sure every song was distinct, but that they still sounded like they were from the same record. It was a difficult balance to find, but I think we did it. For every hard-hitting, heavy moment, there’s a stretch of laid-back, fun periods. There are several flashes that I still think are brilliantly unexpected, but in a way that brings a smile to my face, so I hope others get that same feeling when they listen to it as well.
For those who’ve heard our older material, there’s still plenty of the rapid, punk rock stuff. But we’ve also thrown in some tracks that offer an artful breather over the course of the album.
Will your double-single release on the 17th of July set the tone of the album?
I wouldn’t say these two songs set the tone on their own, but they add to the tapestry of clues that the previous three singles have also helped create. There are a lot of different rock sub-genres on the album, so each song is another piece of the puzzle. Out of context, they could even be interpreted by some as being by completely different bands! But I also think there’s a tangible connection between them too. It’s the same four guys on all of these songs, and you can tell.
How has your sound evolved leading up to your LP?
We used to very much get caught up on playing everything fast and loud, and you can hear that on our previous two EPs. It’s not a bad thing, as we still love playing fast and loud now, it’s just that we’ve made an effort to add extra strings to our bow for the album. We only really realized a few songs into writing that putting together an album isn’t identical to doing it for an EP. An EP can easily be four or five songs that are gone in the blink of an eye. We could easily have just carried on what we’ve always done – which we have, for some of the new songs – but where is the fun in retreading old ground?
Who are the main artists who provided a foundational influence for the album?
Our main shared love music-wise is all the pop-punk royalty bands from the 90s/00s. So, there’s a lot of that in there. However, we didn’t want to sound like we’d just written an album that would slot perfectly into that period. We’ve leaned into more modern rock bands who are kind of spiritual successors to some of our favourite bands. Acts like Hot Milk, Badflower, Mom Jeans, they all had an impact on how the new material sounds. We never make a conscious effort to sound like any band in particular, but it’s tough not to hear the influence when you listen back.
The album has been two years in the making and during that time you’ve also hit the road to go on tour twice, was it tough to balance honing your live sound and laying down the tracks?
It was relatively tricky, yeah. As I said, we play most songs a million miles an hour live, which isn’t something that always translates well to a studio recording. So, it was a struggle to reign ourselves in at times and remind ourselves that we can always speed it up a bit when we hit the stage again. Hagrid suggested fairly early on in the process that we needed to work the new songs into the sets so we could workshop them live, which really benefitted the material in the long run. On the whole, I think we balanced the end result really well. The songs will always sound more raw live I think, which is always good.
Who worked with you on the production and what did they bring to the table?
We went right back to our regular producer when we knew we wanted to record an album. His name is Tom “Dringy” Dring, and he’s recorded every single one of our songs so far. We’ve built up a great working relationship and friendship with Dringy over the years, and he’s increasingly less afraid to tell us when a take was shit and that we need to do it again. It’s a slap in the face every time, but one we welcome because it makes the end result the best it can be. He also laid down the sax solo in Deep Breath, which is one of my favourite moments on the entire album.
Our friend Pook also played the trombone part in Falling Like Flies. He’s in an insane ska/metal band called Redeemon, and he sent us the recording remotely, and we’re very grateful he found the time to help us out! Also a huge shoutout to Jen and Abi for helping us with the gang vocals in Deep Breath.
How does the album align with your broader career goals?
The four of us are in this for the long haul, and I think spending every spare moment, penny, and ounce of energy we had on recording one album for two years helps prove that. There was never a moment when we considered giving up, or ever really got frustrated with the process. We’re incredibly proud of how it’s turned out, and it’ll take us beautifully into the next stage of what we hope to achieve – which is a whole goddamn lot. A debut album can help set the tone for a band, regardless of any previous releases, so we’ve given this one everything we’ve got.
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Stream Dan Bibby & the Aesthetic Knobs on Spotify, and follow the band on Instagram and TikTok.
Interview by Amelia Vandergast