Interview: Wood and Nails talk 2017 and next year’s ‘Resolutions’
In a Birmingham climate rich with diversity, Wood and Nails continue to offer something different. At turns epic, at others scuzzy, Paul Beaumont’s Brummie boys fall into a Pandora’s box of Gallagher-esque widescreen wistfulness, the sandpaper howls of Brian Fallon and the jittery classic punk of Descendents.
Their new single, ‘Resolutions’, is set for release on Monday 8th January (also Beaumont’s birthday). Beaumont says this time he was more focused on craft rather than quickness. “I feel like it’s going to be one song at a time from now on,” he said. “We were able to spend more time in the studio this time, really getting what we wanted from the track rather than bashing out a few songs in a short space of time. Hopefully you can tell.”
Tell you can. ‘Resolutions’ is polished but not sparkly, its jagged riffs not softened but its choruses soaring. The lyrics were inspired by a 2016 that, lest we forget, raised considerable ill feeling across the nation, as well as for Beaumont on more personal levels. “Verse one is kind of reflecting on my life at the time, with the second verse looking outward to the world,” he explained. “The chorus is essentially me trying to keep my head above water and stay positive when everything seems doomed.”
‘Resolutions’ comes hot after a 2017 of mixed results for Beaumont. “I feel we probably could have gotten into the studio sooner and possibly got out on the road a bit more,” he said. “That said, we’ve played some incredible shows with big names like Gnarwolves and [Spunge], so I can’t really complain. We are all working guys, doing 9-5, so to do what we do around general life is something to be proud of.”
That pride is bursting through on ‘Resolutions’, which has become the band’s de facto opener onstage. For 2018, Beaumont wants to make up for a little lost time. “Releasing new music is key. We’ve slacked off on that front in 2017,” he said. “There are no plans for gigging currently, but we’ve not played a show of our own for too long, so it’s about time we put on another headline show.”
You can be sure that this is a resolution the band will surely tick off.
Resolutions is released on January 8th and is available to pre-order here.
Tied to the ’90s. I love anything with a good melody. Favourite acts include DIIV, Best Coast, Wavves, MBV, The Lemonheads, Bully, Pavement, Weezer, Wolf Alice, Mac DeMarco and Dinosaur Jr.