We talk to the alt-rock band Bosola of New Castle Upon Tyne about the current music scene, their musical inspirations, and the next steps for the band.
Alternative Rock band, Bosola just released their new single “Truth Man” and we got to talk to them about it! Hailing from Newcastle Upon Tyne in the northwest of England, Bosola thrives in a town with a rich musical heritage. Sting, Sam Fender, Mark Knofler (Dire Straits), and Eric Burden (The Animals) are all from the area, so there is a strong lineage of music, and some pretty high bars set for emerging artists to aspire to.
“Truth Man” caught our attention due to the honest, raw energy of the strong power-pop songwriting, guitar hooks, melodic bassline, giving us the UK Alt-Rock sound that fans of early 2000s UK indie rock crave. If we filled our teacup with a little Damon Albarn, pour in a little Gaz Coombes, sprinkle some Fontaines DC, maybe some Pulp and Kaiser Chiefs, and you’ve got Bosola. “Truth Man” is a delicious soup with all of our favorite UK indie rock ingredients. With production that leaves room for perfection, we realize that the over-produced, over-thought, and nuanced pop songs that are popular today leave room for music like what Bosula delivers, and we love it. With “Truth Man”, Bosola have beautifully crafted guitar licks throughout the song, on-point vocals, perfectly placed vocal harmonies, and a catchy, memorable chorus hook, all perfectly set together in four-minute rock-pop perfection. We feel like they are a band with a commercial yet authentic sound, and are ones to watch and keep in touch with.
Here is our exclusive interview with chief songwriter Tim Cox of Bosula:
SBN: We love your fresh take on alt-rock, with clean guitars and none of the synth fillers, effects, or “studio tricks”. What inspired you to record raw, analog instruments and production?
TC: The way we write songs often starts with an acoustic guitar and then we jam it out until it feels right. Writing a good song is more important than showing off a synth pad or effect and we write music we want to hear and play, not for Instagram reels and TikTok. My songwriting heroes are The Smiths, Adrianne Lenker, Nick Drake and Paul Westerberg and if guitars are good enough for them …
SBN: What is the music scene in Newcastle Upon Tyne? Are you part of a scene that is happening, and what bands do you hang within your genre?
TC: The music scene is pretty vibrant in Newcastle with lots of genres and artists sitting together in the scene. Our personal favourites include Hannah Robinson, Pet Rock, Holiday in Tokyo, Zudz, and Social Club Dinner Buffet.
SBN: Are there any bands that have been signed to labels that you aspire to tour with?
TC: Good question. I went to see Slowdive a few months ago in Belfast and they were incredible. That would be a dream! Their support band that are called Gurriers. They were awesome and gave a lot of energy – I think we’d make a good match if they ever came to the North East of England.
SBN: Your sound reminded us of the early 2000s sound of the English Indie band Supergrass. Any reason why we hear that?
TC: Guitar music was a massive part of my upbringing and Supergrass would have certainly been one of the bands that my older siblings would have listened to. It’s very possible I stole CDs or cassettes from them and it’s probably stayed in my brain! I love juxtaposed songs – Sad words with radiant melodies. There is a hope for that, I think that’s part of British guitar music heritage.
SBN: Ok, I guess I’m old! haha.
SBN: In your new single “Truth Man”, we hear lyrics that make us think that someone was slighted! Tell us what happened that inspired this single.
TC: Unfortunately, a younger me spent a lot of time letting other people down and being economical with the truth, so the song is about me admitting the truth that a lot of people at that time were probably better off without me in their lives. You live and learn from these things and I can look back now and see growth, so it’s all good now.
SBN: Any love for Fontaines DC? We love the spoken verses and reverb on the lead vocals, thus the question about Fontaines.
TC: Yeah we love Fontaines DC, they are spearheading a fantastic crop of Irish Alternative artists including The Murder Capital, Mary Wallopers, and CMAT. I had been listening to a lot of The Fall and Shame when I wrote that part.
SBN: Help our poor American brains understand the “revolutionary inflections on moral relativism and relational Machiavellianism” behind the song. Did someone in the past use deceit and manipulations to get what they want from you? And is this your way of accepting and moving on?
TC: Basically, it’s a pretentious way of saying I used to be morally vague and put my emotions before ethics, and it eventually messed me up. You’ve got to accept the truth, man before you can move on. The whole revolutionary bit is because the 2nd verse is an adaptation of Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum address.
SBN: How you know about Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Address? I would imagine 99% of Americans have no idea.
“In his speech, a 28-year-old Lincoln warned that mobs or people who disrespected U.S. laws and courts could destroy the United States. He went on to say the Constitution and rule of law in the United States are “the political religion of our nation.”
Perhaps we dive into that another day!
SBN: What is next for you as a band? We read that you are playing the CoastCrawl festival on February 17th, do you have any other plans or tours coming up?
TC: We have just finished recording a new single ‘Comfort Disorder’ which we are hoping to release in April and then have 2 more singles planned for this year. We had a stop-start year and didn’t record anything last year so we are going to put as much energy as we can out into the world in our live performances and hope we build a regional following. Then we are aiming at perhaps some touring next year, festivals, and maybe an album?! We’d love to come to the States!
SBN: There are so many festivals and small tours in the US to choose from and apply to, we’d love that! Perhaps look into the New Colossus Festival, there are plenty of UK and Irish bands that come to New York City for that festival, and it’s great networking to boot.
Thanks for working with us, and keep in touch!
