10 Questions For: The Overslept

INTERVIEW

We have no words to explain how excited we were to have an interview with one of the best new bands in Europe! Their songs are always excellent, and we have them in several of our playlists. And, after this amazing talk, our admiration for them has only grown even more! These are our 10 questions for The Overslept:

Sounds European!: As we see it, a band is usually a reflection of the musical preferences its members have in common. So, who are the members' idols in music? What artists are your inspirations? Do you feel they have influenced, in any way, your work as a band?

The Overslept: We all started making music early in our lives. There is no doubt that our musical roots are somewhat the same. We all grew up listening to bands such as Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and many other mid-2000s pop rock bands. Even though we are always searching for the best way to make our music feel new and fresh, we feel like you can still hear some of their influence in our songs.

Music has changed along the years, and that is very obvious when you hear what is on the radio nowadays. We like the challenge that comes with mixing our musical roots, our love for pop music and whatever the hype is at the moment.

SE!: Tell us a bit about the band's origins. How did you guys meet? And how did you decide to form a band? What were the first steps in your career as a group? And how were your first gigs?

TO: We have known each other since we were in high school, and we were already making music together. In 2014, we decided to take it to the next level and start The Overslept.

We recorded our first EP, "Memory lane", and took part in Popronde (which is a large festival that travels through 40 cities in the Netherlands). Upcoming bands from all over the country can sign up, and a small number of bands get to play on all sorts of venues. Most venues are really great, but some are not really made for live bands. We played this one show in a bar where the electricity kept shutting down. Eventually, we had to improvise a little acoustic show. These were some of our first shows and they really helped us expand our fan base.

It wasn't until we played some great support shows for bands as Simple Plan, Paramore and Panic! At The Disco that we started to get the wind in our sails.

SE!: You self-published your two first EPs, "Memory lane" and "Guidelines". Self-publishing music is usually not easy, specially for bands that are starting their careers. How was it, for you? And what can you tell us about the two EPs, musically?

TO: It sure isn't an easy job. Recording "Memory lane" was an adventurous journey for us – writing, recording and mixing the songs, all by ourselves. It was a great experience making that EP, but we found out that some jobs should be done by professionals in real studios.

There is a feature on "Forgive me", with Bjørgen van Essen [of Only Seven Left], who has become a close friend of ours since the recording of that song. He co-wrote, produced and mixed most of the songs on "Guidelines". It was the first time someone who was not in the band was giving input about our music and production. There is a really good musical connection between us and we still love working with him.

Both of the EPs were released and promoted by ourselves. It is important, these days, to keep your social media game strong – because when you self-publish your music, it is the most important way to get your music heard by the world.

SE!: After the two EPs, the band signed with the record company 8ball Music. Following "Stolen car", you guys started getting even more recognition and support. How do you guys face your success? How does it feel to see so many people enjoying your music? And how is your relationship with your fans?

TO: The taste of that success just drove us to work harder. It is such a great feeling to hear people singing along to your songs at shows and to hear yourself on the radio. We get a lot of messages from fans who are really thankful for our music, that gets them through tough times in their lives. We are really grateful for our fans and we are glad that our music can have such a positive effect on people. We always make time after shows to talk to fans because, without our fans supporting us, we would not be where we are now.

SE!: You have recently released a new EP, entitled "Signals". How was the process of recording and producing it? What can people expect from it? And, looking back on your two self-published EPs, how would you compare "Signals" to them? What has changed in your music since them?

TO: Compared to our last two EPs, "Signals" can be described as a new chapter in our music. It has a more mature sound with a dark tone, but also has a hopeful undertone. It is a story of ups and downs that we experienced as individuals, but also as a band. It is something we all get inspired by in the writing process.

"We like the challenge that comes with mixing our musical roots, our love for pop music and whatever the hype is at the moment"
(Picture: Nynja Dudok)

SE!: 2018 has been a year of concerts for The Overslept. You had your first solo show at Paradiso, in Amsterdam, besides performing in festivals such as Eurosonic, Paaspop and Pinkpop. How were these experiences, for you? Going further, what can you tell us about your concerts? What do you guys offer to the audience? And how does it feel to be on stage, as a band?

TO: Playing our own shows in these bigger venues is a great step for us as a band. It is really awesome to see that the support for our band is growing day by day. Also, the bigger festivals that we played were amazing. Large stages and large amounts of people that are listening to our music. We get a lot of positive response during the show, but also afterwards. People walk up to us to tell us that they loved the show.

It is such a great opportunity for us to play these bigger festivals, because it gives us the chance to add a little extra to our energetic show. When we get the chance to use pyro, confetti or CO2, we get really excited, because it adds a new dimension to our live set.

SE!: What are your professional projects for the near future? What can your fans expect from you?

TO: It's been a month now since we have released "Signals", and there is a tour this fall. We are definitely going to play the new songs, to let people hear the new music live. We are always busy writing new songs and taking them to the next level. So there is a chance we will throw in a new song that we haven't released yet, but we are not promising anything.

SE!: Going further, what are your long-term dreams? What do you dream of achieving in your career, looking ten, 20 years in the future?

TO: 20 years is a really long time! Right now, we are focusing in getting our music known in the Netherlands. But, like any band, it is a dream to tour around the world, playing the biggest gigs in the most beautiful places.

SE!: If you could choose anyone, who would be some Dutch and international artists you would like to collaborate with?

TO: The Netherlands has such a great variety of artists. It would be really cool to write a song or be remixed by someone like Martin Garrix or Afrojack. As for international artists, we really like Dua Lipa. She makes such great music and is a great artist. I think that we, as artists, can learn a lot from her, and it would take us to a next level.

SE!: We would like to finish this interview with a song of yours. What is your favorite song by The Overslept, and why?

TO: "Stolen car" is a song that means a lot to us. It was a huge step for us musically, but also a huge step in our success story. It was our first song that got a lot of radio play and brought our music career to the next level. We will continue to write music and play shows for as long as people want to hear our music. We are hoping to do this for a very long time and become a household name. For now, here in the Netherlands. And hopefully someday around the world.