With over a decade of evolution under their belt, Bristol-born indie-electronic outfit Ramona flowers Has snapped out a sound that blurs the lines between stadium-sized hymns and synth-pop.
The band is known for their emotional hooks, lick production and movies and returns today (October 10) with its fourth studio album, ‘Made by people’ – A record that feels both deeply personal and sonically expansive.
Mixing of disco, funk and indie flavors with raw lyric, 13-track collection captures the contradictions of modern life connection and isolation, technology and intimacy, humanity and machine. It is a title that speaks volumes: a reminder that behind every digital pace and polished melody are real emotions, real stories and of course real people.
We sat down with band members SteveThe SamThe Dav and Oath Talking about the creative process behind ‘made by people’, how their sounds have matured since their debut and what it means to stay human in an increasingly digital world.
Guys, ‘Made by people’ Is finally ours! Although this is your fourth studio album, is it still nerve -wracking to release new music?
Sam: It may be, but maybe not that nerve coverage to be honest, I continue to forget it will come out! But it is exciting, really exciting. We have been working hard with this album for a long time now, so I’m just glad it is finally released.
Steve: Yes, it is a nice feeling to know that it is out and everyone can hear it. I feel that we have created a real job this time, so I’m happy to see what people think about the new material.
What represents the LPS title, and how does it bind to the album’s themes?
Steve: The title reflects the fact that lyrics the songs on this album touches on real subjects, which all people go through and that only people can experience. In a world of AI, it felt like the right title.
Sam: It emphasizes the fact that we are the real business. We are a band that has existed. We’ve done everything. We have toured, we have played all the shit holes and we have learned how to get good. We wanted this album to show that we are a real band, write real songs, play real instruments and are the real deal, and only people can do it.
Were there any special feelings, stories or real events that you felt had to write about?
Steve: I think we just wanted to do what we have always done, and it is writing music that reflects our own personal experiences, as well as how we see the world in its current state. From my point of view, I went through a lot of things during the creation of this album – I had some substance abuse problems, and I had a child, so I definitely wanted to make sure I addressed these things in a couple of the songs.
Which tracks feel most personal to you?
Steve: I would say “singing by the Father” and “Luna” because it’s about my daughter.
Sam: For me, it must be “that summer” because some of the texts were inspired by my relationship.
Dave: I like all the songs on the album. It’s like when you have children you can’t choose your favorite.
Oath: If I had to choose one, it would be “mirrors in the manor”. It is difficult to choose a favorite or a song that feels the most personal, because they all affect you in different ways. Steve was really quite open and vulnerable on this album, and after being his friend so long I classify him as a brother, so I am moved by everything he writes and creates.
Ramona Flowers – Mirrors in the Mansion (lyric video)
Are there any tracks that you are particularly happy to play live, and how do you manage to translate them into the stage without difficulty?
Dave: Difficulty being the operational word (laughing).
Steve: Yes, it is difficult for me to answer because I have nothing to do with putting together our live shows (laughs).
Oath: It’s hard, I won’t pretend it’s not. Fortunately, we work with some really good people who help us make everything happen.
Sam: When we write a song, we do not necessarily think about how we will live it in a living environment. We just write and produce our music to the best of our ability, and it is only afterwards do you think: “Shit, how should we do this live?”
Oath: We have all written individually and taken our own ideas to the table on this album. We have never really done it before. So when it comes to performing live, I guess we just put our own stamp on the songs and see how it sounds.
Sam: Ed wrote guitar solo on ‘mirrors in the mansion’, and it sounds epic. But as a drummer, it is really difficult to keep up with. So I know when we play it as if I will think: “Will I get this right tonight?”
Oath: There is a moment on one of the tracks that Sam wrote with the name “Sins of the Father” – it has this rhythm of what is fantastic, but it is difficult to track with if you are a drummer or base player, so they tend to hate it (laughs). One of our friends played base on it when we recorded it, and he almost had a division that tried to master it! He had to take a minute afterwards and find someone to have a conversation with!
Sam: After we recorded it, I remember that the producer was trying to straighten it out and I was like “what have you done?” And he told me he had made some changes because it sounded strange, but I was like “no that’s the whole point, it’s strange!” So we changed it back. But the problem we now have is that everyone is struggling to play it live (laughs).
Did you know as a collective what kind of disc you wanted to do this time?
Steve: Not in the beginning, no. I think we were happy to just experiment and see what we came up with. Then we wrote a song called ‘Up All Night’, and that type became a cornerstone of the album. I would say all the material we wrote after that came from the feeling we got from one track.
Sam: However, I think we knew we wanted this album to be a little more optimistic, right? We wanted the songs to be a little more danceable and fun.
How would you say that your songwriting process has developed since your previous albums?
Oath: Well, I would say that my process has developed completely because I actually write songs now (laughs).
Sam: However, you were always involved in – especially when it came to arranging the rhythm and drum sections. But yes, it is nice now because everyone writes more so it spreads the load a bit.
Oath: I guess everyone has become more confident of what they do. And since we have known each other for so long, we are more comfortable to have the difficult conversations that we sometimes need. We have a much better shit filter now that is safe!
Steve: Yes, if something is not good enough, we say it just … As tactful as possible, we do not want to consciously hurt anyone. In the past, I think we let some things drive longer than they should because we were not as honest with each other as we are now.
Your sound often mixes film, electronic and indie rocks. Did you press these limits in any new ways on this record?
Oath: We never tried to do anything like it. We just write music we want to do.
Sam: We started an indie band and then switched to experimenting with more electronic sounds. Now we have come out a bit and have gone back to being a real band. But all it changes as we grow and develop.
Were there any unexpected sounds or instruments you experimented with for the first time?
Oath: Our producer brought a couple of old synths one day, which we all liked to experiment with.
Sam: You will often discover that when you are in a studio you will find something and think: “Let’s play with it and see what we can come up with”, and yes, it is usually a synth (laughs).
Dave: It is fun how different sounds and ideas seem to be shown based on nowhere. Sam put his guitar down during a session, and the producer recorded the sound of it because it created this unique rhythm. When he played it back to us we were like “what is the sound, it sounds fantastic?” In fact, we ended up taking it on one of the tracks.
Sam: And then there is a door that slams tests (laughs) We found that the keys echoed every time the door threw, and it sounds epic. So we recorded it and used as one of the beaten.
How do you see ‘Made by people’ Setting the stage for your future sound and project?
Oath: I think that since it has taken so long to write this album and put it together, some of the songs there are two, maybe three years old, and some have been written in the last six months, so as a finished record it is a real reflection of who we were and who we are now. I am happy to see how we develop the next to be honest.
Sam: I feel that we have created a really strong foundation that we can build on. We have definitely found our sound like Ramona Flowers now, and this album solidifies it.
How do you hope that listeners will join the new material?
Steve: We obviously want everyone to love it and enjoy it. But also, I want people to understand the texts and hear the stories we tell in a way they can relate to them to what they have happened in their own lives.
Sam: I want people to listen to the album as a whole, from beginning to end. It worries me that people don’t seem to buy albums anymore, so they never really feel the effects of a whole lot of work. I think it’s a shame. There are some beautiful songs on this album, especially the closer end, so I really hope that people take the time to listen to the whole record and not just the singles.
Download / power ‘Made by people’ here
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