Interview with GIANTS

We recently caught up with Jack Longman of Giants and he opened up about their new album, Break The Cycle, the importance of Record Store Day and the relevance of releasing music on vinyl.

Your new album dropped April 1st. What do you want fans/listeners to take away from it?
We’re grateful if people connect with our music in any way, shape, or form really, but I guess if they get the message we’re trying to convey, then that is sweet. I know some people don’t care for meanings behind music, but to us, they are more than just punk songs.

What made you choose the track “Break The Cycle” for the title of your album? Does it hold any significance over the others on the album?

We feel that we live in a world full of people who apparently want change and everything that comes with it, but are too lazy and stuck in a rut to do anything about it. It starts with us. I guess that’s why we chose that passage as the title of the album, because until we do generally believe that, until we do break of out this monotonous cycle of living that we’re in now, nothing will change for the better.

What was the writing process for this album like?

It was a lengthy process, but only because we wanted this record to be the best thing we have ever created – we didn’t want to cut any corners, which is what we felt like we did a lot of in the past. We decided to prioritise it over touring for a bit also, mainly because we felt in the past we’d write a song and be like, “yeah, ok that’s done. Fuck it let’s play it tonight.” This time we wanted to make sure that everything was honestly the best we thought it could be, if it needed more work and more time, then that’s what we gave it.

Where do you draw your inspiration for your music?

A number of things really – lyrically this record has a strong theme behind most of it which I explained above, but we also focus on everyday struggles whilst growing up and personal experiences. Musically though, our inspiration comes from anything and everything – friendship, other bands we like, skateboarding, experiences and so on.

You have a song on the Sensible Record Labels compilation for Record Store Day. Why is it important for you guys to take part in Record Store Day this year?

I am a big supporter of RSD so to be included on that compilation was a big deal for me which I am so stoked about. The song featured is also a track that we found really hard not to be included on the record as we actually think it to be one of the better songs we’ve ever written and one of the more fun songs to play live, but it just did not fit on the record as a piece of work.

Your new album is also being released on vinyl, a trend that has been coming back over the past few years. Do you think that physical records still hold their relevancy in the industry or are streaming sites such as Spotify and SoundCloud the future of the music?
My own personal view on the music industry, as a whole, is that it’s ever-changing and no one can predict where it’s going to go or what’s going to be “in” next – people just get lucky with it.
With the advance of technology, things like Spotify and Soundcloud will be outdated somewhere down the line, but to me at least, vinyl will always have that collectable feel to it, it’s more than just buying something to listen to once. In terms of relevancy, I guess for punk and hardcore, vinyl and physical copies of your music is a must on tour and at shows.