Geordie Greep talks ‘The New Sound’ and Black Midi split: “I ​would ​have ​done ​it ​differently”

Geordie Greep has spoken to NME about the Black Midi split, his new album ‘The New Sound’, and the risks of writing his “bizarre, horrible” love songs.

Greep, formerly frontman of experimental rock band Black Midi, released the first song ‘Holy Holy’ from his upcoming solo album ‘The New Sound’ last month (August 20). He described working on ‘The New Sound’ as “the ​first ​time ​that ​I ​was ​very ​transparent ​about ​the ​kind ​of ​music ​I ​like ​listen ​to.”

“​I ​loved ​being ​in ​Black Midi, but these ​are ​songs ​that ​lend ​themselves ​to ​playing ​with ​different ​people,” he told NME. “​Also, ​I ​wanted ​to ​start ​doing ​something ​which ​was ​more ​under ​my ​own ​name ​and ​try ​something ​more ​versatile. ​I ​knew ​I ​wanted ​to it ​eventually.”

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The musician announced his solo album just days after revealing the split of Black Midi on an Instagram Live. Bassist Cameron Picton confirmed the news the next day on X/Twitter, writing: “We’d agreed not to say anything about ‘breaking up’ so I was as blindsided as everyone else last night but maybe in a different way. I guess sometimes all you can say is lol.”

In a further comment to The Quietus, the band’s management said: “After a successful tour including South American dates, they agreed to have a break and do some solo work, with the understanding the Black Midi door [would] be left open.”

Speaking to NME about the announcement of the split, Greep admitted that “if ​I ​was ​to ​do ​it ​again, I ​probably ​would ​have ​done ​it ​differently.

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“But ​in ​the ​moment, ​it ​felt ​very ​important ​to ​me ​that it should be said. We ​hadn’t ​really ​been ​on ​speaking ​terms as a band a while before ​that, it had broken ​down in ​communication.”

He continued: “When ​we ​first ​decided, ​we’re ​not ​going ​to ​do ​[Black Midi] ​anymore, ​we ​had ​said, ​’​Let’s ​not ​say ​anything ​because ​everyone ​will ​just ​forget’. In ​a ​few ​months ​it’ll ​be ​obvious, ​and ​we ​won’t ​need ​to ​say ​anything ​about ​it. ​But ​then ​it ​became ​apparent ​that ​wasn’t ​really ​the ​case. People ​were ​all ​the ​time ​saying, ​’What’s ​happening?’ ​I ​thought… who ​cares? Let’s ​just ​say ​it. It’s ​over – I ​don’t ​want ​to ​string ​anyone ​along.”

Geordie Greep, 2024
Geordie Greep, 2024. CREDIT: Press

Greep said the split should not be seen as “a sad thing”, adding: “​You ​do ​a ​band ​for ​a ​little ​bit, ​do ​it ​for ​three ​years, ​have ​a ​great ​vibe, ​and ​then ​finish. Nothing’s ​meant ​to ​go ​on ​forever ​and ​ever.”

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He maintained there was nothing “​dramatic” about the split. “Think ​about ​people ​that you were ​friends ​with at 16,” he said. “​People go ​down ​different ​paths, ​find ​out they’re ​into ​different ​things. It’s just a very natural and normal thing, everyone has that experience. ​And ​being ​in ​a ​band ​together, ​it ​puts ​a strain ​on ​that ​especially: you have to be friends. There’s ​no ​drama ​or ​anything, it’s ​just ​how ​it ​goes.”

When asked for his response to Picton’s tweet, Greep replied: “I’ve got nothing personal to say to anybody. I will say, if you’re already not so close for a long time before that, it just seems a bit weird to suddenly get annoyed about one thing. I’m just telling the truth anyway. I found that slightly weird.

“But at the end of the day, who cares really? I’m sure he was acting as in the heat of the moment as I was. It was all early hours of the morning activity.”

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The frontman turned solo star spoke of his approach to releasing solo music after “Black Midi had already reached its ceiling”.

“It was cool, but the music wasn’t what I wanted to be doing, the live shows got slightly uninspired, in terms of popularity we were doing well, but it wasn’t crazy,” he admitted. “What’s to lose in having a go and doing something you really wanna be doing?”

As a result, ‘The New Sound’ incorporates Greep’s love for salsa music and Latin influences at large. It was recorded partially with a group of local musicians in Brazil when Greep toured the country with Black Midi. “I ​had ​a ​day ​off, ​called ​up ​the ​only ​guy I knew in ​Brazil, ​said: ‘Do you ​know ​any ​musicians?’ and ​just ​got ​it ​all ​together,” he explained. “​It ​was ​kind ​of ​last ​minute, ​and ​they ​came ​in, ​they ​just ​learned ​all ​the ​songs ​really ​quickly. ​​It ​was ​brilliant.”

He described ‘The New Sound’ as “the ​model ​for ​future ​albums”, saying: “I’m ​just ​really ​interested ​in ​how ​different ​musicians ​can ​play ​the ​same ​songs ​and ​get ​a ​different ​result.”

In comparison to Black Midi’s last album ‘Hellfire’, which was “all about murder and killing and hell” according to Greep, ‘The New Sound’ takes on more sensual topics (although with the usual grisly twist one comes to expect from him: “When I tell you your pussy is holy/I want you to slap me and then kiss me”).

“I always said the next album is gonna be love songs, it’s gonna be passionate,” he said. “The way it panned out was halfway there. It’s not ‘Suavamente’, I’m not Barry Manilow, but I thought it was interesting to try and come up ​with ​as ​many ​ways ​of ​making ​a ​really ​bizarre, ​horrible ​love ​song ​as ​possible.”

Geordie Greep of Black Midi at Glastonbury 2022 (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
Geordie Greep of Black Midi at Glastonbury 2022 (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

Greep also said he wanted to try create “passion that ​feels ​genuine” which was “both ​tragic ​and ​funny”, speaking about the theme of desperation he often explores in music.

“It’s ​an ​easy ​way ​to ​make ​it ​passionate,” he said. “This ​yearning figure, I’ve always been really attracted to it. Even ​with ​this ​last ​song ​in ​the ​album, it’s a ​cover: I ​love ​the ​mood ​of ​the ​song ​and ​the ​lyrics ​of ​the ​song, this ​fleetingness ​and ​this ​thing ​which ​you ​can’t ​quite ​get ​to,​ it’s ​interesting. ​It ​wasn’t ​necessarily ​a ​conscious ​throughline ​or an overarching ​narrative. ​It’s ​more ​like: ​if ​you’re ​going ​to ​explore ​something ​seriously, ​you ​may ​as ​well ​go ​for ​it.”

He went on to describe most of the songs as feeling like “you’re ​on ​a ​night ​out, ​drinking ​somewhere, ​and ​you ​meet ​these ​people. They ​start ​talking ​to ​you, and ​after ​a ​few ​drinks, ​they ​start ​to ​tell ​you ​more ​than ​they ​want ​to ​tell ​you.”

Greep told NME it was partially inspired by situations he has encountered himself: “​I ​go ​out ​dancing and ​you ​just ​meet ​these ​random ​people ​that, ​for ​some ​reason, ​really ​want ​to ​tell ​someone ​about ​something. ​And ​it’s ​nice ​to ​tell ​someone ​that ​they’re ​never ​going ​to ​see ​again, ​maybe.

'The New Sound' album artwork
Geordie Greep’s ‘The New Sound’ album artwork. CREDIT: Press

“That’s ​the ​true ​desperation ​of ​these ​guys ​who have no other option,” he continued. “I ​find ​that ​very ​appealing, ​in ​a ​way. ​I ​wanted ​to ​make ​this ​album ​where ​you ​listen ​to ​these ​songs ​and ​you’re ​in ​the ​same ​sentence ​repulsed, ​amused, ​and ​sympathetic. ​It’s ​all ​three ​vying ​for ​the ​main ​response ​like ​a ​horror ​movie ​where ​you ​want ​to ​look ​away, ​but ​you ​want ​to ​look ​at ​the ​same ​time. ​​

“I ​understand ​that ​for ​some ​people, ​maybe ​it’s ​not ​going ​to ​work. ​But ​it’s ​a ​risk ​worth ​taking ​because the ​final ​result ​is ​something ​that’s ​quite ​unique ​and interesting.”

‘The New Sound’. It was made by the guitarist and vocalist while together with Black Midi, and developed amid the band sharing their album ‘Hellfire’ and touring almost non-stop for nearly five years.

Geordie Greep will release the new sound on October 4 (pre-order here), amidst a headline tour throughout 2024. Visit here for UK tickets, here for international tickets, and dind a full list below.

Geordie Greep’s tour dates are:

SEPTEMBER
10 – Brooklyn,NY Union Pool 

11 – New York,NY Nublu 

12 – Brooklyn,NY TV Eye 

13 – Brooklyn,NY Sultan Room 

19 – Reeperbahn Festival @ Knust, Hamburg

OCTOBER
10 – Llais Festival @ WMC (w/ Squid),
19 – Isolation Festival, Budapest
22 – Fleece, Bristol
23 – The Cornish Bank, Falmouth
25 – Storey’s Field Centre, Cambridge
26 – Arts Club, Liverpool
27 – Classic Grand, Glasgow
28 – The Cluny, Newcastle
29 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
30 – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

NOVEMBER
1 – Les Nuits Botanique Weekender @ Orangerie, Brussels
9 – Pitchfork Festival @ EartH, London

DECEMBER
3 – Point Ephemere, Paris
5 – Lido, Berlin
6 – Bitterzoet, Amsterdam
7 – Doornroosje, Nijmegen
9 – Magnolia, Milan
10 – Bad Bonn, Düdingen

JANUARY 2025
17 – Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
18 – Baltimore, MD Ottobar
19 – Raleigh, NC Kings
21 – Asheville, NC Eulogy
22 – Atlanta, GA The Earl
24 – Nashville, TN The Blue Room
25 – St Louis, MO Off Broadway
27 – Minneapolis, MN 7th St. Entry
28 – Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
31 – Chicago, IL The Empty Bottle

FEBRUARY
1 – Kalamazoo, MI Bell’s Eccentric Cafe
3 – Toronto, ON Velvet Underground
5 – Montreal, QC Bar Le Ritz
6 – Brattleboro, VT The Stone Church
7 – Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall