As a band, Ireland six-piece Silverbacks are restless, eager to move onto the next thing: Three albums in four years is evidence of this. That their fizzing, rock-addled songs rarely pass the four-minute mark is further proof.
Silverbacks figured some things out on their debut album Fad, released as the Covid pandemic had shut almost everything down in summer 2020. It was recorded sporadically across a number of short studio sessions. It’s an album, but also a collection of songs of their genesis as a band. The follow-up, Archive Material, was recorded and mixed while navigating the lockdowns. As a result, the way they had to record and produce it put the band under more pressure than they would have liked. So the plan for album number three was simple enough: Record with a much more relaxed schedule in mind. And they did. Silverbacks also welcomed a new member to the band during the recording process of Easy Being a Winner, Paul Leamy. He brought fresh energy, fresh ideas, and, as he played bass, it freed up a lot of room for Emma on vocals.
It all allowed for more instrumentation and vocal layering between Daniel and Emma. The results are sumptuous, with gorgeous coos interweaving across ‘Giving Away an Inch Of’ and ‘Hide Away’. The chorus of the latter was lifted from one of their very first demos as a band; Emma always liked it, so they decided to revisit it. Such is the breezy confidence of a band on their third record together.
But Silverbacks didn’t simply sit back and go through the motions on Easy Being a Winner. The relaxed schedule allowed them to get some friends and family on the record. The spiky ‘Something I Know’ features clarinet parts performed by Daniel and Kilian’s dad, John.
As with Fad and Archive Material, Silverbacks recorded Easy Being a Winner with Dan Fox (Gilla Band) in Sonic Studios in Stoneybatter, Dublin. This time, though, they spent almost twice as long in the studio.
“Fad and Archive Material naturally drew a lot of comparisons to the post-punk scene. But I never saw those albums in that way. But I sometimes felt the people coming to our shows and the press we got came to see us for those comparisons.Now that Easy Being a Winner is coming out, I feel I can more confidently say who we are. We’re indie rock. And this album sounds even more like the indie rock I imagined for our band all those years ago.”
The likes of My Bloody Valentine and Guided by Voices are mentioned as influences. They also love Stereolab, a key touchstone for the aforementioned ‘Something I Know’. The drumbeat by Gary Wickham, who Daniel met for the first time at a Wilco gig, is intricate on this one and carries the song beautifully. Cult Irish band Rollerskate Skinny, indie legends Yo La Tengo, and Mercury Rev are all cited.