Interview: Sans Froid @ ArcTanGent
Sans Froid by Joe Singh
It was great to catch up with Sans Froid at the ArcTanGent Festival, where the band shared their excitement about performing and their journey so far. With a debut album on the horizon and a string of performances behind them, Sans Froid are making waves in the music scene with their distinctive sound and unapologetic approach.
We sat down with Charlie, Ash, and Toby to discuss their experiences at the festival, the inspiration behind their latest singles, and their thoughts on what’s next for the band.
Thanks for taking the time to chat, it's so nice to catch up. I feel like I see your name a lot, and I was surprised to learn that you haven't even released a debut album yet!
Ash: Amen. I'm having the best time. The sun is shining, you guys are great.
Toby: The album's coming out on September 13th.
Charlie: Friday the 13th.
Amazing. But first, we're here for the 10th anniversary of ArcTanGent! How does it feel to be part of that?
Charlie: Pretty good.
Sans Froid by Joe Singh
Ash: Yeah, really good. We've been coming to this festival since it started. You guys have played previously in different projects.
Charlie: Yeah, me and Toby have played quite a few times.
Toby: We also came here when we were younger. We were like 17 and came for three years before playing.
Ash: We've been here every year since it started, so it feels amazing to be playing at the 10th anniversary. It's absolutely wild.
Toby: The festival's grown up a lot.
Charlie: Yeah, and we’ve grown up too, along with the festival.
Ash: The evolution of this festival has been really nice to be a part of. The community here is amazing; you won’t find it anywhere else. It’s just genuinely good.
Agree! We saw you play today, and I think we heard some of the new singles in the set?
Ash: Yeah, the latest single, "Gammons," came out on Election Day, the Fourth of July. It felt appropriate to release it then. "Gammons" is more about experiencing small talk with people who don’t necessarily agree with you. And how that's fine, that's how we evolve as human beings. However, sometimes people aren't up for hearing you, hearing your point of view.
Toby: Yeah, so it’s also about the unrest happening right now. Maybe we released it too early?
Ash: Definitely a metaphor for everything going wrong in our day and age, and the frustration around that and not knowing what to do about it.
How much will these themes of the singles carry into the rest of the album?
Charlie: Those themes do carry through the album. The first two singles were very much tied in with doubt. That post-COVID life and socialising again, but not really being very good at it anymore. And realising everyone else is also going through it too.
Ash: Everyone’s going through it, but also everyone is terrible at talking about it. And realising things will never be the same.
When you approach writing, do you start with a concept and bring it to everyone?
Ash: When we write, it’s often a bit abstract at first. We don’t always know what the songs are about until after they’re written. We don’t want to dictate what the song is about; it’s up to the listener to decide.
Charlie: Yeah, Ash often comes up with the bones of a song, and it can be quite intuitive. It’s not until later that we realise what it’s about.
Ash: I love confusing people, especially the band members. They're my favourite musicians, so if I can confuse them, I feel like I’ve achieved something.
Sans Froid by Joe Singh
Is there anything you hope people take away from your music?
Charlie: Personally, I think people should do whatever they want with it.
Ash: Yeah, it's a bit like Marmite. It’s weird music and it doesn’t make sense to a lot of people. Some people get it, some don’t, but it makes sense to us, and that’s what why we're playing it.
Toby: I think it resonates with people in a certain way. It’s definitely "fuck you" music, but in a way that resonates with people. I like to think there's a little bit of something going on, but people should have their own opinion.
Ash: It's giving the freedom for people to feel however they want, listening to whatever they want. I don't think we'll ever be in a category, or in a in a box of sorts, because I think it's quite difficult to put us in said box. But, just take away vibes.
Nice. Speaking of listening to whatever you want, what are you all listening to right now?
Ash: I’m listening to a lot of Yard. I’m really enjoying Yard, who are playing really soon. Also listening to a lot of Peach—who we’re touring with next month, all around the UK. Anyone else listening to music?
Toby: I’m listening to 10,000 Hertz by Oxygen, that’s a good album
Charlie: I like the new album by Viagra Boys; the album they released last year.
Ash: Also Thank! Thank are incredible and one of our favourite bands, collectively. They’re playing tomorrow too, nice on ArcTanGent!
Sans Froid's debut album, Hello, Boil Brain, drops on 13 September. Catch the band on their album release tour across the UK and Europe this September and October.
