The 90s is in right now, but Bristol's Weatherstate get their pre-00s kicks from punk-ier picks.
On their killer new EP Dumbstruck, frontman Harry Hoskins' vocal style recalls Jawbreaker and The Movielife - we don't throw those names about lightly - while guitarist Callan Milward is big on Weezer.
"It might be a generational thing," explains Callan when we ask why everyone's suddenly obsessed with the Blair/Blur era.
My biggest guitar influence is Rivers Cuomo, particularly his lead riffs
"I grew up with 90s music. I have vivid memories of being aged five and jumping around the living room with my mum to Weezer, so it's kind of gone full circle. All these kids are rediscovering their roots and it's coming back in new music. To us it feels very natural."
The Rivers source
Natural's a good word. Weatherstate's gravel-throated take on pop-punk does not feel pretentious or calculated, just righteous - both in the traditional and the surf sense of the word.
"My biggest guitar influence is Rivers Cuomo, particularly his lead riffs," says Callan. "I love his guitar sound as well, that gritty, dirty early vibe. We're searching for that 'zen tone' heaven."
Key to that pursuit is a super straightforward amp and effects setup: just a Marshall JCM800 and Tube Screamer for Callan and a Blackstar HT Series for Harry.
"We both love humbuckers," adds Callan. "So Harry uses a Deluxe Tele and I use a Les Paul Studio. Our guitars are butchered, but we wouldn't change them!"
- For fans of: Creeper, The Movielife
- Hear: Stuck In A Hole
