SPIELMANN ANNOUNCES NEW EP BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND

With a thunderclap of synths, sweat-slicked hooks and existential wit, Leeds-based solo artist Spielmann returns with ‘Got To Go To Work’ — a two-and-a-half minute shot of pure, propulsive indie-pop. It’s his shortest release yet, but easily one of his boldest, trading in the hazy nostalgia of previous single ‘Over It’ for something far more wired, chaotic and painfully present.

The track leads the charge for his newly announced EP Back By Popular Demand, out this September via EMI North/Launchpad. Part party-starter, part panic attack, ‘Got To Go To Work’ plants its feet firmly in the now — all motoring drums, insistent arpeggiators and razor-sharp storytelling, delivered with Spielmann’s signature wink.

Having already turned heads as a DJ, producer, and performer, Spielmann (aka Ben Lewis) is now emerging as one of UK indie’s most distinct new voices. We caught up with him to talk about fist-pumping choruses, characters at parties, and why sometimes the most honest thing you can say is: I’ve really got to go to work.

1. ‘Got To Go To Work’ hits like a whirlwind—short, sharp, and packed with tension. What was the driving force behind writing such a direct, punchy track? Did you always envision it as the live opener?

 I like my songs like I like my haircuts..short, sharp and packed with tension. I can't remember what I was listening to but it was a song with a chorus that was just yelling the same line over and over again and I kinda had a thought of maybe I'm trying to be too clever, trying to say too much, so that kicked off the chorus idea. I've also always admired a song that can pack in verses, choruses, breakdown, bridge, hook into a couple of minutes, I'm a bit of a waffler, love the sound of my own voice, (you'll see that below), so it was a bit of a challenge to make something more immediate. It wasn't always going to be a set opener but after writing it it kind of ending up feeling like a bit of a Spielmann mission statement in both theme and vibe, as well as a pretty punchy start, so has ended up working really well as a nice 'Hi everyone, i'm the support act, look at me', it has also given me the freedom to pick up the mic stand and fist pump it into the air which just feels great, no idea how it looks out front, don't really care.

2. Your lyrics often balance humour with existential weight — from partying through the chaos to reflections on grief. How do you walk that line between playfulness and emotional depth without tipping too far either way?

I think it's a fear of the existential weight itself, or rather the fear of being too sincere or earnest, it's not me, don't get me wrong I can be serious, and I take what I'm doing seriously, but anything too earnest isn't my speed so bringing in the humour helps with that. It's kinda how I try to greet most things in life, brevity, humour, self deprecation, life can be amazing but it can also be a miserable shit show, sometimes the only way to make it through days is to try and laugh right? What else are you going to do? Having said all that existential stuff, it's also fun when writing to try play with those themes, subvert it a bit, the challenge is to try and say the most profound thing in the most throw away manner possible rather than signposting to the deep bit, I've not achieved it yet but I'm working on it. LCD Soundsystem have the line in Drunk Girls about love being an astronaut 'It comes back but it's never the same', which is served in the most seemingly daft rager of a song, but is also a total killer line that if you take a sec to think about you're like 'Fuck!'. It's like the Barenaked Ladies said 'I'm the kinda guy who laughs at a funeral'.

3. You’ve mentioned wanting full creative control with Spielmann — from the production to visuals. What’s the biggest challenge of wearing all the hats, and what part of that process has surprised you the most?

Finding the time alongside doing like, life, and a full time job etc, that's the biggest challenge really, affording enough quality time to make something that you're proud of, whether that's music, artwork, video etc. Sometimes things come out well, sometimes not so much. The other side of the creative control coin is the fact that you rarely have someone telling you if something is crap, I'm lucky enough to have some pretty honest people around me, but even then they don't want to be mean, so you really have to be a pretty critical self editor, with that also comes the realisation that not everything has to be total perfection.  In terms of what's surprised me the most, probably my own capacity and ability to do it all, I'm very proud of myself for being able to put it all together, but I've spent a lot of time learning (note, not perfecting, learning) how to do these things.

4. There’s a strong lineage of storytelling in your songs, with nods to artists like Springsteen, Alex Turner, and Father John Misty. Who are some unexpected influences that might not be obvious in your music but still shape the way you write?

 Watching a lot of TV, specifically comedy, must have influenced me a fair bit, Armando Ianucci and Jesse Armstrong probably stand out in terms of one liners. A lot of time I'm just trying to make myself laugh when I'm thinking of how the lyrics might work themselves out, and just in life too, I'm generally always looking for the joke, no matter how shite it might be, which I think shows up in my lyrics and live show too. There's a lot of lyrics that get scrapped tho! I've always listened to a lot of hip hop (indie artist in mentions how much they love hip hop shocker), the whole set up and punch line move, Doom is the obvious touchstone and someone I've listened to a lot, so maybe that's rubbed off. Musically I'm not sure there's anything too unexpected going on, but pop music, like proper pop music, I love a hook (if you can't tell) and spend a lot of time - probably far too much - watching video breakdowns of pop songwriters explaining what they do and all that, pack as much punch as poss!

5. With Back By Popular Demand on the horizon and your headline tour lined up, how are you approaching these shows? Will the EP change how you perform or connect with the audience live? 

A good question that I'm still working out the answer to. I generally play shows solo, it costs a fuck load to tour with a full band, especially if it's not 'their' band, so I've put together this solo show, that kind of plays in to the whole vibe of the Spielmann world/act etc, one man emotional on stage breakdown, and it only costs me petrol money to do it on my own, so it's pretty sustainable. Obviously in a VERY music industry way I've found a way to tour sustainably so everyone in the industry who has shown any interest wants to know what it looks like as a full band (the way that loses me £200 to play every show), without offering me any cash to support it, so for now they can can fly a kite. I DIGRESS. I'll almost definitely be doing these shows as the solo thing, but I would like to mix things up a little, some alternate versions, possibly guests/friends joining me for songs in each city, that'd be nice, but the solo thing is the kind of truest way of doing it, it's how I make everything, on my own, and presenting differently feels kinda weird, unless I can proper go for it with a mega full band and a million synth players.

Never been too much of a fan of the two backing band members just to represent that something is being played, but each to their own. I don't think the new EP will change how I perform or connect etc, but I think each song I've made is a step up on the last one, so it's certainly helping me grow in confidence that standing yelling at a load of strangers is the right thing to do!