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Tilly Birds on 'White Pills,' their upcoming English album, and where they're headed in 2024

ESTIMATED 
Tilly Birds on 'White Pills,' their upcoming English album, and where they're headed in 2024

"This album has the best opener Tilly Birds have ever made," the band declared in their latest interview with Bandwagon.

Tilly Birds are (finally) back with new music, a few years since they released their sophomore album Its Gonna Be OK. The Thai indie rock trio has been raring to put out new material for their fans, and have dropped 'White Pills,' the first single off their upcoming English album.

The song has been a setlist staple for the 'Just Being Friendly' hitmakers for quite some time, but it was only this month that 'White Pills' finally got its official release on streaming platforms. Moving into seemingly unchartered territory sonically, lyrically, and visually, the band also enlisted some friends to work on bringing the vision to life – from songwriters SYPS and NACHE CHAN, to 'Who Am I' director Tul Nutdanai. Familiar names like session musicians Up (Pariyapas Usaha) and Gla (Athitat Sornpaisarn), plus sound engineer Shane Edwards also worked on the new track at Studio 28.

BANDWAGON TV

In this interview, Bandwagon chats with Third, Billy, and Milo about relearning how to write and compose songs (again) in English, which parts of the world they're visiting this year, and everything they can tell us about their forthcoming album.

It's your first new original release in a while. How does it feel to have this studio version of this song to be finally out everywhere?

Billy: It's been about two years, I think. Such a big relief. We have been holding on to this song for so long. We started writing this song in February 2022. So it's over two years since that song was first written and now it's out. So we are very, very stoked about it.

Milo: We actually just did an album, and this is one of the results. One that is bold and explosive. We're proud to put it out as our first single. So yeah, that is really cool.

Third: It's been a long time since we released an English track. It's way back. I don't know if it's too late now, but, but we are glad it's out there and we couldn't be happier now.

Let's take it back to the start. You mentioned that you've been working on this song since 2022, and it's now 2024. So how did this song come about?

Third: I don't actually recall how the song started, but I think it was one of them, either Billy or Milo, who composed or constructed something.

Billy: I think this song started out with a chord pattern. Like we had this chord idea and I think it was me who said, "Hey let's do something similar to the 'Bangkok Winter' vibe." And then we came up with the chord and the progression and then Milo put a twist on it. He pumped up the BPM of the song.

This is one of the first Tilly Birds tracks that the BPM is really high up there. It's like 170. It worked. And then we just had this groove, then we nailed it in one demo. If I remember correctly, this is the fifth song we made on the album.

For your upcoming English album?

Billy: Yeah, and it's not the first song. 

I also saw that you worked with other people for this song, can you tell me more about that?

Third: They're NACHE and Alex (SYPS.) They are actually friends with our engineer, Shane. We have them for the whole album. So it's not just this song, but it's the whole English album. They've been very helpful and very friendly, you know. During the whole of last year, we wrote many songs together and...we bonded quite a lot.

What's it like co-writing with other songwriters?

Third: It's not the first time because our entire album It's Gonna Be OK, we got two writers working with us, but not NACHE and Alex. But, you know, working in English and writing English songs, that's new to us. This is the first time.

Can you tell me more about what you guys did on the song or were there any challenges that presented itself when you guys were recording or putting it together?

Third: Lyrically, yes, because it was one of the first songs we started writing, especially for this album. Being away from writing in English for so long, kind of challenges you because you've been away from [using] this language, let alone writing it. But it's actually so much fun, getting back to writing English songs and getting back to where we started, where we felt comfortable with our materials and stuff. 'White Pills' kind of initiated this, "Okay, we're going back to writing English:" thing. So now we are writing in English more freely, and more comfortably because of this song and the first songs that we started writing.

Milo: It's been two years since the song was born, and we've been playing it live in a certain way – we've done the tracking and mixing, even the mastering with the first takes. After a couple of shows, Billy got this idea to "fix it" so it ended up this way. This is another story about how we continue to chase perfection [in our songs].

How about in terms of composition? Your previous albums have been in Thai and now this is in English. What's the difference?

Milo: Good, good questions. I've been thinking about this for the whole interview, and also just recently. One of the biggest differences that we have been through is how to write lyrics that coordinate with the tone of language and melody. In Thai music, the words have tones and we have to do some melody up and down to match the tone.So if you're gonna sing 'White Pills' in Tha... I've imagined that and it's so impossible to make it! 

In English, there's nothing like that. So why not just push it? Technically [it's just] one note, but we were just shouting, we're just hyping, keeping the energy up. We thought maybe we'd just make the most energetic chorus ever.

In terms of the music-making itself, the three of us still like to discover, experiment, and do something more, to make sure we do not duplicate some other old songs. To make it different and make everything still new and fresh. 

Image

So Third, I wanted to ask you... Because they were talking about how the chorus is quite different for this. What was that like for you? 

Third: Every Tilly Bird song is quite a challenge vocally because it's different. I got to sing like this, like that... but for this song, it's different. When we finished the demo, we said we were gonna have to come up with a new take on this because it's different from anything else we've done. But it's been fun! How do you sing a very monotonous chorus in a very lively and energetic way? They said to just vibe with the song and I did and so with their help, I managed to sing the chorus in my own style, but still very Tilly Birds.

Billy: Thirds tends to sing in a very melodious, beautifully done, well-crafted kind of way. He sings soul, he sings a bit R &B. So to be able to sing like this, you bet it's a challenge for him. It's definitely something new.

We thought the recording session was gonna take longer, but it didn't take that long, to be honest. Just take like a good five takes of everyone in the room standing up and hyping up Third, –everyone jumping around – and then he nailed it. That's it. I don't know if you have a video of that, but I was wondering if anyone recorded that. Yeah, but it was a good time. It was a good time.

This is the first single from your upcoming English album, right? So would you say that this song sets the tone for the rest of the album?

Billy: It kind of does. It does lyrically as well. So you could say that it sets the tone for the album.

Let's talk about the music video. I know you're all very particular about the visual aspect of your songs. The mood and tone of this video both feel very Tilly Birds, but also something like you've never done before. Can you tell us more about the concept, the process behind it, and who you worked with for this video?

Third: So we worked with our friend, Tul, he's a director for this one, but he has also directed two of our previous music videos, – 'Who I Am' and 'Baggage.' We love his style very much and, you know, once the song was done, we were thinking, "Okay, how do we picture this song? How do we see the visuals of this song?" So he popped up because the tone of the song and the vibe is very him.

You know, story-wise, it leaves the audience thinking, "Oh, is it what I'm thinking?" It doesn't really shout out what the message is, but it leaves the audience thinking, "Okay, what did I just watch?" or "Is it really what I'm thinking?"

We never did that before. We never did something very indirect. You don't have to really contemplate much about it or think much about it. You know, maybe you just have to feel it. The song as well.

Billy: Even the single cover.

Third: We're not pointing anything. We're just dropping that, we're dropping this and it's just whatever you think, whatever you feel, whatever you make of it. It's just our take on this and the song too. I don't want the audience or listeners to really think hard what 'White Pills' are. What does that mean? It can mean anything.

It doesn't have to even be pills, you know. What's your white pills? What's your version of "pills" in your own words? Something like that As long as you vibe with the song, as long as you feel it, that's all you need.

How has the response from your fans been like so far?

Billy: There were a few comments where people are not used to us in English and I think we get it's been a while and if you've been following us since the first album and the second album, this is like a big change. Like what Milo mentioned is that we do the one-note chorus as well. That's a big thing for us. Third is used to singing a very wide range of choruses and now it is down to one note for four bars and it's a big deal. So I guess that's also a big change in that, which comes with the English language, so I get it. Many other people are very hyped up by the song. I guess the song translates as "very energetic" and sends that message to the people who listen.

Your new song just came out this week. I want to ask what's next, so it's definitely the album. But how long do we have to wait until the next songs come out?

Milo: (laughs) This is a good question for all of us.

Third: I wonder about that too.

Billy: I guess the answer would be not too long, but not that soon though. But it should be almost done. We're 95 % done. We're just waiting for a little something.

When you say you're 95% done, you've recorded the songs already?

Billy: Yep, all the files have been recorded, even mastered. We just need a few sprinkles on top to get them done. But yeah, they'll come very soon. And I think by the time, it won't be too long, I promise. And it should be within this year as well.

Okay, just to manage your listeners' expectations.  Are we gonna get another single before the album drops? 

Billy: There's another single for sure. 

Milo: Yeah.

Third: We should, we should definitely. We should.

Billy: If I'm gonna spoil something it's another banger.

Do you have any shows, or international festival appearances coming up soon?

Third: Banyak Bagus in Malaysia! 

Oh, you'll be on the same lineup as Ben&Ben!

Third: Yeah! I love Ben&Ben!

Milo: There's Thai Festival 2024 in Tokyo, Japan this May.

Billy: We have Cambodia as well this month. So there's Malaysia, Cambodia, and Japan, plus a few other shows.

What's your message to fans, especially those whom you haven't visited in person yet?

Third: Listen to our music! (laughs) We really want to go to you guys, if you will have us. 'White Pills' is out now so stream and look forward to our album this year. 

Billy: Stream 'White Pills' guys, stream 'White Pills'. Stream it, play it out loud, as loud as you can!  Let your neighbours hear them, let your parents hear them, let your friends hear them. Share with your friends, share with your family. And even better, ask the radio station to play 'White Pills'! That would be awesome. Perhaps that's just one way for us to go and see you guys.

Milo: For me, I want to sincerely express my feelings about the people who don't like this song. Whether this song is working or not with you guys, it's okay. We got a whole album. Please wait. We got a lot of songs more than this. I gotta say that you can't expect anything from this because... the other songs will be different – pretty much various types of music that you could experience. So please wait for that!

Third: Please wait, [the album] will be out this year.

Billy: If I have to spoil one last thing, I would say this album has the best opener Tilly Birds has ever made.

Listen to 'White' Pills' here.

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