Interview with Salvation Jayne: ‘It’s a journey song, how it starts isn’t how it ends – it has big riffs and a pumping verse’

Kent-based rockers Salvation Jayne are working on their debut album A Mouthful Of Magnificent Spite due out in February next year, which will be laced with their signature explosive fuzzy riffs with glossy dream pop undertones.

The band comprises frontwoman Chess Smith, Tor Charlesworth (drums), Holly Kinnear (guitar), Erim Ahmet (keys) and Dan Lucas (bass). ‘In the Kent local scene, everyone knows everyone,’ Smith said. ‘Dan, our bass player, owns a recording studio, he and Holly started the band.’ Charlesworth adds: ‘I did some drums for Dan at his studio and around six months later, he asked me to join the band. Erim just joined on keys, he looks like Zayn Malik!’ Smith quips: ‘He’s Salvation Zayn!’ She jokes that the provenance of their band name is ‘really boring’: ‘We have to make up a better answer but me and Tor weren’t even there, the others went to a gig in London and saw a restaurant called ‘Salvation Jane’, we just added the ‘y’. Charlesworth chips in: ‘My middle name is Jayne, so it was meant to be! In America, ‘salvation’ is a bigger deal than it is here, maybe they’ll think we’re a Christian band?!’

A Mouthful Of Magnificent Spite will consist of 10 tracks written over two years and what Smith calls ‘a few skitty bits’, which are largely instrumental with a vocal component. Smith describes the songs on the album as ‘all different chapters to our sound’. Charlesworth agrees: ‘It’s not a concept album.’ Smith continues: ‘Being a musician, I’ve always struggled with friends understanding why my life is different to theirs. The album title – it’s also our next single out next month – is about a friend who kept shoving her opinions down my throat – she’s lovely but opinionated. There’s constructive criticism and then there’s nastiness. The song has a really high note in the chorus, it stresses me out, it’s not my favourite song now, haha!’ Charlesworth is laughing: ‘When she hits it, it’s so amazing,’ she tells me.

‘I was still struggling, even when we recorded it, I had another version’

Last week, they released their rifftastic and anthemic single ‘Cody’, which will also appear on their debut album: ‘Everyone is loving ‘Cody’,’ Smith said, looking delighted. ‘It’s a journey song, how it starts isn’t how it ends – it has big riffs and a pumping verse.’ It does, kicking off with a series of fuzzy, dirty riffs and no holds barred drumming from Charlesworth, which segue into a gentle come-down of a piano outro that fades away. ‘It’s a personal song for me,’ Smith said. ‘I didn’t want to offend anyone but it’s about an old friend who wasn’t very nice, very self-absorbed. I tried meeting up with her 10 years ago, she lives the fancy life now. Ten minutes before we were meeting, she texted me to say she’d double booked and I never heard from her again. I must have wrote about 10 song ideas, I was still struggling, even when we recorded it, I had another version.’

The track is reminiscent of Madonna’s song ‘Vogue’: ‘Strike a pose and who knows they will want ya! You need to be loved, you need to be seen, you need to be pure, keep them skin keen!’

Charlesworth’s favourite song on the album is the closing track: ‘The last song is like ‘Cody’, it’s a bit of a journey. The beautiful minute and a half at the end makes me cry,’ she said. ‘It’s called ‘Poveglia’ (after the small island between Venice and Lido). Every time I hear it, I tear up. I cried during the new Bond film as well. He (Daniel Craig) can wear a suit so well, can’t he? I think they’re from Tom Ford. I love him, he will be my Bond.’ Smith interjects: ‘’Poveglia’ is about two people going to the island for a date. No-one goes there any more, other than tourists, it’s been abandoned. (It’s also known as the ‘Island of Ghosts’ after people were sent there to isolate if they showed signs of the plague in Italy in the 1600’s.) In the song, the couple find peace together on the island. Dan merged our two songs together.’

Interestingly, Smith says she always writes the lyrics to the music: ‘I need the music to write to, that’s why I didn’t write a lot of the old stuff,’ she said.

‘Hardly any songs are about guys on this album, how did we manage that?’

Difficult subjects are also broached in their songs, including in ‘Apathetic Apologies’: ‘Hardly any songs are about guys on this album, how did we manage that?,’ Smith grinned. ‘This one is is about talking about your anxiety.’ Their previous single ‘Violent Silence’ took inspiration from American rock band Blink-182: ‘Do you know what? I only remember the intro and that was a riff off a Blink-182 song, I had to take it home with me. This song is about another friend, I seem to attract the wrong people! I don’t like confrontation, I’ll stand my ground but I put up with some shit. ‘Violent Silence’ is about someone with a massive ego, saying karma will come round and that they’re harming themselves. There are a lot of people with that personality trait. It’s saying don’t feed their egos, leave them in the corner on their own.’

Lots of different musical influences seep into their sound, according to Charlesworth: ‘We love old Coldplay and Chris Martin. All these influences come together when we play stuff. I might have been listening to a lot of hip hop, so I might make the drums high hatty hip hop.’ Smith agrees: ‘I was brought up one minute ABBA, one minute Led Zeppelin,’ she said. ‘They’ve got all the vocal hooks, rock pop is very, very hooky. I’ve struggled to learn songs if they don’t have a big hook, it can take me a day.’

If they could tour with anyone, Charlesworth plumps for Yungblood: ‘I’m going to say someone popular who’s blown up recently, he’s all “f-ing this. f-ing that”, he’s really good. Or Bring Me The Horizon (a Sheffield-based rock band).’ Smith has other ideas: ‘I’d love to support Idles (a Bristol-based rock band) for their energy. I love bands like that, they help your performance. Their songs are so amazing, they get the audience going. If I could support them, I’d give it 1000%. I’d love to hold Chris Martin’s hand when he sings!,’ she grinned. ‘I’d love to tour with Wolf Alice as well. Their new album (Blue Weekend, 2021) is a story album. When I first heard it, I was hooked all day, I couldn’t stop listening to it.’

(Photo from left to right: Erim, Tor, Chess, Holly and Dan.)