Interview with SEPRONA: ‘A big part of songwriting is having empathy with other situations’

Liverpool-based five-piece band SEPRONA brought out their latest belter of a single, ‘Rose Tinted Eyes’, last month, with plans for an album in the works.

The fast-paced track with extremely catchy hooks is partly based on what happened to keys player Niall Blanchflower during a gig in Newcastle, acccording to SEPRONA’s frontman, guitarist and songwriter, Dan Badger. ‘It’s also about struggling to find someone, about being lied to and people leading you on or you leading someone on without even realising it. The outcome’s that you end up with the wrong person,’ he said.

As the lyrics go: ‘As I replay the tears, baby, I fantasise, through rose tinted eyes, I create an illusion maybe, I realised, that lightening bolt smile, take me home, or some place alone, I want to know, how many times can you give that chill, to my bones, serpents lurk just to take my throne.’

SEPRONA also comprises Adam Maher (drums), Chris Woods (bass) and Louis Birchall (guitar).

Luckily, Blanchflower finds the situation quite funny and is happy to provide fodder for their songs, according to Badger: ‘It’s about his disastrous love life. It’s ok, you can say that, that’s what he calls it! When something bad happens, he texts me to tell me about it. If his love life gets better, I won’t have any songs!’

Badger’s detailed lyricism has led to comparisons with Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) and Liam Fray (Courteeners). ‘Rose Tinted Eyes’ was recorded in Liverpool’s Parr Street Studios, (Blossoms, The Coral and Rihanna) with Alex Quinn producing.

Badger describes lockdown as ‘hitting the pause button’, although he was able to install a studio room at home to record in shortly before it was introduced. ‘I’ve just sat there with nothing to do but songs to write,’ he said. ‘They’re not all ready but we’ve got 10 songs to record. It’s hard to say which one we’ll record first but we’ll do a couple and see which turns out best.’

The biggest challenge on lockdown was that the band has a habit of developing the arrangement for a song in the studio together, which wasn’t possible, according to Badger. ‘We really want to put out an album next year and we’d like to revisit earlier songs and improve them as we’ve got a better idea of what we’re doing now,’ he laughed.

‘The song is also about taking back things you’ve said in the heat of the moment’

Badger find inspiration in all kinds of places. His song ‘Who Won The War’ (2018) was inspired by seeing a couple fighting in the street after a gig: ‘That fed back into a story, it was something real but very public. The song is also about taking back things you’ve said in the heat of the moment that you regret. It doesn’t mean you don’t love the person.’

He admits that a lot of the best songs out there are about relationships that don’t work. ‘I think if people are all happy, there’s not much to write about is there?,’ he laughed. ‘It’s not even written from my own personal experience but a big part of songwriting is having empathy with other situations. Lockdown made me realise that even more.’

‘It marked a turning point for us, we stepped up a gear’

A song that means a lot to SEPRONA is ‘Lost In The Lonely Hearts’, which they released earlier this year: ‘It’s my favourite,’ Badger said. ‘That fell into place more than any other one. I was just playing some chords and messing about to find a riff. It marked a turning point for us, we stepped up a gear, so it means something to us.’

Badger is a huge fan of Alex Turner and the poet John Cooper Clarke. ‘The way Alex writes lyrics and describes things, it’s incredible,’ he said. ‘John Cooper Clarke made me realise that you could be poetic in your songwriting, you don’t have to rely on clichés. You don’t want to copy people, you want to be influenced by them. Alex is one of the best songwriters ever.’ He’s also a fan of Blossoms, recounting a story where Blossoms had been recording at Parr Street Studios just before them, so SEPRONA borrowed their synths ‘because they had much better equipment than us’!

Liverpool has a long history of producing musical talent that pre-dates The Beatles and Badger cites Jamie Webster, Zuzu, Katie Mac, Bobby West, Red Rum Club and She Drew The Gun as artists today who are impressing him. ‘Zuzu is boss and Bobby West is amazing,’ he said. ‘There’s a lot of good music coming out of Liverpool. When you see other people from the same area doing well, it gives you the confidence that it can be done. It feels good to be part of that.’

If he could collaborate with anyone dead or alive, he’d go for Scott Walker, the American-born British singer-songwriter and former lead singer with The Walker Brothers. ‘I’ve been listening to him now for a week, his voice is like silk,’ he said. ‘I’d also like to collaborate with Richard Hawley because his voice is unbelievable. They both write these romantic, cinematic songs. To be able to learn from them would be amazing. When Richard sings live, you can almost feel his voice in your body, if you know what I mean? It’s a hard thing for singers to be able to do. Certain people have something special, it’s hard to describe because words aren’t enough. They say a picture paints a thousand words but it’s the same with music, it has that power.’

(Photo left to right: Adam, Chris, Dan, Niall and Louis)