Interview with Small Talk: ‘It’s a never-ending story based on going back to a place after a relationship ends’

Bournemouth indie rock band Small Talk will release their second single ‘Paris’ tomorrow (13 May), an anthemic, riff-driven, summery track about wanting a second chance with someone.

They comprise Ben Lewis (vocals, guitar and bass), Harry Whitton (drums), Ali Barron (guitar) and Jack Babbe (guitar). Ben and Ali are school friends. ‘Harry came in as a friend of a friend,’ Ben said. ‘Harry knew Jack but it’s only been the four of us for about 6 months.’ Their name comes from their dislike of small talk: ‘We hate small talk but I do it quite a lot, it rolls off the tongue (laughs). We’re not the only band called this, there’s an Irish band called Small Talk as well, luckily we do different music!’

‘Paris’ is a bittersweet, upbeat track with a big, singalong chorus about reliving a former relationship through rose tinted glasses: ‘A few days after I wrote ‘Headstart’, I wrote ‘Paris’, Ben said. ‘I was in the shower and the chorus melody came to me. It’s story-oriented, that’s what we wanted to build. It’s a never-ending story based on going back to a place after a relationship ends, seeing it through rose tinted goggles but then in the second part of the song, it’s about remembering the bad stuff in the relationship. I’ve never been to Paris, it’s very strange (laughs). That place is London for me. Everyone has a place like that associated with someone, you can just substitute it.’

As the track kicks off: ‘Remember when I met you in the backstreets of Paris? Fell in love at your favourite bar, drinking on the terrace. Dropped my suit and tie, my white lies, my nice guy demeanour because I wanted you to see me differently.’

‘It was written at a time when I just felt inferior to everyone’

Their debut single ‘Headstart’, which they released in February, is more of a nod to 90’s Britpop and is a more melancholic, introspective track: ‘It was written at a time when I just felt inferior to everyone,’ Ben said. ‘It seemed everyone I knew on social media was moving on with their lives and doing amazing things while I was stuck in the same place. It kind of tackles that issue through the eyes of someone who went through a difficult relationship and experienced this downfall.’

As a band, they are consciously trying to mix up the types of song they write: ‘We didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves. The production on ‘Paris’ is a whole level up, it almost made me want to record ‘Headstart’ again.’ he said.

In the summer, they will release two singles, ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Teenage Fear’, the latter of which he describes as ‘our song, everyone loves it live’: ”Teenage Fear’ is so catchy, the guitars are similar to on Paris, those distant riffs that just build up. It’s about me not wanting to grow up (laughs). ‘Sometimes’ is straight up indie rock like Catfish and the Bottlemen, an in your face, raw, guitar-driven track. It has a fast tempo and a whole lot of passion.’

‘My biggest inspiration is my dad’

Ben is the main songwriter in the group: ‘ I do all the lyrics, I’ve always been quite good with words and poetry, we wrote stuff for The Indie Pitch,’ he said. ‘The others have some input as well. I write the chords and lyrics and Ali, Jack and our producer, Sam, write the guitar riffs and synths. Harry does the drum parts, I know nothing about drums!’

Music runs in the family: ‘My biggest inspiration is my dad, he was the singer and guitarist in a band called Spank,’ he said. ‘He also played me 90’s music, Oasis, a bit of everything. I’m a big fan of Taylor Swift, that probably sounds really strange (laughs).’ I say it doesn’t sound strange at all because she’s a really talented songwriter and we chat for a bit about how her career has evolved. ‘It’s got to be her range,’ he enthused. ‘She’s gone from country to rock, pop and back to country again, that’s very cool. She knows how to write a great hook, she’s so versatile. I reckon me and Taylor Swift could write a good song together! I really love The Wombats as well, their song ‘Moving To New York’ transports me back to being in sixth form, they’ve been fundamental to me. I’ve seen them about five times. I’m really into Sam Fender, too.’

The best gig he has ever been to was Bastille at Reading Festival in 2019: ‘The atmosphere was electric, they’re just so good, I really respect that,’ he said. ‘It’s so hard to play live. It’s like with Royal Blood, there’s just two of them, they play guitar, bass and sing. That level of talent is insane.’ If he could put together a dream line up for one night, he starts with Oasis. ‘I’d have to, you’ve got to have them headlining,’ he said. ‘Is there a main stage and a second stage? I’d put Sam Fender on, maybe third, just to make Harry happy. Oh, it’s really, difficult, I’m thinking (laughs). And Catfish and the Bottlemen. We’ll have The Killers because to go from ‘Mr. Brightside’ to Oasis would be every British person’s dream!’

(Photo from left to right: Ali, Ben, Harry and Jack.)