Since Rudimental's debut album, Home, started working its way into musical pockets across the UK and beyond, it's gone platinum, won a MOBO, a BRIT, and even a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize. The talented four-piece from East London now have a follow-up, which is released tomorrow (Oct 2nd), and it's going to be a belter.
So what can we expect from We The Generation? Whirring organs and trumpets with an electronic backbone, fusing jungle and garage beats – and that's just for starters. But this time around, they've pulled in the help of the Class of 2015: vocal contributions from the headliners of tomorrow, plus the odd megastar performance for good measure. But the Rudimental message remains the same as ever: “It's music to make people happy,” smiles Piers Agget. Headliner delves a little deeper.
HM: Your first record went platinum, won you multiple awards, and a huge fan base. No pressure on the follow-up, then?
PA: [laughs] Yeah, the new record comes out tomorrow, and although we've been playing a lot of new tracks this year, essentially, we're still drawing a big crowd from that first album, and this is the fourth year of touring it, really, which is pretty mad. We can't wait to get the new record out, and take it on the road!
HM: We particularly liked the single, Never Let You Go: it has a great vibe, and some serious jungle undertones in there. Is most of the record going to follow suit?
PA: We The Generation has got more soul funk to it; we've been a touring band for three years now, so the musicianship that's come out of that time, we've been able to put back into the new record. If you look at the John Newman collaboration on the first album, this time around, we've got Will Heard and Anne-Marie – they're the Class of 2015, so to speak [smiles]. And there are some legends in there, too, like the late Bobby Womack – he sent us an a capella before he died, which was amazing to work on. It's definitely one of our proudest moments. We've also got to work with George Clinton and many more. It's a mix of what we grew up listening to, and there's all this new talent being discovered too, just like we did with the first album.
HM: We can't wait to hear it! Finally, Piers, any tips for any up and coming Rudimentals of the next generation? Forgive the pun…
PA: [laughs] Yeah, man. It's all about not giving up at the first hurdle; it's about chipping away at it, and working really hard. The success that we got took years to mould, and the team we built took years to build. Nothing happens overnight.
We The Generation - OUT TOMORROW!
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