Boss Keloid: A Long Climb Up Lung Mountain

You may or may not be familiar with the monstrously optimistic musical tidal wave that is BOSS KELOID, but make no mistake that your life is slightly less colourful without their music in it. Jumping from strange technical sludge to huge progressive soundscapes, the Wigan group have grown and developed into one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed groups the country has produced in a while. Their triumphant set at Bloodstock Festival in 2019 helped cement them as a stand out unit, and now their impending return is something to be very excited for. Ste Arands has been drumming with the band from essentially their entire run through, and as he sits down to talk to us there is a real sense of relief as he discusses Family The Smiling Thrush.

“The anxiety you feel when you’re doing it, I just wanted to make sure it was perfect,” explains Ste before continuing, “we were comfortable because we were working with Chris [Fielding], and we’ve worked with him for such a long time now we get on with him so well. And he sort of knows us and our neuroses. We were just so determined to make it the best it could be. We were very deeply invested in how much better we could make it than the last one.”

Indeed the jump in sound over their life span has been vast, there has never been a point when it hasn’t felt distinct and unique in a way only this band could do. The constant need for practice, as Ste explains they meet “every week, at least once, maybe twice a week” definitely reveals a reason why the band have grown tighter together as their sound has expanded exponentially. “That amount of jamming together, me and Paul [Swarsbrick, guitar] especially, we’ve been jamming for 10 years.” Big riffs from Paul, deep and epic vocals from Alex [Hurst], and the consistently interesting and intricate drumming of Ste all come together on Family The Smiling Thrush like never before, and saying that for BOSS KELOID is something to take note about.

Even with this clear excellence oozing from their music, BOSS KELOID still seem to feel surprised that the spotlight is anywhere near them. “We seem to have had positive responses increase album by album. We’re still flabbergasted anyone likes our stuff, because it’s so out there.” Out there is one way of putting the colourful sounds the band plays with. Their strange and wonderful exploration of heavy music’s most progressive boundaries are kept within a solid song writing structure that has really developed over the past few albums. But where does the line actually sit for the band when it comes to their creative process?

“If it still sounds appealing to us, and musical to us, then it’s not really an option for it to be too weird. The song writing element, that sort of crept in alongside the madness of Paul’s riffs. He’s got a weirdness to his playing.” Ste continues further, explaining how over the years their time spent practising has evolved. “It started planned out, and now it just starts. Someone will do something and then we’ll just all join in and hit a riff 19 minutes in.”

With the fearless songwriting and creative process and BOSS KELOID‘s constant development over obsessive practices and recording approaches, it is genuinely no wonder the band have such high praise for their most recent work. As cliche as it is, sometimes it’s correct to think a band’s most recent output is their best work yet, because this is precisely the case. “As far as it sticking together as an album, y’know, doing the old fashion thing of turning the lights off and sticking an album on and actively listening, this is the best one. This is our best effort, definitely.” The balls to open with a nine minute masterpiece might be enough to put people off given the steep climb the album puts first, but once you ascend everything becomes shining and glorious. It’s the dose of optimism that bands like HOLDING ABSENCE have already offered into the world, and it’s exactly what the world needs right now from precisely the right band.

BOSS KELOID offer an interesting perspective into the nature of heavy music. With this huge dose of positivity that has emanated from their previous album Melted On The Inch and even more so on Family The Smiling Thrush stands at a direct juxtaposition to the often dark and depressive nature of metal in general. “It’s basically one of them things that’s engrained in Western music. The way a certain chord progression will evoke a certain emotion, and I think there are certain connotations that come with alternative music. The immediate urge is to always go for something dark, anything with a distorted guitar and loud drums, you’re gonna find nine times out of ten it’ll be ‘negative’. Not to say that’s bad, lots of people get something from that and need that.”

The comments from Ste paint a picture of a band actively trying to stand out as a shining lighthouse in a sea of essential chaos. “Anything that will help you see the brighter side or at least make you consider the brighter side, it can’t be a bad thing.” And there is truly nothing bad about anything BOSS KELOID have produced since their formation. Sure, there is an argument to be had that their earlier staff lacked ‘refinement’, but as we mentioned earlier, it was still utterly unique. And that’s what makes BOSS KELOID the band they are today. They are truly, fearlessly unique.

If you are heading to Damnation Festival this year, you owe it yourself to catch their set there. And failing that, be sure to see their headline tour, universe allowing everything is allowed to happen by November. Having already confirmed that they’re basically going to be playing Family The Smiling Thrush in full on that tour, you’ll get a chance to experience the glorious nature of the album in a way that will likely enhance the already masterful album. BOSS KELOID come together even better than they do on record when you see them live, and you get to experience the joy that the band finds in their music in the flesh. This band is a deep passion project that has evolved into an entity the band never predicted it could be. Their praise is deserving, and they stand out as a flag bearer for the quality music our small, wet island produces. BOSS KELOID boss music quite unlike anyone else.

Family The Smiling Thrush is out now via Ripple Music.

Like BOSS KELOID on Facebook.