“There’s just something beautiful about the simplicity and the rawness of it all”: Andy Burrows on Razorlight’s new album Planet Nowhere

English indie-rock band Razorlight has seen its ups and downs over the past 22 years; lead singer Johnny Borrell, guitarist Björn Ågren, bassist Carl Delemo and drummer Andy Burrows originally met serendipitously, but the chemistry they shared in their early years reached a creative dead end. Borrell was no longer confident in his writing and felt immense pressure to keep up with industry demands; Burrows ended up leaving altogether to pursue his own musical aspirations. The two butted heads often up until that point, teetering between the line of love and hate, and eventually, the entire band’s dynamic was thrown off kilter; other founding members began to leave one by one until Razorlight officially went on a hiatus.

A little over a decade later, the band reunited. On 25^th October, Razorlight will prove that they are back and better than ever. Today, Andy Burrows speaks with The Upcoming about Razorlight’s reunion, their creative dynamic and the new record.

Hello, I’d like to congratulate you and the band on your upcoming album. Was it nostalgic to be in the studio together again?

Andy Burrows: That’s very lovely, thank you. It felt nostalgic, and it felt wonderful; it felt exactly how it felt in the old days. We have actually been in the studio a fair bit since we’ve been back together over the past few years, but this is the first time where we’ve had a concentrated session knowing that we were making an album. It was really quite special.

Although you and Johnny Borrell seemingly had a love/hate relationship in the early days, did you personally find that energy to hinder Razorlight’s creative process? Were there times when it was a benefit?

AB: I think, to be honest with you, it was always a benefit creatively. I don’t know what Johnny would say, but personally, the little bit of friction created more sparks. It’s much nicer when you’re getting along and it can make a relationship much simpler. I think there’s something healthy about some push and pull and a little bit of tension. Sure, it’s nice when things are harmonious, but we have a little bit of both. We’re not much different than most groups with that.

Would you say things have been resolved with this reunion?

AB: I think things have been resolved in a big way, but I think it’s important never to sugarcoat things. We’re still the same people, and although many years have passed, some things are different, and some things are the same, but it all comes together to make an interesting creative process. When the band gets together, something magic happens. It’s not always friendly and fun or joyous, but it’s always special. Sometimes it’s joyous, and other times can be a bit trickier, but it’s always amazing. When all four of us play together, it’s something brilliant. As a band, it’s a joy for us to be back together.

Now that a decade has passed and all four of you have found a chance to reconnect, what inspired the music within Planet Nowhere? 

AB: I think what mainly inspired it was being back together again; whether it be recording, or playing in front of our fans, we realised just how cool it is to be a part of a band and to be back in the studio together to have something new to play alongside all of the old songs everybody already knows. It’s brilliant to get out there and have a new record, something that we’re all proud of. It’s like we inspired ourselves.

The new single Taylor Swift = US Soft Propaganda definitely has a head-turning title. Can you explain a bit on the creative process behind the lyrics and how the production came to be?

AB: I actually didn’t have much to do with the writing of any of that song; it was all Johnny and Björn’s creation, which I think is wonderful. I can’t speak on much of that unfortunately because I wasn’t really around for that, but it’s a wicked riff Björn came up with. I think they were finishing up at the studio and Björn was noodling around with that riff and Johnny was like, “What’s that? That’s great!”. That’s all I know about that, though.

What song are you, specifically, most proud of?

AB: Zombie Love is a cool one that both Johnny and I worked on, and it’s probably the oldest on the album. We started writing it when we first got back together. I think my favourite song is Dirty Luck. It’s got a good groove to it; it’s the classic Razorlight song, but slightly slowed down. It was amazing writing it in Space Mountain in Spain with Youth. There was something beautiful about listening to that song back and hearing it echo. It was a really special moment for me and I love that song. Again I’m sorry I didn’t have more insight on the Taylor Swift song. Also, I am a big Taylor Swift fan, and I’ve got two daughters; my youngest is a massive, massive, massive Taylor Swift fan, so that’s probably another reason for me keeping my distance. 

That makes perfect sense. Is there anything particularly special about the writing process, or how this reunion came to be, in your opinion?

AB: It was really funny to not see each other for, what, ten years, and then being forced to live in the same house together above a studio where we were recording. Watching the four of us having to eat together, sleep near each other, watch films together, and socialise together was quite a joyous thing.

Was that because of Covid?

AB: No, it was actually just because we hadn’t spoken for a decade!

What is the main message and/or purpose, in your opinion, of Planet Nowhere, whether it be its sound, theming, both, or neither?

AB: I don’t know. I guess I feel that we are all quite proud of all of the records we’ve made together and the fact that all four of us, or five if you count are great friend Reni Lane on the keys, were just in a room together, making an album, that was raw. We were in a rehearsal room for a couple weeks and loved the songs. We wrote the songs on the mountain with Youth over a couple of weeks and I think there’s just something beautiful about the simplicity and the rawness of it all. The general, classic style of guitars, drums, vocals, and the occasional keys, with nothing else, makes it something that we believe in. We made it primarily for that reason, and then if anyone else likes it, brilliant. 

Thank you again for your time, and congratulations on the record!

Taryn Crowley
Image: Press

Planet Nowhere is released on 25^th October 2024. For further information or to order the album visit Razorlight’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Scared of Nothing here: