Civil Service

“Writing this album has reassured us that it’s good to push each other and break out of our comfort zones,” says Alex Coates. He was the last member to join Manchester’s post-rock quartet Civil Service and has been the one to give them drive and focus since. They wear their melting pot of reverb-soaked inspirations proudly on their sleeves, hammering their slow-building but carefully crafted instrumental music into place in the heat of the jam room.

“I’ve learned that I need to throw out every crazy idea I have and the best ones will spur the others on,” he continues. “I used to feel really apprehensive about doing that but recording this album has really bonded us. Now I’m not afraid to suggest Eric Cantona reading a vacuum cleaner manual over our music.”

While that idea is yet to materialise – but isn’t completely off the table – it represents a band sure of their identity. Yet, despite knowing from day one that post-rock was their collective passion, exacting their sound took some figuring out.

“As time went on, particularly with Alex’s influence, we slipped into our niche of what sounds like a Civil Service song,” drummer Thom Hamper takes over. Asked what to define that niche, he speaks of finding a song’s “wonk” – a term coined while recording debut LP ///// Light// with long term 65daysofstatic collaborator Dave Sanderson.

“You just know it when you hear it,” Coates explains. “Dave focused on the ideas that didn’t fit all the moulds we’d set ourselves as a band. That’s what a song is building towards and can pivot off.”

Its predecessor, 2022’s //Life /// Death// ended on bleak terms, so they knew the album had to counter that; resulting in ///// Light//’s narrative following a female protagonist’s search for meaning.

“Even though there are no words, we really try to think about the narrative of the song and the pathway we want it to follow folding in bits here and there from different jam sessions which get it to that end point,” Hamper explians.

Certain musical choices heighten their musical storytelling, like fracturing previously steady rhythms to represent a breakdown in communication, or using solemn guitar lines as way of an apology. Ironically, though, the choir the record ends on – which features fellow post-rockers Din Of Celestial Birds and New Ghosts amongst others – speaks the loudest after a few wishful emails were sent out.

“It’s made our record feel like a community effort, rather than just four people in a room,’” Coates continues. “We’ve learnt that it’s important to take those leaps of faith because it punctuates the album beautifully.”

“The album follows the pitch and yaw of the character’s journey, and in recording it, I think we learnt how to capture the magic of us playing in the band room and found our own meaning as a band,” Hamper says.

A darker companion record is set to follow quickly behind as they continue to explore the depths of their self-made musical world. Crazy ideas n’ all. PWE

PROG FILE

LINE-UP: Francis Atkinson (guitar, synths, programming), Alex Coates (guitar, programming), Thom Hamper (drums, programming, mandolin), James Wilkes (bass).

SOUNDS LIKE: 65daysofstatic and Death From Above telepathically discussing the meaning of life on magic mushrooms

CURRENT RELEASE: /////Light// releases October 4th via Ripcord Records

WEBSITE: https://www.civilserviceband.com/

— Phil Weller