Emergency Break are a pretty special six-piece indie-rock outfit hailing from London. Having formed in 2023, the act has wasted little time making a name for themselves. Earning a reputation for their energetic and high-powered live shows, the band has speedily gained a following of dedicated fans – and we feel it’s richly deserved!
Intrigued to learn more about the outfit and how they go about their business, I was stoked when frontman Leo Gerchen agreed to take us behind the scenes. Chatting about the band’s formation and some of their early influences, the inspiration behind their latest single ‘HOMETOWN’, and how they decided on the name Emergency Break, please welcome our new friend Leo Gerchen!
Welcome aboard Leo! Thanks so much for taking the time to have a little chat with us! Before we get into the nitty-gritty, could you tell us about your musical journey and how the band came together?
Yes! So we formed in 2021 when myself, (Leo) Joe, (guitarist) and Ewan (bass) met at theatre school together. We originally used Emergency Break as sort of a production company making short films, fan-made music videos, and plays until we landed on the music.
We loved live music and it was one of the first things that drew us all in to become inseparable. We used to get properly sweaty watching bands like Sports Team, Fat Dog, SHAME, and The Murder Capital all in their early days. Some of the folks we used to run into at their shows now shoot our gigs and mosh in our pits which we think is hilarious and so full circle.
After some time we started laying demos and some early tracks like ‘IT’S OVER’ with the key additions of James (drums) and Oran (guitar) and together we became Emergency Break.
Your latest single ‘HOMETOWN’ is an absolute banger! I just can’t get enough! I know you penned the tune when moving to New York for a year, but what else would you like our readers to know about your brand new single?
‘HOMETOWN’ is about nostalgia and how it always creeps up on you whether you like it or not. When I wrote the lyrics to ‘HOMETOWN’ I didn’t think it would ever become a song…it was more a word dump of all my feelings at the time and the stories I heard about the people I left behind.
And even if you didn’t move halfway across the world and just up north or down south for university there is still a relatability to picking all your favourite clothes and jewellery and personal belongings and cramming them into one suitcase and moving away – leaving what is in theory your childhood behind.
Staying with ‘HOMETOWN’, the track was mastered by Pete Maher, a man many have called the “UK’s No1 independent mastering engineer.” Having worked with the likes of U2, Nick Cave, and The Rolling Stones, what unique magic did he bring to this already compelling track?
We recorded ‘HOMETOWN’ in one day. It was a really easy song to lay down in a studio but the real magic came later on with Joe, our guitarist, mixing it and subsequently sending it off to Pete. Pete added that icing on an already great cake and gave it a perfect touch of gloss over that raw feel the song has. It’s a real testament to his skill.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences? Who did you grow up listening to? And would you say that your tastes have changed over the years?
A lot of the people who we saw live in the early days have really paved the way for our sound and music. Bands like SHAME, DEADLETTER, and IDLES. As a band, we consume a lot of music and usually listen to what excites us and that isn’t genre-specific.
I’m a sucker for having to know the origins of a band’s name. I just can’t help myself! How exactly did Emergency Break come about?
It really came from thinking the world needs an Emergency Break. There is so much tension and chaos happening today and we hope to provide a live show that’s a ‘Break’ from that!
Can you share some insights into your creative process? How do you (and the band) transform an initial idea or thought into a finished song?
Our songs come from all different avenues of creation and inspiration. When we went to record this song we had already been playing it live for just under a year and we all had one collective goal…to create a song that hit close to home for all of us.
What are your thoughts regarding the music industry of today? And, if you could, what changes would you make to it?
GUITAR MUSIC SHOULD BE AT THE TOP!
In all seriousness, the music industry seems to be changing almost weekly with things like Tik Tok being at the heart of it. Guitar music seems to be in the middle of it all – in its own unique rise – and we hopefully get to add our own club to it one day.
Leo, it’s been an absolute pleasure having you here and getting to know you! Before we say farewell for now, what comes next for you musically and do you have any words of wisdom you’d like to leave us with?
We have a huge London summer show coming…Stay tuned! And, new music is more than definitely on the way…with physical releases too!
