The Mysterines, a prominent rock band hailing from Liverpool, are poised to release their sophomore album Afraid of Tomorrows on 21st June via Fiction Records. Following the success of their debut album Reeling, the band has ventured into new musical territories with a matured sound and approach. George Favager, the band’s bass player, sheds light on the nuances of his instrumentation, the band’s creative process, and the evolution of their musical identity.
George Favager details his relationship with his instrument of choice, the Fender American Professional II Precision Bass. “My main bass guitar is a Fender American Professional II Precision Bass. In my opinion, the P Bass is the most versatile I’ve ever played, a workhorse if you will. It sounds equally as good when I’m playing Mysterines tracks as it does when I’m playing more funk and soul stuff at home. It’s THE bass. If somebody says think of a bass guitar, it’s normally what people would picture. I love this model of the P so much I have two of them, one with rounds and one with flats.”
Discussing his rig for the new album, Favager explains the combination of traditional and modern techniques that define the band’s sound. “For the recording of the second record, I went straight through a DI, probably trying to do a James Jamerson, so a lot of the sound came from my pedals. My main go-to pedals in the studio were the Darkglass Alpha Omicron Distortion and the Electro-Harmonix Clone Theory Chorus Pedal. I’ve had the Alpha Omicron on my board since touring the first album and I absolutely love it. It’s pretty much become the main bass sound for the band; it fills up so much empty space while having a level of discretion and maturity. Laying this on the odd track with the Clone Theory added a bit of modulation, giving the tone a more prominent and upfront sound. I would also pair these pedals with some bass synth parts in the choruses going full War of the Worlds.”
When developing bass lines, Favager takes inspiration from iconic musicians while ensuring his contributions serve the song’s greater good. “I looked a lot towards Colin Greenwood of Radiohead, who is somebody I really wish I had looked into deeply a lot sooner than I did. His playing is quite fascinating to me, and I think every bass player should take a look into his playing style,” he states.
The band’s direction for Afraid of Tomorrows was significantly shaped by their experiences and personal growth. “I think we immediately wanted to make something less fast-paced than ‘Reeling’, something that had more maturity to it, something that showed the world we weren’t teenagers anymore and that our style of music had grown up with us. The change of writing process was very different too. Lia [Metcalfe, vocals and guitar] and Paul [Crilly, drums] would go off on writing trips to little cabins or barns in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and I think you can feel that environment in the bones of the music. It was a huge change in recording process too; heading over to LA to work with John Congleton was a surreal and wonderful experience. I was originally quite nervous about the whole idea, but once we got to work, everything clicked, and the way John managed us and the music was exactly what we needed.”
The Mysterines will also be embarking on an Autumn headline tour, with dates across Europe including sold-out shows in Glasgow, Nottingham, and Bristol. For more details on the tour and to catch the band live, check their official website.
Afraid of Tomorrows by The Mysterines is available for pre-order.
