Interview: Crowd Company Blasts Into 2020 With Groovy Anthem “A New Direction”

UK-based Crowd Company shared the third and final single from upcoming studio release, Lowdown, last week. “The song is really sounding a note of optimism about what’s ahead, despite challenges of life day-to-day,” shares Crowd Company vocalist and guitarist, Rob Fleming, about the new track in which he penned.

Ryan Zoidis and Eric “Benny” Bloom of GRAMMY-nominated funk act, Lettuce, were enlisted to play horns on this track (and throughout the album’s 12 songs), and Lowdown co-producer Evans makes a guest appearance on percussion and backing vocals, alongside the core sextet of Crowd Company. The UK-based ensemble is comprised of Fleming (vocals, guitar), Emil Engstrom (bass), Claudio Corona (keys), Esther Dee (vocals), Jo Marshall (vocals) and Robin Lowrey (drums).

The bright, 60s soul-inspired track has an uptempo beat that commands, “Get on board to the new direction,” as intricate 4-part vocal harmonies weave through the punchy horns provided by Zoidis and Bloom. It’s an anthemic and uplifting reminder on how to start off a new year, and a new decade.

“A New Direction” kicks off Lowdown, 12 tracks of blissful neo-soul that brings to mind old favorites like Sly & The Family Stone, and contemporaries like Foxygen or The New Mastersounds. What Crowd Company captures is something both reminiscent of the 1960s with a modern twist that reinvigorates the genre for the 21st century.

GroundSounds caught up with Fleming behind the record to discuss the collaborations on Lowdown, how those credited to the record influenced its sound and more.

GroundSounds: It’s amazing to see some of these bigger names credited to the record. Can you tell us more about how the collaboration with Alan Evans first came about? How did you get involved with the Lettuce horns?

Robert Fleming: Well, we’ve been great friends with Alan [Evans] for several years. I am actually a partner with Alan in the Vintage League Music label we are signed to. We recorded our last album, Stone and Sky, at his Iron Wax Studios located right outside of Boston. It was an amazing experience and it was inevitable we would return to record this album, Lowdown, there.

With the Lettuce horns, we just asked them and they said yes! They are good friends of Alan’s and they trusted his recommendation that this would be a great project for them to be involved in. Schedules aligned and they absolutely nailed the sessions. They play across the whole album.

GS: How do you feel the aforementioned collaborations influences where the songs on Lowdown were going?

RF: Actually all of the songs were fully written and arranged (including horn parts) prior to the studio sessions. But of course, each of them brings so much to the record. With Alan, we couldn’t be happier with the sound and vibe of the recording, and since he recorded and mixed the album much of that is down to him.

The icing on the cake was to then have Brian Lucey master the record. He is incredible, the guy has multiple GRAMMY awards and there’s a reason why! So sonically speaking, there was a great influence.

In terms of having Bloom and Zoidis join on horns, they played the parts we had written but of course brought some suggestions and approaches to the way those were played. But they bring so much to the record—the tight, crisp section playing and some incredible solos.

GS: Tell us more about the writing process for Lowdown. Were the songs composed just for the record, or were some of these tunes songs from the Crowd Company back catalog in which you performed live before Lowdown was even on the horizon?

RF: They were all composed just for the record. None had been played live before. We wrote the songs, worked on some detailed demos and arrangements and then hit the studio. Much of the music was recorded live in one room, all playing together.

GS: What are some of the band’s major influences when writing and performing your music?

RF: With this band we are all bringing quite a rich and diverse blend of influences, both old school and modern—funk, soul, jazz, psychedelic. We are not really interested in making a templatized funk or soul album or going for a mock retro sound. We aim for originality and hopefully people are into that.

Lowdown is out Friday, January 31st on Vintage League Music. The UK-based band has plenty of dates scheduled around their homebase early 2020, with plans of making it across the pond to the USA later this year. Stay up to date with all things Crowd Company via the band’s official Facebook page and website.