Discover the fascinating journey behind My Best Unbeaten Brother‘s debut mini-album, Pessimistic Pizza, as the band reunites with Audio Antihero and explores post-Brexit and post-lockdown life in Croydon. In this interview, Ben Parker of My Best Unbeaten Brother discusses the band’s evolution, the inspiration behind their music, and how reconnecting with old friends led to a creative resurgence. From crafting songs that blend the best of their previous projects to embracing the joy of music-making, My Best Unbeaten Brother invites you to share a slice of their world and the stories behind their captivating new release.
ATN: First congratulations on the debut mini album, Pessimistic Pizza that is out today on Audio Antihero! What prompted your reunion with Audio Antihero, and how has your relationship with the label evolved over the years?
MBUB: Thanks. Yes, we are excited! Why Audio Antihero? Well, they put out the Nosferatu D2 album after the band had stropped, then the Superman Revenge Squad Band album that was a one-off with that band, then the Tempertwig album long after we disbanded, so it seemed to make sense to go back to them again with the new band and see if they were interested in releasing new music from us. Like coming home, or something. It will be the first time they have released music we play whilst there being a band that is a going concern!
ATN: Can you tell us more about the concept behind Pessimistic Pizza and what listeners can expect from the mini-album?
MBUB: The songs are very much coming from Croydon, where we live in South London, in the period after Brexit and after lock-down. So pessimism is hard to avoid I’m afraid. Croydon is now a bit of a state: the council went bankrupt some time ago and the town centre is full of empty shops. Much like a lot of the UK at the moment, unfortunately. But: there are still good folks about here, and a lot of creativity if you know where to find it.
ATN: How many slices (songs) are in this pizza?
MBUB: Seven songs. Making it something between an EP and an album I guess. A mini-album perhaps? I dunno. But they seem to work together as a bunch of songs. We recorded them all in a day and must have been pretty well rehearsed I guess as it didn’t take many takes for each of them.
ATN: How does Pessimistic Pizza differ from your previous works with Nosferatu D2, Tempertwig, and Superman Revenge Squad?
MBUB: When I took the first couple of songs to the other two, I remember Adam commented that it felt like the songs were taking bits of all of the other bands and bringing them together somehow. So, there are elements of the noisy angry Nosferatu D2 along with the more subtle approach from Superman Revenge Squad. Also, this is the first time Adam and I have played together with Ben (Fry) on Bass – I think they take the songs to places I didn’t foresee when I wrote them, and generally, this makes the stuff more “musical” than a lot of what I’ve done in the past.
ATN: What inspired the lead single, “Time on Our Hands, Spider-Man,” both lyrically and musically?
MBUB: Being a dad influenced the song quite a bit. Is this something you want your dad to be doing, writing heartfelt songs about writing heartfelt songs? I dunno. When I was a lad I loved Superman and Spiderman, then my son at the time of writing this loved Spiderman. This inspired the song somewhat.
ATN: Is there a meaning or significance to the song’s title and its connection to the album’s themes?
MBUB: I guess in some ways a lot of the songs are about having too much time to kill. Lockdown was like that for most people I imagine. And when you are a kid life feels like that.
ATN: Is there a song or songs you’re excited for fans to hear?
MBUB: The few people that have heard “It’s Not Embarrassing to Care About Stuff” have really liked it and said it’s their favourite. So it will be good to see if other people agree.
ATN: What led to the formation of My Best Unbeaten Brother, and how did the collaboration with bassist Ben Fry come about?
MBUB: Ben’s daughter goes to primary school with my son and we bumped into each other on their first day at the school. Ben and I very briefly played together years ago in the Jonbarr Hinge, before Ben packed it in and we didn’t see each other again until that day at the school. I told him I’d gone back to writing songs and sent him some rough recordings of a couple. Then he bought a new bass and we badgered Adam into joining us for a practice. We went on from there.
ATN: How does working as a trio influence the dynamic and sound of the band compared to your previous projects?
MBUB: Ben and Adam are very creative, and bring parts that do more than just passively compliment the song – they evolve the songs into something a lot more. When Ben started adding vocals too that was great, and I think our vocals work well together. Should probably also be mentioned that there are not many bands that we are all collectively into – the only two that all three of us really like are Dinosaur Jr and the Cure. So we are coming to the creative process with slightly different ideas of what they should be doing.
ATN: How do you balance preserving your unique musical chemistry while exploring new themes and sounds in your latest material?
MBUB: Whatever I do it tends to sound like me, probably due to my limitations as a singer and guitar player! With these songs, I’ve tried to be as unself-conscious as I can and just write stuff. With Nosferatu D2 I set myself a number of rules (no effects pedals for example) and I’m not following those sort of rules these days – I even allow myself a guitar solo of sorts on one of the songs!
ATN: Your journey has been described as unconventional; could you share some insights into the evolution of your music and the challenges you’ve faced along the way?
MBUB: It has been some time since I played in a band, and I’m now older than I used to be and pretty much completely disconnected with any music “scenes”. And we seem to be in a world where we have access to millions of new bands and songs but most people just go to see bands at massive venues for loads of money. More than ever, you have to be making music and writing songs just for the joy of making music and writing songs. You ask yourself. why are you bothering, and you just have to avoid the question and carry on. Before I met Ben and started the new band, when I just had a couple of new songs, I remember discussing “art” with my good friend Adam Keay (a talented painter based in York) and he convinced me to just do it. He is very creative and I envied that, I think.
ATN: What are your aspirations for My Best Unbeaten Brother moving forward, both musically and as a band?
MBUB: I would just like people to listen to it and a selection of those people to like it. That’s it. And they can then come to gigs and encourage more songs. It’s the song writing and, in particular, the lyric writing that I love. Everything else supports this.
ATN: Are there any upcoming plans that you’re particularly excited about sharing with your fans?
MBUB: There will be some gigs to support the album. And Ben Fry is very keen to create some sort of video. Watch this space I think!
SAME 3 QUESTIONS WE ALWAYS ASK
ATN: Artist / band that you feel is the most underrated and why?
MBUB: There was a band called the Male Nurse that I saw in London years and years ago who were marvellous. It was before I’d heard the Fall and they were very Fall-like from what I remember. I can still recall some of their songs but never heard recordings of them. I mentioned them when Adam and I were in Tempertwig and I remember some nice person sent me a recording they’d made of the Peel sessions that they had recorded. A very limited edition album was released on vinyl a few years ago, long after they disbanded, but I missed it so didn’t get a chance to listen to it. Might be for the best perhaps as they might not live up to the memory of the gigs I saw at all!
ATN: Artist / band that you would like to collaborate with and why?
MBUB: J Mascis – he can supply solos. When I first heard Dinosaur Jr – back when they released Where You Been – I thought they were the best thing I had ever heard, and J was a bit of a hero for some time. Years later I stood next to him at one of the All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals but couldn’t bring myself to speak to him.
ATN: Artist / band that you would like to tour with and why?
MBUB: I went to see Yo La Tengo last year, and their audience seemed lovely. So might be nice to tour with them assuming all of their audiences are nice. They seem nice too, and I could happily listen to their set night after night I think.
