After being in the music and entertainment industry for years, I have to say, listening to Tyrants by IOTA made me realise that I still had passion for music.
We were thrilled to sit down with IOTA to discuss their history, creative processes, and what’s in store for the coming year!
ATN: How did IOTA come together?
IOTA: We all met whilst studying at uni (BIMM Bristol) except for Jodie who we found on a website called Join My Band. Funny thing is, she went to the same uni as us and we didn’t know until after we met her at the first practice.
ATN: What is the creative process like within IOTA?
IOTA: We tend to write songs in a number of different ways. Sometimes someone will have an idea that they’ve been working on at home and then either send the idea to the rest of the band or show everyone and then it gets developed further. Another way that we write is jamming together and just starting from nothing all together in the room. Lyrics and basic guitar parts are usually a good starting point but we even sometimes write just from a drum beat.
ATN: What drives your passion to create now?
IOTA: As a band we’ve learned a lot this year, losing the studio was a big blow and when big events like that hit us I guess it only makes us stronger and more passionate to work harder than ever. Our passion individually stems from lots of different things, we write a lot about events and our feelings, experiences and we seem to all be able to relate and thrive on one person’s story. Another huge thing that drives us as a band is the passion we feel when playing on stage. No matter what or where, after we have played a show or together in a room there’s an unexplainable desire to push, succeed and carry on!
ATN: What was your favourite song to write and record from Tyrants?
IOTA TOM: Personally my favourite track to record would have to be “Ballet Box”. The drums in that track are really fun to play.
IOTA: “Sometimes” is my favourite, mainly because of my emotional attachment to it. I can remember every element of that song from the initial idea to the end because of how passionate it all was.
ATN: With the loss of Omni Studios, was releasing Tyrants bittersweet?
IOTA MULE: I can’t speak for Jodie, obviously that was way harder for her, but for the rest of us it completely changed the way the band works. Releasing Tyrants and having that happen midway through was pretty devastating. We recorded a large chunk of the vocals and guitars and wrote and pre-produced all of the tracks there; so yeah definitely not a great feeling!
IOTA JODIE: It’s of course been the hardest thing I’ve had to deal with and seriously hard on us as a band but it was nice to be able to see the end of an era in some ways, the EP being released as our first and last body of work to be written solely in our own studio it was a nice goodbye from us to Omni.
ATN: How is the Omni Studios rebuild going?
IOTA: There’s still lots that needs to happen before thinking about the rebuild, we’re doing all that we can do to raise money for everyone and at the moment that’s the main focus. There’s going to be some gigs and events to raise some more awareness and money in the new year!
ATN: What does IOTA have in store for fans in 2023?
If you’d like to help in the rebuild and recover of Omni Studios, make a donation to the Go Fund Me.
IOTA: Well, as you can imagine, there’s been lots to write about. We’ve got some exciting shows and festivals to announce. We’re hoping it’s going to be a big year for our progression as a band and we can’t wait to be able to replace our equipment and get on the stage again!
Same 3 Questions We Always Ask
ATN: Artist / band that you feel is the most underrated and why?
IOTA: I don’t understand why Static Dress hasn’t taken over the world yet; they’re album is mega. I still wouldn’t say they’re underrated, but surely that’s subjective.
ATN: Artist / band that you would like to collaborate with and why?
IOTA TOM: Loz Taylor from While She Sleeps would be a pretty cool collaboration for us and would open up an opportunity for us to get a bit heavier.
IOTA JODIE: Ozzy Osbourne because…that would be epic and he’s my hero!
ATN: Artist / band that you would like to tour with and why?
IOTA: Bring Me The Horizon. They’ve been an inspiration for us as a band from the beginning, they’re one of the few we can all really agree on. Their live show is INSANE and we could put on an epic show together.
Read our thoughts on Tyrants or listen to Ballet Box.
Watch “Sometimes”
Watch “Control”
