In late February 2021, the Northern village of Muker welcomed 5 raucous new faces to its 260 strong population, as Leeds outfit Eades embarked on the recording of their debut album, Delusion Spree.
“We realised we could go away and do it how you see in the films,” Harry Jordan reminisces, “so we booked an Airbnb.” The frontman clearly has fond memories of the band’s time in rural isolation; an irrepressible smile breaks across his face as he describes converting the holiday home into a studio using curtains and a rug that once belonged to his great grandmother. They did not invite a producer. “It’s pretty mad that the record label let us do it. They must have trusted us.”
This trust comes hard-earned. Eades have built a firm reputation in part thanks to their riotous live shows, a showcase for the dual frontman energy of Jordan and Tom O’Reilly. Away from the sticky floors and sweaty necks, flanked by parochial greenery, the band sought to capture this vigour on record. Previous attempts, Jordan admits, had failed to replicate the band’s fervent sound. “Stylistically we wanted it to be raw, so we thought, let’s do it live in the room.” The result is a tireless, blistering record; a vehicle threatening to shake off its wheels through sheer velocity. Where many contemporary Indie bands favour post-punk minimalism, Eades push in a ragged, garage rock direction. ‘Backseat Politics’ and title track ‘Delusion Spree’ demonstrate their capability to produce singalong anthems, alongside songs like ‘Smoking Hour’, which ebbs into more classic guitar harmonies.
With the aid of a misused dining room, Eades finally registered the desired sound on tape. “When you hear those drums on ‘Reno’, that is the cottage,” Jordan explains. “It’s in the music now. The way the guitar bounced off the wall and then hit the microphone and the drums, it became part of the sound.” The room’s ceiling also concealed drummer Dan Clifford-Smith, while the group sought to “bring out our inner kids” during a game of hide and seek. “It took forever to find him.”
Jordan is candid about Eades’ palpable togetherness, describing his bandmates as “amazing musicians, who can put their ego aside.” This shared vulnerability allows lyricists Jordan and O’Reilly to craft self-reflective and deeply personal lyrics, though they often contrast with the group’s brash musical style. It’s something that Jordan is acutely aware of, and relishes. “I remember listening to Lily Allen with my Grandad; he liked how she would be singing about darker, more serious topics, but her music would be really playful. I thought that was cool. It gives an edge and a character to the music.” Perhaps this is the key to Eades success, confronting the less palatable side of life with creativity, twisting it into something enjoyable. “I’ve always liked upbeat music, but life isn’t happy all the time,” he says.
In addition to the album, Eades winter sojourn has led to an upcoming film, shot by the band themselves. “It’s a fly-on-the-wall-style documentary. We tried to capture all the different sides of the band, I think we’ve got Dave – our old bass player – talking about how he makes his homemade pie.” In both culinary and musical terms, the band are in the midst of a creative spell as further promotion for Delusion Spree approaches in the form of a UK tour. In the lyrical introspection, the thunderous rhythms and the unaffected bare-faced grins, Eades will be bringing a small piece of the Yorkshire countryside with them.
Delusion Spree is out now on Heist or Hit.
Eades play Brudenell Social Club with Genie Genie and The Golden Age of TV on 2nd May: Tickets
Eddie Smith