Start Listening To: World News

London’s World News reflect on their evolving sound, chance encounters, and the power of keeping things simple.

There’s a grounded charm to World News. Whether they’re talking about reworking an old track that nearly got left behind, or reminiscing about meeting their drummer in a Pizza Express, the London four-piece approach their music with equal parts sincerity and dry humour. Their latest single Don’t Want To Know blends emotional weight with chiming guitars and a no-frills live energy, recorded straight to tape at RAK Studios under the ear of producer Tommy Bosustow.

Having grown from their early days playing Brighton dive bars to earning fans across the Atlantic, World News remain firmly committed to their DIY roots through their own label, Pie & Mash. With jangly guitars, sharp lyrics and a desire to always push things forward, they’re building something timeless without ever trying to, just four mates chasing what feels right. We caught up with Alex from the band to talk catharsis, chemistry, and why Steely Dan might be the secret glue behind it all.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?

I’m Alex from the band World News. We’re a four-piece based in London and we make Jangly Alternative Rock/Indie guitar based music.

Let’s start with “Don’t Want To Know”, what was going through your head when you wrote it, and how did it come together in the studio?

The bare bones of this song was written quite a long time ago when I was going through a bit of a low patch. It’s mostly about wanting to be left alone. We used to play it live in Brighton when the band first formed, although we dropped it as it didn’t seem to work as well compared to our other songs at the time. We’ve come a long way since then with a bit of a lineup change and an extra guitarist. So I recently re-discovered it and showed it to the fellas and said to them “how about it then fella’s?” To which they agreed to work on the song and get it recorded.

We love the track’s jangly guitar lines, were there any particular sonic references or bands you had in mind while recording it?

There was no effort to copy or replicate any particular artists sounds in any way. But the reality is that when you’ve got a Fender Stratocaster and a Fender Telecaster playing alongside eachother there may be nods and winks towards other artists, as there are limitations to these instruments. We are merely putting our own spin on that. 

You recorded at RAK Studios with Tommy Bosustow, who’s worked with some huge names. What was that experience like, and how did it shape the final sound of the single?

Working with Tommy is always such a great experience. We consistently find ourselves in the control room after doing a few takes with our jaws on the floor after hearing the sounds coming out of the speakers. We did a bit of planning beforehand and agreed to keep things super simple and run a few takes of us all playing live in the room together, choose the best one and add a few overdubs on afterwards and then vocals. We also have been recording to tape. Then we leave it up to Tommy mix it. That’s how we’re going to continue working with him for the album.

You’ve been described as “throwback indie rock of the highest order”. Do you feel like you're intentionally reviving a sound, or is that just what comes naturally?

Again we’re not trying to revive anything. We’re just four guys who are making music for fun and there may be elements to our sound that remind people of bands from the past, which is usually a great compliment. Another thing that has been happening recently is we get DM’s and someone came up to me after a recent gig in Southampton saying when he first discovered our music he thought we were some band from the 1980’s that may have slipped under the mainstream radar. He was pleasantly surprised when he found out we are a current band and playing shows nearby.

How does your DIY ethos through Pie & Mash influence the way you release music and build your audience?

I think the DIY ethos suits us. We’ve been self releasing for a while now and it feels good knowing we still have 100% of our rights/publishing. And it also means we interact with fans directly which is great. 

Looking back at your early days playing in Brighton, what do you think’s changed most about you as a band since then?

I would say we’ve all improved and developed individually as musicians, and getting Malte and Jack in the band changed and moulded our sound for the better. We’re a lot more confident now as well.

Your story has some great twists, mistaken identity, meeting at Pizza Express, how do those moments feed into the chemistry of World News now?

That’s right. I met Malte in a pizza shop down in Brighton and started talking to him because he was wearing a Tame Impala T-shirt. He was the first person who sprang to mind when we suddenly needed a new drummer. Rory and I are brothers, so we’ve grown up together. Then Jack and I played in bands when we were at school. With Malte we’ve known each other for a good 8 or 9 years now, and we share a love for Steely Dan and Queens of The Stone Age. So the chemistry is there. We are a well oiled machine chugging along I’d say. 

Escape and Mindsnap showed two different sides of the band last year. How do you approach building a cohesive sound across releases while still experimenting?

I would say these are sonically two very different sounding EP’s. We aren’t interested in staying still when it comes to our sound. As people and musicians we want to keep experimenting and trying new things, which admittedly can potentially alienate some fans, but thats what keeps things fresh and all of us excited as musicians. 

There’s clearly a strong emotional thread running through your work – heartbreak, disillusionment, escapism. How much of your songwriting is personal vs. observational?

Yes, a lot of our early stuff was mostly personal, however these days I’m trying to be more observational. I now put a lot more thought and care into lyrics these days and really try to paint a picture. I also am trying to avoid using words that seem to be in every song, like “away, day, river” etc. and be a bit more genuine, instead of putting words in there for the sake of it.

You’ve been getting international recognition and just played in the US for the first time. What was that New Colossus Festival experience like for you?

New Colossus was so much fun and the whole team running it put together an incredible thing. We met some amazing people and made some new friends/fans. I kept announcing to the crowd I was going to quit my job and move to New York, although after looking into it, it would prove to be quite difficult! We are desperate to get back over to the Sates and a tour may be on the cards at some point. 

What do you love right now?

I love being in a band with my good pals and making music that I enjoy.

What do you hate right now?

I hate the fact musicians aren’t payed enough through streams and I think there needs to be a reform on the current system. 

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

I can’t speak for the rest of the band, but for me I still regularly listen to The Verve’s (or Verve as they were called that point of their career) “A Storm In Heaven”, which blew my mind after listening to it the whole way through at the age of 13. Nick McCabes guitar work is out of this world and Richard Ashcroft singing is brilliant too. And The Who’s “Who’s Next” still is played regularly for me. Just the songwriting from Pete Townshend is god tier and sonically it blows most things out of the water thanks to Glyn Johns. 

You’re heading out on a European run this summer, what can fans expect from your live show right now?

We’re pretty excited for this. Fans can expect to get their faces melted off by the sound of 4 dudes with their instruments. We will also be selling T-Shirts and a few other things.