ifitbeyourwill S06E20 • Eades

A granddad blasting Pink Floyd at school pick-up and a jealous six-year-old’s first guitar lesson—hardly the start of a band, but that’s where Eades began. Frontmen Harry Jordan and Tom O’Reilly trace how a bedroom project became a songwriting engine that produced 50-plus lockdown tracks and the refined Final Sirens Call. From four-mic drum kits and happy-accident compressors to Dylan, Lou Reed, and Wilco-inspired craft, the duo reveal how trust, vetoes, and risk shape their sound. We dig into sequencing headaches, translating dense studio layers to the stage, and chasing the live spark on their next record.

For fans of post-punk energy, garage roots, and Wilco-era ambition—this episode dives inside Eades’ engine room.

Chapters

• 0:00 Meeting Eades And The New Record
• 2:05 Harry’s Musical Roots And Early Bands
• 5:50 Forming Eades And The Lockdown Song Factory
• 9:50 Tom’s Path To Songwriting And Guitar
• 13:05 The DIY Ethos And Learning Production
• 17:40 Happy Accidents: Drum Tones And Naive Choices
• 21:20 Co-Writing Dynamics And Trust
• 25:15 Curating Songs For The New Album
• 29:15 From Warehouse Jams To Studio Ambition
• 33:00 Crafting Interlocking Guitars And Keys

Transcript

colleyc: 0:36

Alright everyone, how here we are. Another episode of ifitbeyourwill Podcast coming to you. We dabble around the world here at If Be Your Will. We don't mess around, and today we're not messing around. We're going over to Leeds in the UK. It's like a five-hour time difference, but I have Eads here who just put out a great record called Final Sirens Call. And I have Harry Jordan and Tom O'Reilly here coming in. And we're going to explore this new record, but I also want to know how all this madness began because it's quite an interesting story. So, guys, thanks so much for taking some time and agreeing at a late hour to come in here and talk with me because I think you guys are close to bedtime.

Harry: 1:21

Yeah, I actually got out of bed. Well, we'll try to get you back to bed as soon as we can. That's so good.

colleyc: 1:34

It's a pleasure to chat. Yeah, I've just really been enjoying this record. Um, and all your music really. And I've seen this kind of like progression, this like chugging forward of maturity and how you guys are writing songs. So I want to kind of dive into that, but I'd like to kind of get your backstory on both of you. Um like Harry, where when did when did music start to be for you and was gonna be for the rest of what you do?

Harry: 2:04

I think my I was I was never very good at a lot of things at school, really. And then my granddad was kind of just music obsessed. And uh when my parents uh uh split up when I was young, he used to pick me up from school a lot, and um he used to just blast uh he used to think it was funny play uh blasting uh teacher leave those kids car window while picking me up from school. So he kind of installed a slightly rebellious side in me, but also my uh love for music and um like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles. He used to kind of there was always a thing where he'd be like, you can borrow this CD, but this one I'm having back, and they never they never would go back. But uh yeah, he kind of got me really into it and he started learning bass at the same time I started learning guitar because I kind of was nagging him saying, Oh, we want to learn an instrument, and then he kind of uh was like, Well, I've always wanted to learn bass, so we both got these kind of entry-level squires guitars and kind of started playing together and uh just really enjoyed it, and then you know, I met Tom at uni uh years later. I think I was at nine when I started, but we were kind of playing in different bands. Um, and I really I basically my band I think supported Tom's band or the other way around, I can't even remember now. But I just remember being like, wow, this guy can really play the guitar. It's kind of like he had his headband on at the time, and it's like I think we put our shirt buttons down to our like belly buttons and just like thinking we were rock stars at like trying, we were trying something up, yeah. We were do we were both doing a thing uh and similar thing as well, and yeah, we kinda we kind of got on really quickly. I think we just got on as like friends for quite a while first, and we were both kind of stayed doing separate bands, and then uh I think as Ead's kind of started uh as like a bedroom project, um uh that I was just doing, I was kind of recording with Joe for all drummer, like in our bedrooms at uni. And then uh kind of we were playing in another band that Tom also played in called Far Caspian, and uh we had just started looking to tour it or like play at least play a show with it. Um, so I needed to get a band together, and then Tom seemed like the obvious person because he was the best guitarist I knew, really, in league. Right back up, yeah. And so we kind of just went and it just went from there and it kind of just snowballed, really. Like as soon as Tom joined, it felt like a real more of like a band. Yeah, and we kind of started as the years have gone by, we've kind of just written so much music together but separately. Yeah, uh, like in lockdown, we did we I kind of felt like neither of us had anything to do, so we were kind of writing songs, sending each other the files. So I remember I'd write like an instrumental. Tom would receive the instrumental that evening, write the lyrics for it the next day. While I do another one, he'd then send the lyrics back. And it was just a songwriting machine, yeah. It kind of turns I think we wrote like 50 songs or something ridiculous for our first album.

colleyc: 5:04

Yeah, I read that. It was like 60 plus songs that were like ready to go, and you had to like dilute it. All right, what are we gonna choose?

Harry: 5:13

That's amazing though. Like it was quite it was quite yeah, we know in a way lockdown was like good and bad for us. It like stopped us being able to play, but it made it gave us a lot of time to like just write like relentlessly and kind of hone that craft. I don't know that like and and and yeah, just we've just kept doing it really.

colleyc: 5:31

I don't know if you've got anything to add, Tom, but yeah, Tom, like what uh tell us like do a little rewind too. Like, when did music really start resonating with you as something that you just love to do?

Tom: 5:43

Um, it was probably the Beatles started with my dad. I think that's the same with everybody. Well, a lot of people, sure. Um, but in terms of playing guitar, I think I saw my dad teaching my sister guitar, and it was purely out of jealousy that I was like, no, I want to play guitar with my dad. So I think that's what I started. I was like six, more like a young jealousy there. And then yeah, dotted around loads of different bands, uh, tried to emulate the cribs who are also from Leeds for many years. Um and and then yeah, finally found a home in Eades that that has stuck and through lockdown as well. A lot of writing, and then we got the had the opportunity to like go to a cottage in the middle of nowhere, and we spent two weeks recording that album. And we just set up everything.

Harry: 6:37

Uh that was quite that was quite crazy actually, because we'd been signed by uh well, we had loads of demos and we called an EP and we'd just signed to High Star Hit, and a lot of record labels would be like, This is how you're gonna make a record. We were like, We're just gonna take our six microphones to an Airbnb somewhere. And and they were like, Okay, fine, we carry on the story. I just thought that was wild that they even let us do that at like to be five years old or whatever.

colleyc: 7:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And Tom, what when did you start actually writing songs as a youngster?

Tom: 7:11

Like um putting them together, assembling, yeah. I think uh in my my younger teen years, getting into Arctic Monkeys and hearing a vocalist that had a Yorkshire accent that I did resonate with some that in some way and reading enemy magazine and all that. Yeah, and that there was definitely a switch where it was I didn't want to be the best guitarist, I just wanted to write good songs from that point onwards, really. Nice, nice that's a little shred from time to time. A couple of bears.

colleyc: 7:50

I love this too. Like, are you guys considered or do you consider yourselves kind of DIY? Like, you guys tend to control pretty much like the writing process, the recording process, the mixing, the mastering. Like, is that something that you guys have decided on as a band that you would take on all those responsibilities?

Harry: 8:09

Yeah, I think I think it came around largely for two two big reasons. One being budget at the time, like we just couldn't afford to go into studios, we didn't really have any any money for for a long time. And um also I really wanted to be a music producer as was like a career thing, and and I which I'm now fortunate enough to do. I'm kind of sat in the studio now, and um it was a way to just be able to learn how to record, or like we just bel we just believed we could kind of do it. Like uh Joel in Far Caspian, who me and Tom played guitar and bass in for a long time, uh, for the live band, he self-produced everything and was a little bit older than us. I think kind of seeing him do it was like, well, we can do this too. And it kind of uh I think we were in a in Leeds at the time was kind of a lot of people doing that, and kind of if at the time it felt like it, there was a lot of people and that kind of mindset. Um, and I think having if I now knew what I knew then about production, I'd probably say, Don't do it. Producing my starting out, just like get a producer. Because I think I would have loved to hear that first record had it not been us also trying to record anything for the first time, you know. Great to all of that. But at the same time, I'm really proud of that record. But I think that's how it kind of started. But uh but in a way it's been great because we've kind of learnt all those things to a point where we now really can do that and be confident that you know we can achieve a standard in the production value as well as the songwriting. And I and I still believe like some of my favourite songs or records, you know, sound like they're recorded in someone's shed. And you know, at the time our inferences were really raw music that you know was done with like four microphones or you know, on a conception.

colleyc: 9:57

Yeah, there's a certain aesthetic though, eh?

Tom: 10:00

Tom, yeah, add in please about the not producing the early stuff. Well, I think the first EP, the way that the drums were produced is great because Harry just didn't know how to produce drums.

colleyc: 10:14

How do you say it? Like, how give more detail there, put some light on that. Uh, I don't I don't know how to describe it. Because it's a hard thing to do drums, right? Because there's many of them.

Harry: 10:23

And like, where do you put the mics to like get I just kind of got some plugins and I remember being like, oh, this I was really into the band Omni at the time, and their drums just sounded like they were just distorted, completely blown out. And I didn't know how to achieve that sound. I just knew if I just I got this uh plugin called the decapitator, which just like rips things to shreds, and I think I just that was on every on like the kick, the snare, the overhead, the room mic, because those are the four mics were just completely blown to bits with this distortion. And actually, I looked, I was talking to somebody this other day, I had a look at one of the old projects, I found an old hard drive, and I knew that you had to use compression, it was like a thing you had to use, but I just thought I had a look at the the dials, and none of the dials were actually moving. So I thought, here's an LA2A, I need to put that on a vocal because someone's told me that's what I need to do, and it wasn't even compressing. So someone said to me, like, I love how uncompressed your early stuff is. I was like, I thought I put loads of compression. The idea was there, yeah, yeah. I mean, I think those like those interesting like things like you know, I are quite charming in a way. It's something I I I was kind of looking to achieve that without realizing just naturally being naive was achieving that in itself, you know. Beautiful.

colleyc: 11:39

I mean uh every experience is more information and you know, a step forward, hopefully.

Harry: 11:45

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I think I I think that's like similar to why like you know, Jack White didn't want Meg White to have drum lessons famously. It's like there's uh I think you know, there's a beauty and a lot of innocence, which I think right now when I listen to our first record, is is why I still love it so fondly because it felt you know really youthful and on and like honest and it has that charm to me anyway.

colleyc: 12:10

Totally. No, I totally feel that. Like and looking at the progression of as well of uh your evolution so far. I mean, this has been since 2019 really that you guys have been together, and I mean those six years are I mean, you've come up with something that uh I think can just keep growing and growing and evolving. Um Tom, what was the first song you ever brought to to Harry? And why did you choose that one? Like, how did you guys start introducing each other as singer-songwriters or as uh songwriters, I guess I should say?

Tom: 12:42

Like I definitely started with Harry's uh like almost Harry's solo project, definitely the early stuff. And then I think it just slowly seeped in the more that I just stayed at Harry's house. And was it maybe Reno was one of the early earliest that I wrote on? I can't remember now. Yeah, yeah, probably probably yeah. Harry went for a period of not liking to record the vocals and lyrics, or not like writing that as much because you can rattle out an instrumental really quickly, and I love doing all the lyric stuff, so I was like, Well, I'll do it, I'll do that stuff. So then then it slowly progressed where we'd have songs, days like that, where I'd write on top of stuff, and then other days where I can't remember the first fully formed song that I brought, maybe it was liquid gold, it could be as well. It might might have been liquid gold.

colleyc: 13:39

I think it's beauty.

Tom: 13:41

I've written more full songs on the later stuff than the earlier stuff, where we would it would be more and then now on an album we're we're working on now, we've really just split down the middle because Harry's got a lot of stuff he wants to say, and then so we're just kind of writing six of our own songs each and making them as good as possible. But that's another conversation, another sound.

Harry: 14:04

Fade away was another one that Tom just like because liquid gold Tom kind of did, and he had like this other version for it that was really nice as well. It was like a slow version of it, and then we kind of re-worked it out together in like logic, but fade away was like completely just Tom's song. Um, and I think it's like our most streamed song. It was quite a natural evolution of of just like us being around each other a lot. Like it wasn't really a conscious thing one day, I think, where it was like Tom, you're gonna do you want do you want to do you wanna? You know, it was your turn. It just yeah, yeah. It just it just he was already writing good songs with his old band, and you know, the trust I think was already there between us.

Tom: 14:46

Also, the the amount the amount of conversations that we would have about what we wanted the songs to be that then informed what I was writing, it was it was an Eid song while I was writing it, just because of how much me and Harry would talk about what we want it to be all the time. So it naturally then ended up with Eid songs would come out of me. Interesting.

Harry: 15:11

And also think we're quite we're quite good at like I don't know if producing each other or like like we can take each criticism from each other very well where like it's not like offensive, it's just like this isn't that's not right, okay. Yeah, I'll scrap that. What should I do instead? Like I might sing and Tom will be like uh don't do that or that, try it like this, or vice versa, playing guitar, where it's just like that's crap. It's never like much of a debate. We normally are quite good at just streamlining no sulking, if anybody says no.

colleyc: 15:45

I really like this song, I really like this. Come on, man. Yeah, no, yeah.

Harry: 15:50

When you play a demo, it's like the room of the guys, and like they're not really paying any attention, you're like, Yeah, I'm probably gonna put this one in the bin or rework it.

colleyc: 16:00

Well, I imagine too, with just the sheer amount of songs that you guys have have that you were, you know, that you write. Um how did how did the latest record come to be? Like, how do how did you choose what songs? I mean, you have quite a an archive, I imagine, of songs. What was the decision process as to how this record would your latest record would get assembled?

Harry: 16:27

I think um the the the bit that comes to my mind the quickest was I remember we Tom came down to stay and we were just making a really big point about wanting to write a song that we could sing on an acoustic guitar or a piano, and that's it, and then that would be a good song. And if it's a good song like that, we were listening to a lot of like Bob Dylan, I know uh Lou Reed was like one, and then people who could just like play on their own and just like make a good song. And I think our first record uh was a lot more like we were we were jamming and playing guitar a lot, and we were just having so much fun playing our instruments that that it was a more instrumental-led record in a way. Okay, it is melodic, but it I think like it was always it's very like musical, which the new record is, but it the everything else kind of came last after the songs were written in in a more pure form, and then we got into like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and those kind of records really big time, and like just the ambition that like Wilco have uh kind of I remember that kind of blew my mind the first time I listened to that, and then I watched the documentary a lot, and then I think did we watch it together, Tom, as well? And I think that was like a huge influence, uh just and it was quite a different sonically, like less punky, I guess, yeah, the stuff we were into. So I think naturally when we the four and five of us played together, it's a lot you know, we have a sound when we just play naturally, but so the songs kind of still kind of even if you're right, you were here and we're writing here, they kind of get brought back to the Eeds. Okay, interesting, interesting.

Tom: 18:05

And also, I think the the difference between the two albums is you can tell the first album we'd spent a year jamming in a warehouse that was freezing, and we were listening to Gang of Four and jamming with like three winter coats on and five space heaters around us, and then moving to the the second album, just wanting to like relax into some songs and just sit in grooves rather than jump around and shout. And some of the songs are written more on piano as well, yeah. Yeah, that informed it as well.

Harry: 18:41

Yeah, I think I think like also I'd we because we made a second record that ended up becoming the EP and we scrapped five songs because we didn't think it was cohesive enough, and then I just moved to my new studio, which it's got like nicer equipment and better instruments and microphones and things like that. Oh yeah, nice under floor heating, if you write this place, it's a luxury, and we so we just kind of uh I think we were in at the first time we were in what I'd call more professional studio setting. Okay, so we wanted I think we kind of wanted to utilize that like we've got these like space echoes and fun things that you know you can kind of mess around with, like and get creative in a different way, you know what I mean?

colleyc: 19:24

Yeah, yeah. I wanted to ask you guys too, like I love you the guitar work on on this record and previous records too. How do you guys figure out what your guitar parts? Like I mean it sometimes it sounds like you are strumming exactly the same thing at the same time, but other time one of you is doing flares and the other might like how do you guys determine how who's gonna do what and how that that gets built um within the song?

Tom: 19:54

I think there's always one core guitar part if it's written on if He writes a song on his own, there's main there's one guitar part that's like a core one, and then we often will either join up with that or work around that. It depends how we're writing as well, and how whoever's singing the song could often be playing the chords, and then the other person is just like, Oh, I'm just gonna wing something here. And then the earlier stuff, like going back to Gang of Four, that definitely strumming like really harsh stuff together with no reverb. That was a really considered thing.

Harry: 20:26

Yeah, that was like equations working out. Some of the guitar parts on our first album was like we'd do it in logic and like the grid and it'd be kind of we're into trying, like, we didn't really want to play chords and we didn't really want to like have normal inversions, we were trying to almost harmonize with each other and things like that. So it was definitely considered in that way, which I don't think we do as much now, maybe because we do it more naturally. But it on this new record, I think there's quite a few songs actually when we recorded the live takes where Tom's playing the the Wurlitzer or like the piano and all the organ things, and are playing in like a rhythm guitar, and then we might add afterwards on top. Like uh you could have had it all on backwards, or like uh good examples of uh two songs where Tom was playing the keyboard like when we recorded it. Okay, yeah.

colleyc: 21:19

Yeah, before uh we hopped on, Tom and I were talking about the transfer of album to live and how that can be tricky itself, you know, just making sure that it represents a song well, but oftentimes you're doing multiple layers and adding little flourishes here and there that it's hard to reproduce the exact um.

Tom: 21:41

Yeah, what I was saying was uh it was uh an album with all the luxuries of an amazing studio, and then having to find a and also listening towards a Wilco and being like really inspired by like the the arrangements of them, and then moving from that situation to a stage with five guys and working out like how we actually played this live.

Harry: 22:06

We had some problems, but we worked it out. Yeah, we were still kind of working on that really, because I think we had you know, in some ways, I think we got kind of carried away with this record, just kind of the uh the concept was to like keep adding and then we'll take stuff away. You know, if you've inspired to add something, just do it and then we'll try it. But then we kind of got attached to a lot of the layers, so it's it became quite like a like orchestral, uh like kind of layered record that it wasn't really originally intending on being. And we're working on a third album at the minute that is kind of the opposite, where it's like it's gonna it's it's very live, and uh there's really minimal overdubs, uh some of them, if any, apart from vocals. Um because I think we just wanted to again try something different where you know we just wanted to play as us uh and let that be the sound, you know. Totally.

colleyc: 22:58

And w what are you guys feeling about like the record's been out now for what a month now, I guess, ish. It came out October 30 no October 18th. So what are we yeah almost a month-ish. What what are you guys feeling about it now that it's been out there in the world and people have gotten a chance to listen to it and did it strike the chords that you guys wanted to hit with the um for me, for me not not massively.

Harry: 23:27

Like I think um we really believed in the record could do like really well and we've I think we're living in a time where it's can be difficult to promote uh records and try and like get get heard amongst the crowd. That's why like you know, we get appreciated we appreciate being asked to do these kind of things. Um we do I think we've we really like the record. Um it's just you know we we want as many people to at least give it a chance and hear it, do you know what I mean? Which is which isn't always easy to do.

Tom: 23:55

Don't know how you felt and it's also quite an ambitious record if people had uh uh got used to us being a post-punk band and scrappy quick songs, and then being like, Okay, you like that, but now we're gonna do something completely different and please enjoy this like three-minute saxophone solo. I hope the same people would like that sort of stuff. And uh the the receptions generally have yeah have been really good for the people.

Harry: 24:25

I think from a lot of our peers, uh like and people who we you know care about have decided it's like a you know they're a noticeable step up that you know. I think the songwriting is is really considered and something we're really proud of. So that as a record itself, you know, I'm I'm pleased with what what we made. Cool, cool.

colleyc: 24:44

It's an excellent record. I think it's uh definitely a step up from your EPs that you had come out with the previous record as well. Um I just love the sequencing too. Like you bring us on this ride through this record. Um it starts off with that amazing uh what would what did you call it, Tom? Thrashing. Like not really thrashing, but it's like in your like here we go, let's go. And then you pull it a little bit back on the second and then it flourishes up, and it's just this beautiful journey. And I think it's a record that needs to be listened to from start to finish. Um picking out singles to me is just uh we're gonna play single at the end, people. Don't worry, you'll get here if you haven't. Um but I really like how you guys assemble this record. It it just it feels like something complete and mature. And um I'm gonna go back and listen again more attentively after this with the trying to pick out all these different layers that you guys were talking about.

Harry: 25:45

Um just weird like vocal things where we'd put like crappy mics through uh the space echo and then just set that into oblivion that kind of just pop in and out, things like that.

Tom: 26:02

That took a long time to to agree on. I don't know if we agreed on it at the end. I think uh for the most part, yeah. But there was a lot of conversations, and it's the most boring conversations like one hundredth time you've talked about having track two where track three should be, and track three where track four should be.

Harry: 26:22

Interesting that like if one song moves, the whole story of the album feels like it changes, and then you're like, Well, then that can't be there. One person, I remember we got it to a really good place, and I someone was like, I don't think this song should be the last song, and it was like, Oh my god. It's like and it to the vinyl manufacturing people that day. Right, too late too late, no more opinions, yeah.

colleyc: 26:49

Well, it's a tough thing too, right? Because it sounds like you guys are very um close friends in a very close band where you care about each other and you care what each other thinks, not to the point where you're critical or anything, but you really want the best um representation of what you guys do. Um, so I'm sure there's tons of negotiation that go on there. Um I love it though. I just like I just feel that it's just such a great representation of um you know, indie alternative has these garage rock lineage feel to it, post-rock um sensibility at times. So um bravo guys. Bravo. As we kind of bring this to a close, what what uh what else what what can you share with us that's coming down the pipe for you guys? Um are you doing any more shows uh in 2025? Any new music that you can talk about that's coming down the line? What what's what's going on with you guys?

Harry: 27:47

We've got a tour, we've got we've got a tour that we're still kind of in the middle of. Uh and then we've got an independent venue week tour in the UK in January, and then going to Europe, which will be fun. Uh, and then I think we're kind of really trying to finish this third record soon. Uh not sure when it'll be out, but it's we we've recorded like eight or nine songs for it. So uh yeah, we just kinda need to get it kind of over the line, really. Um is that a possible release in 2026? Is that kind of the as soon as possible would be great, but we're not really still too sure, I don't think, when when when it was gonna be done, but it could be one of those things where there's the last couple of to songs take forever to make. But I think it's we've been really quick with it and it's kind of come together really easily. Uh I'm quite excited for that start album. Cool. Tom, what are you looking forward to?

Tom: 28:41

Uh we're playing a h a hometown show at Brudenelle Social Club on the 27th of November. And it's always great getting to play there because there's a there's a magic to the place with the history that it's had. Um we always love that. Of course, Europe in February, late February, March thing. That's always good fun. Van depending, you know.

colleyc: 29:07

That's when the band really gets to know each other.

Harry: 29:10

Oh, yeah, no filters. Three jackets out again because the uh cold always seems to be whenever bad we get.

colleyc: 29:19

Totally. Well, that's amazing, guys. Well, thanks so much again. This has been a real treat to just uh kind of look inside your band and how it all is working, and I'd I'd love to have you guys back on uh and I'll definitely promote your record uh from here on in. Uh it's such a great uh release, and thanks for putting it out there. Um like Wilco said, um, once you create something and put it out in the air, it's there forever. Um you can't contain it on a record or a CD or a tape. It's it lives, and uh this one surely does that. So thanks for your efforts in in assembling this record. Appreciate it. And all the best on the shows, and uh we'll definitely uh I'd love to talk to you uh guys again as you march up that staircase to stardom to super stardom. Thank you. We'll see. Well, thanks so much, guys, and all the best.