Cassia Talk New Album, Their Voices And More

Macclesfield 3-piece Cassia make their extremely welcome return with the announcement of their most ambitious release yet in new studio album ‘everyone, outside’ which is released on Friday 11th April 2025. JLTT sat down with them to talk about the album, their voices and more:

Who is in Cassia, how did you meet and what do they play? – Lou
Rob (vocals, guitar), Leff (drums), and I (Lou, bass). Rob and I met in high school, but it wasn’t until later years that we started hanging out more in the music department. After deciding not to go to university, we kept in touch through our shared interest in music. Rob had written and produced a few songs, so we started jamming in his little studio room. Eventually, we formed Cassia, playing local acoustic gigs with a mix of covers and Rob’s originals.
We soon realised we needed a drummer. We knew Leff through mutual friends, but he was just starting out as a session musician. We didn’t think he’d be up for playing in our band for free. But after a few beers at our local Wetherspoons, we managed to convince him to come to rehearsal the next day. The rest as they say is history.

What is your earliest musical memory? – Rob
My earliest musical memory is from when I was around the age of 9/10, my mum used to have the album Speaking in Tongues playing by Talking Heads around the house. It’s a bit hazy, but I remember how it felt, I remember the opening track would be on repeat always, the whole record for me is now tied to a sense of place, it brings back memories of good times with my family and the experience of growing up.

You have the new single ‘friends’ out now. What was the inspiration/story behind the track?– Jake

Friends was originally written as letter to a close friend of mine that I rarely see anymore. It all came out from the subconscious which is what I love as you discover things about yourself you didn’t realise. The song is saying to that person that regardless of how long it have been, things will always be the same between us, and that I’d always be looking out for them. For me, and where I’m from guys don’t tend to do much of this kind of thing so it felt quite a cathartic song to write as it forced me to really open up.

The track is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it? – Jake

Unlike a lot of our videos, I always knew what I wanted to do for the music video for Friends. I really wanted to capture a really simple but poignant story about two young friends just ‘being’, something I think is really relatable. My girlfriend works in film and she really helped me fleshed the idea out, finding visual/mood references. Our friend Artur Alten directed the video, he’s from Berlin and an incredibly talented filmmaker, and from the outset I always hoped he’d be able to do the project as he has an eye and tonality that is really understated but powerful. We shot the video in our hometown in Macclesfield which was quite a powerful experience for me as all of the locations were pivotal to me at some point in my life.

Did you collaborate with anyone on your new music in terms of the writing? – Rob
We wrote the track Heat with our good friend Glen Roberts. It was a really natural collaboration and inviting him into the Cassia bubble felt great. Glens is awesome at getting what needs to be said out and on the page, and so writing that track together felt pretty cathartic.

In addition, your new album ‘everyone, outside’ is released on Friday 11th April 2025. How did you want to approach the making of the album? – Rob
We approached the making of this album with no set ideas or preconceived themes in mind – I’d say the themes naturally revealed themselves as we wrote more songs for it. We’d often put all our focus on just one track at a time, really immersing ourselves in it until we were super happy, working through this way would then help inspire the sound and the feeling for other songs on the record. I think we all feel that it’s hard to connect with something that doesn’t yet exist, it sounds a bit cringey but we’d kinda let the music guide us, dipping into different songs and shaping each idea as we went along. Listening back and reflecting on the deeper meaning of each track was how this record truly came to life.

Where did you record the album and who produced it? – Rob
We recorded and produced the album ourselves at our studio near our hometown of Macclesfield, a space we built over 2 years from the ground up. Producing the album ourselves meant complete creative freedom, no limits, no outside pressure, just us experimenting, shaping the songs, and pushing each track until it felt exactly right. It was an incredible experience, and we came out of it with an album we’re truly proud of.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions? – Lou
Towards the end of recording, we thought it’d be fun to go live on TikTok and give fans a behind-the-scenes look at our process. It was cool to share an unfiltered, real version of us as a band. It was cool to interact with longtime followers and new fans discovering us for the first time. Of course, we got some hate too, but you’ve gotta laugh it off and not take it too seriously.

Do you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the album? – Jake
We used a variety of different microphones, I don’t think I’d say that anything in particular shaped the sound of the album all too much – maybe with more perspective that opinion will change. That being said, one instrumental addition which I think really did colour this album was a sequential prophet v2. It’s all over the album. I think that made a big impact, as well as just being on our own in our own space with the time to experiment.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective? – Jake
Happy is a tough one as I don’t think we tend to write happy themed songs but they do tend to feel upbeat. I suppose ‘everyone, outside’ could be interpreted as happy in a way. I actually don’t think there is an angry song on this album! As for most reflective, I think all of the songs are reflective and inward-looking, it’s kind just how we are. I think the ones that feel most reflective could be ‘fractured’ or ‘new dimension’ maybe.

Who created/designed the album artwork? – Lou
We were introduced to Bill (aka HandsOutOfPockets), an amazing artist who’d worked with other bands/musicians we know. He designed the artwork for “heat” and “antidote,” which we loved, so working with him was a no-brainer. After digging for inspiration and experimenting with a few ideas, we landed on the final design. We’ve always been drawn to artwork with that iconic, simple vibe, and we were all buzzing with how it turned out.

Was it a difficult album to write? – Rob
I’d say it was difficult but super enjoyable to be honest. Throughout the process, we went through so many different states of mind, constantly refining every detail, from the groove and feel of the recordings to the lyrics and how they told the story. We couldn’t help but question every aspect of it, was the instrumentation too much or not enough? Were we capturing the right emotion in the production? The drive to make something we truly loved kept us going, and that made all the difference.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage? – Jake
I think if people have managed to leave behind any worries or concerns plaguing them from everyday life for 1-2 hours they’ve been at the show that’d be great, and they leave the show inspired for whatever it is that they’re doing in their lives. That’s how I leave a show sometimes – like buzzing to crack on. For us to enjoy it as well, we’re all quite introverted really so sometimes it’s quite intense so the shows where we really let go and just have a sick time playing are some of the favourite ones.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc? -Rob
We definitely have our favorites. The Sequential Prophet Rev 2 synth was a staple across the entire album, it sounds mint, is easy to use, and every patch seemed to just fit into the songs.

For microphones, we used a range of different things. For drums, we loved using ribbon mics, Cole’s, AEA’s, Roger’s etc because we felt they were easy to shape in the mix, they helped in getting us that rich midrange and soulful punch. The U67 was a go-to for almost everything, vocals, acoustics, electric guitars, it just worked every time.

My favourite guitar for recording was a parlor-style acoustic made by a Manchester based luthier Simon Ark. It’s a wicked instrument, very glad I got that!

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words? – Lou
We’re all from Macclesfield, a small town just south of Manchester. Five words: made famous by Joy Division.

How do you look after your voices? – Rob
I’ve never really thought about it much! I don’t take great care of my voice I don’t think, I’ve never had singing lessons, so I don’t know the proper techniques. The one thing that helps me to not lose it though which I do on tour is steam before and after a show, which someone recommended to me, and it actually helps. Other than that, a quick warm-up before going on stage, and I’m good to go. I’ve found that nerves and overthinking have the biggest impact on my voice.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why? – Jake
If I’m honest I’ve not been reading much lately so I’m struggling here. It would definitely be something completely apart from our style of music though. I’d love to write for strings and orchestra and things like that.

18 – Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations? – Lou
The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Paul Simon, Fela Kuti, The Police, Vampire Weekend, Jungle, Parcels, Tame Impala to name a few!

Tell us about your live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025? – Jake
We’re kicking off our EU tour in Paris on April 29th, wrapping up in Vienna on May 10th, with seven more shows across The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Germany. We then start our UK tour in Leeds on May 14th, with five more stops before we end in London for our biggest headline show yet at HERE @ Outernet! You can get tickets via our website wearecassia.com!

What makes Cassia happy and what makes you unhappy? – Lou
Happy – It’s still insane to us to see a song go from being a passing thought in your mind to thousands of people singing it back to you. You never really get used to that feeling, so that brings us a lot of joy.

Unhappy – The fact that people don’t buy music anymore can be quite disheartening!

Feature Image Photo Credit: Tabeah Berler

Cassia’s new single ‘friends’ is out now. Their new album ‘everyone, outside’ is released on Friday 11th April 2025.

‘friends’ Single Link – https://bfan.link/friends-19

Album Pre-Save Link – https://bfan.link/everyone-outside

May 2025 UK HEADLINE DATES
May
14th – LEEDS, Stylus
15th – BRISTOL, SWX
16th – SOUTHAMPTON, 1865 (NEW DATE ADDED)
17th – MANCHESTER, New Century Hall
20th – GLASGOW, Oran Mor
21st – BIRMINGHAM, Mama Roux’s
22nd – LONDON, HERE @ Outernet

For tickets and more information visit their official website here: https://www.wearecassia.com/