Photograph courtesy of Mike Massaro
Everything Everything’s new record Get To Heaven is, in the words of Jonathan Higgs himself, a "horror bible", reflecting some of the most disturbing events to have occurred in recent years, from bombings and beheadings to the rise of Nigel Farage.
However, despite this response to bleak times, Higgs himself holds anything but a negative outlook on life and music appreciation. Reflecting on the choices he’s made in his Baker’s Dozen, he says: "There’s a kind of golden age in someone’s life, I think from around 14 to 17/18, when that stuff kind of goes in deep, and kind of makes you what you are. So nearly all these are from that period of my life."
As befits the diverse sonics of his band, Higgs’ choices are multifarious. While there’s plenty of rock – Nirvana, Radiohead and Deftones all make an appearance – this nestles alongside electronica, 00s R&B, big beat and some prime 60s silliness, a sense of variety that Higgs actively seeks out. "The music I have in this Baker’s Dozen is influential," he explains, "because the albums are all about breaking rules, or don’t fit into camps, and that’s where my band has always been."
Get To Heaven is out now on Sony RCA. Everything Everything play Festival No 6 this Saturday, September 5, before touring, beginning a run of UK dates at Mandela Hall in Belfast on November 5; head to their website for full details. Click on his image below to begin scrolling through Jonathan’s choices, which run in no particular order
