Two Door Cinema Club’s Kevin Baird on the band’s playful new album 'False Alarm'

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The bassist discusses the group's fourth album, doing shows in Hong Kong and growing as an artist

Chris Gillett |
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Two Door Cinema Club, which comprises of Alex Trimble, Sam Halliday, and Kevin Baird, released their fourth album earlier this summer.

They exploded on the indie-pop scene in 2010 with their debut album Tourist History, and now Two Door Cinema Club are back with their fourth effort False Alarm, released earlier this summer. Bassist Kevin Baird spoke to Young Post over the phone ahead of their Asia tour, which sees the trio play a handful of shows this month. He talked about the new record, working with long-time producer Jacknife Lee, and their memories of playing in Hong Kong when they first started out.

“I remember I bought this amazing bag in a vintage shop that I took with me on tour for years, and I remember everyone [in the band] got an X-box and a putting green in their hotel room except me, and I felt very aggrieved!” jokes Baird, in his thick Irish accent. He notes, more seriously, “I remember the show was amazing. Asia is the place we’ve been going to before even the first album came out, so it’s definitely a very important place to us, and we’re very lucky to have fans out there.”

The new album, False Alarm, is a far cry from their twee, high-pitch, guitar riff-driven debut, but Baird and co have managed to maintain their knack for finding memorable choruses, while still being able to diversify and grow artistically – something that is, in part, credited to long-time producer Lee, who has worked with acts like U2, The Killers, and Taylor Swift.

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“He’s [Lee] very good at getting the best out of us, and pushing us out of our comfort zones when it comes to making an album,” explains Baird, who has worked with Lee since 2012’s Beacon. “We don’t want to repeat what we’ve done before, and he’s an incredibly creative person, and very inspirational.”

Two music videos have been released for singles Talk and Satellite, which show a more lighthearted side to the band. “We’ve always done tongue-in-cheek videos in the past, but I think on this campaign everything felt right to be a bit more playful,” says the musician, who points out the group rarely enjoyed making videos before this album cycle. “We’ve always tried to not be that austere, serious band, and I think this album allowed us to really be free of that, and just have fun.”

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Speaking about lead single Talk, Baird reveals that director Max Siedentopf asked how the members felt about dancing on camera. “We really enjoyed making it. We’re not dancers, we’ve never danced outside ‘da club’,” he laughs, “but it gave us a few extra moves to bring out on the dance floor.”

The band recently drew huge crowds at British festivals such as BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and the legendary Glastonbury, which really kick-started their False Alarm campaign.

“[Playing live is] our feedback vehicle. You can look at how many people have streamed a song, but it doesn’t feel as authentic as someone who’s willing to turn up to a show, jump, and sing the words. That’s our method of seeing if people like our new material or not … It’s just great to get in front of fans and show them what we’re all about again – to show everyone the next incarnation of us.”

False Alarm is out now. Two Door Cinema Club will perform in Taiwan on August 12

Edited by M. J. Premaratne

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