Two years ago it appeared Embrace’s Greatest Hits would be their last release. However, following a record label move, a load of new songs and a helping hand from Chris Martin, singer Danny McNamara spoke exclusively to Xfm about the highs and lows and why his band can still fulfil their initial promises.
When Embrace first emerged in the late 90s, the band, led by singer Danny McNamara, fell somewhere between Oasis and The Verve with anthemic hooks and the swagger to match. But after initially claiming his band would be bigger than the Gallaghers', some would expect a humbler Danny to return in 2004. Not so.
“On this album it feels like we’re now delivering on all of those naive but heartfelt promises about being the best band in the world,†he offers. “Back then, I said that [we’d be bigger than Oasis] when I was in my early 20s and now in my early 30s I still really believe it. You just listen to this album, it feels like a new band again. We’re back.â€
With new single ‘Gravity’ set to drag the band back into the public eye, McNamara makes no excuses about the origin of the song or why the comeback of Embrace rests on a Coldplay song.
“Chris [Martin] and I are friends and they supported us at a gig we did in Blackpool five years ago,†he explains. “We phone each other all the time and we’re always playing each other stuff over the phone and he played me ‘Gravity’ over the phone about two years ago and I absolutely loved it. I thought it was a fantastic lead, just a beautiful simple song.
“He really liked it as well,†Danny continues, “But thought it sounded too much like Embrace, so a month before we were due to finish the album he said ‘Look, if I’m speaking out of turn just say, and you can say no and I won’t be offended, but do you want the song Gravity?â€
While some bands would rather split than make a comeback singing another band’s songs, McNamara tells why he’s determined that Embrace will not waste their second bite of the cherry.
“Initially I was reluctant to have ‘Gravity’ as the lead single,†he reveals. “But Chris was insistent about it so I spoke to my brother [guitarist Richard McNamara] and the rest of the band and we decided we’d record it. If it worked and we liked it we’d use it and if it didn’t there’d be no harm done, but it turned out really well.
“I had my doubts because after three years you want to come back with one of your own songs,†Danny concludes. “But we had a chat with the record company and they thought that it would act as a Trojan horse to open doors for us, and songs like ‘Ashes’ would do a lot better off the back of it. So I agreed to release it first because after the blood, sweat and tears we put into this album I want nothing to get in the way of people hearing these songs.â€
Embrace release the single ‘Gravity’ on August 30, followed by the album ‘Out Of Nothing’ on September 13.
bah
