Tearjerker: “Without the hardship and grief suffered, we would not have the songs we have”

PRT: I absolutely loved your debut album and seeing as it’s sold out, it seems I’m not the only one. Was the reception beyond your expectations?

Mick: Thank you! Yes absolutely, we were blown away by the reception the debut had! We’ve all been in bands for years (some together) and Tearjerker started as “just another band” to keep us mentally sane. Once we started writing we quickly realised that we were on to something and decided to record our first 2 singles, ‘Done & Dusted and Love Being Alone’. The album followed shortly after!

PRT: Did that reception add any pressure when writing and recording the new album?

Mick: I wouldn’t say it felt like pressure but there definitely was some form of uncertainty/anxiety as to whether this new offering would be received in a similar light. But in honesty, Ghosts comes from a different place for us and we couldn’t be prouder of it.

PRT: And how has being based in Sunderland and the wider North East DIY punk scene shaped your sound and work ethic?

Mick: Being from the North East, Sunderland in particular and playing in a Melodic Punk band in the DIY scene sees us receiving some obvious comparisons and that’s absolutely fine, most of us in the band grew up around that music and it was inevitable that the influence would be ingrained into us and play a vital part in our sound. It’s actually pretty amazing to be mentioned in the same sentence as some of the bands we are likened to! (Even cooler that we are label mates with some of them!)

PRT: How did you first get connected with Little Rocket Records, and what has that partnership meant for getting your music beyond the North East?

Mick: After we released the first 2 singles ourselves on social media and were quickly approached by Graeme from Little Rocket Records who asked us to take the singles down and offered to release them properly through the label. This is where the partnership started and the album progressed from there! The partnership has been absolute paramount to us reaching areas beyond the NE and overseas. The Little Rocket roster is stacked full of talent and I think we fit nicely in there.

PRT: I feel like Ghosts is a solid evolution… it builds on what was already there, but then you seem to have taken things to the next level. Was this a conscious shift or a natural progression?

Mick: This was a culmination of both, we got to work immediately after the first release and knew that we had to shift it up a gear. Unfortunately during the writing process both myself and Brent’s families suffered a few devastating losses, from that point on the writing changed and the original direction of LP 2 shifted. It’s bittersweet really, without the hardship and grief suffered we would not have the songs we have. From such an awful time we have created something beautiful that encapsulates the memories forever.

PRT: The one song that feels a bit apart from the others on this album is the first one. Literally as well, seeing as it slowly fades out, and then the next song is a slow build. What made it important for you guys to start the album off with “Introvert”?

Mick: “Introvert” was always only going to be that – an intro, Jacka wrote it and we always used it in the practice room to just get the levels right and limber up. I went away with the riff and wrote some words over it that ended up becoming the chorus for “Imposter Syndrome” – this is why we decided to fade “Introvert” into “Imposter Syndrome” because they were connected since the start. We decided to call the intro “Introvert” because it fits nicely with the topic of “Imposter Syndrome”…. if that makes sense 🤣

PRT: Which song on Ghosts underwent the biggest transformation from its original demo to the final master?

Mick: The song with the biggest transformation would probably be “Jezebel.” It was written as an acoustic song by our drummer Brent, the chorus was completely different. It actually almost didn’t make it on the album – pretty drastic transition from almost being cut to becoming the lead single!

PRT: Ghosts is described as a “labour of love and heartbreak”. Was there a specific catalyst or period in your lives that inspired this lyrical direction?

Mick: It was the loss of family members that warranted the description above ‘Labour of Love and Heartbreak. It was tough, there were times that I didn’t think we would finish the album but I am glad that we strapped in and really went for it. Like I said before, we are all extremely proud of what we have put out and I think that this album will speak to people in different ways – be it by reminding them of their own loved ones or just appreciating the bigger feel behind it.

PRT: Which track on Ghosts was the most challenging to write or record emotionally, and why?

Mick: For me personally, recording the vocals for ‘IF’ was tough, my wife Emma wrote the words as a poem which we then turned into a song – it’s spoken to her Dad who sadly passed away in 2024. It was emotional and I felt immense pressure to get it right – I think that you can hear the anguish in the final mix. The other was “Pictures of You”. Brent wrote this one as an homage to all of the people we lost over that year and half and the people close to us we lost in the past. Heavy, heavy stuff.

PRT: What made “Jezebel” the right single to introduce fans to this new chapter?

Mick: “Jezebel” is the closest thing on the album to the debut. It has the punches, melodic guitars and the singalong style chorus – we wanted to release something familiar as our first single. “Jezebel” was the first choice.

PRT: Is there a specific line or lyric on the new record that encapsulates the soul of Ghosts for you?

Mick: The line “Where are you?” in verse 3 of ‘If’ – I feel like that line resonates through the entire album.

PRT: What is the visual concept behind the cover art for Ghosts? My best guess is that it is a shot of the Sunderland coastline taken by a drone.

Mick: Great guess, but its actually a very close up image of an Ice formation on Glass. The image was captured by a friend of ours who is a very talented Photographer, Stephen Finch. He offered it up to us and we couldn’t say no. It made perfect sense to us all. Although with an album titled Ghosts you might expect something ghoulish or dark. Much like the people we are speaking about in this album, ice represents something that is temporary and can be beautiful when captured in the right moment.

PRT: There’s also a shoegaze band from Toronto called Tearjerker. I doubt anyone will be confused by who’s who when they hear your music, but has this already caused any confusion?

Mick: The only confusion that it has caused is if you search Tearjerker on Google both bands seem to be intertwined. Other than that every thing has been fine, like you said we are completely different from one another musically. Great taste in band names is the only comparison 😇

PRT: What’s up next for you guys once Ghosts is out?

Mick: We would love to see ourselves touring away from the UK should the opportunity arise, hopefully some festival dates in the UK and we have made promises to head further South in the UK too, we intend to keep those promises. We haven’t actively started writing a third album yet but we have certainly spoken about it!