Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil reveals songwriting struggles for new album 'Ellipsis'
He admitted it's been difficult to write new material
Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil has revealed that writing their upcoming new album 'Ellipsis' was fraught with problems as he struggled to overcome writer's block.
The Scottish rock heroes performed an intimate charity gig at Headrow House in Leeds last night (1st June) ahead of their fervently awaited headline slots at Leeds and Reading Festivals in August.
Speaking to us ahead of the acoustic performance, 36-year-old Simon admitted penning songs for Ellipsis, which lands on 8th July, had been a battle from the offset.
“This album was probably the most windy album we’ve ever made, even to get the songs ready it felt like we had to dig in rabbit holes and really burrow to find where we went next but I think what we’ve found is a play park for adults.” He laughed, “This album is like an adult soft play.”
Biffy Clyro | © Danny Payne Photography
When asked about creating the album, he said: “I struggled with it for the first time with this record, normally I have a back log of songs and I never struggle being creative.
"We toured Opposites for a good couple of years and the shows kept getting bigger and that stopped me feeling inspired for a couple of months. I had to forget about writing songs for Biffy and just take the pressure away from myself.
“I needed to take the music out of the context. I felt like every song had to be the best song ever I’d ever written, I needed to remind myself that not every song needs to be the best thing.
"Sometimes a song can be one chord and no words and be the most beautiful thing you’ve ever heard. Once I did that and thought about myself, what was making me feel good, that was when it clicked.”
Simon Neil | © Danny Payne Photography
The band last headlined the two festivals in 2013 and Simon says it was a highlight of his career, despite the sound system failing.
“We were nervous on the way up, the first few songs were sketchy and it felt like we hadn’t settled, it was raining and everything then the PA cut out then as it came back in, the crowd just went mental and that’s the moment I’ll always remember," he said.
"It’s been one of the most glorious feelings we’ve ever had as a band. From feeling like ‘oh no this could end right now’ to the crowd being even stronger, it felt like we were all in it together."
Last week a preview for their new song Animal Style was premiered online, listen to it in all its glory here: