Mazes

Mazes are a bit of a 'sometimes' band. There are sometimes four of them, sometimes three of them, sometimes two and sometimes just one. Sometimes they practice, most of the time they don't. Sometimes they'll record, often they'll just write for the hell of it. In the week of the band's first UK tour, supporting Box Elders, Emilie Joy talks positivity, new tracks and how they might be a little more all the time from now on.

"I hope I'm not coming across as negative" says Jack. It's a dull Tuesday around lunchtime and he's grumbling about the difficulties of being a band split in two, drummer Jay and him in Manchester; guitarist Jarin in London. They can't be in this interview because they're in rehab [maybe]. "I'd like to do Mazes all the time but our living situation means that we're in the habit of not practicing etc and that's the precedent that's been set. It's kind of a drag because I get frustrated". Anybody who's caught Mazes on a bad day has seen this frustration in action. They're a band that doesn't 'do' bad shows. The geography problem means that they have to be picky and a bad one is a big deal. "It's not that I'm particularly concerned with being involved in a scene" he continues "but we've met nice people that I'd I'd like to see more and I think maybe more opportunities would arise if we all lived in London. It's easy to forget we're around".

Anybody that's just heard Mazes will think he's crazy. On record their songs are bright shards of fuck-you pop, like Jonathan Richman tearing it up wearing a Mark E Smith mask, or the Jicks kicking the shit out of Malkmus. Moody guys have a cheap beer shoved in their hand and made to have good time on Shit Priest's punk rock barn dance or get wrapped up in Metric Tower's laid back weed jam. They've released these with dudeculturekings Sex is Disgusting, have a tape coming out on the "worlds best record label that hasn't released anything yet" with Male Bonding and Portland's, Meth Teeth. They got Pitchforked, Pinglewood said they were one of their new favourite bands in the NME. Even the VICE comment board didn't spit them our when their mix went on the blog.

Obviously, now the tracks are out there, Jack's bored of them all. For their tour they've got a new set, Jarin on bass and the luxury of playing different cities. So, like Shit Priest says, is Manchester really that bad? While he says he misses his London friends, the band [as a two piece] recently kicked banisters with Spectrals at a mad house party and have supported Deerhunter, Wavves and Times New Viking in the last few months."I'm fortunate cos I work at a cool place in Manchester that put on the best shows but Manchester's very set in it's ways" he argues "It trades on former glories and is certainly less open to new stuff." He finally concedes that it isn't that bad, "in the grand scheme of things it's great...better than Blackpool".

Luckily, the tour doesn't stop in Blackpool. Picked to tour with Box Elders, Jack, Jarin and Jay will stuff themselves in a car for a week at the start of December, beginning with a brainbomin' show with their label buds in Brighton and ending in Nottingham. Is the mysterious fourth member not coming along? Jack's girlfriend Claire sings backing vocals on a number of their tracks, probably saving them all from being just another dumb punk band. "We've spoken about it but the truth is, she's really busy studying to become an actress" he explains "So there's the fact that she's really busy and that she has no real interest in being in a band...especially with me...". And what about the other guys? do Jarin and Jay share the same kind of frustrations? Jay poured a pint down the back of a heckler at one show and Jarin's been "writing songs" too. "I think they get less frustrated than me. But I dunno. It's all cool for now". Despite being in different cities Mazes are going to finish this tour, record those songs and get an album out [hopefully] next year. That's all from a band that only formed hang out, eat and make themselves look slightly cooler at parties. Continuing to write songs that try to make Fleetwood Mac jealous, they probably shouldn't be grumbling at all. "Thankfully we have low levels of passive aggression" he says. "Maybe the others do with me cos I tend to be the brat...."

Mazes have a mix currently available to download on the VICE blog, a few records with Sex is Disgusting and that Split Tapes tape available to pre-order

See Mazes on Tour

2 Dec 2009 Sex Is Disgusting (w/Box Elders) Brighton
3 Dec 2009 Upset The Rhythm (w/Box Elders) London
4 Dec 2009 Beat Unhappening (w/Box Elders) Manchester
8 Dec 2009 Nation Of Shopkeepers (w/Box Elders) Leeds
10 Dec 2009 Nuts & Seeds (w/Box Elders) Glasgow
11 Dec 2009 Three Cheers (w/Box Elders) Nottingham