More about: Everyone You Know

Everyone You Know fuse every favourite sound from British music into one eclectic outfit. The two genetic half-brothers, spiritual brothers and best mates Rhys Kirkby-Cox and Harvey Kirkby make music celebrating the rich history of British contemporary sounds, whilst weaving narratives about suburbia and small-town life into the mix. 

Speaking about their second EP, Look After Your Pennies, Harvey says it's, “a little insight into how life has been for us since [debut EP] Cheer Up Charlie. Musically the sound has developed and matured, which we think is quite noticeable, but lyrically it’s along the same lines. There are moments that are harder and more aggressive than 'Sinners' yet softer and more emotional than 'Our Generation’. We felt it was so important on this EP to continue to show both ends of the spectrum and show people that we are not just focusing on one particular sound. The four tracks take influence from house, to hip hop, indie to grime and everything in between.”

On the day the duo put out the EP, Harvey gives us an exclusive run-down of the release, track by track. 

‘The Drive’

Harvey Kirkby: This track was completed within roughly eight hours. I sat in my room with a guitar and a computer and finished the beat around 4am. I sent it straight to Rhys and by the time I woke up the vocals were done. I knew right away that there was something special about it, as it usually takes us quite a bit longer to finish a track, but this was different. 

‘She Don't Dance’

HK: For this tune we got a guitar riff that was no longer than four bars long, but the vibe of it had us hooked straight away. I came up with the Balearic 'housey/disco' drum pattern and everything else followed and came to me fairly easy. Rhys’ lyrics go deeper than the title would suggest. The word “dance” could represent anything but in this case we chose “dance” to be a metaphor for a young mother in an abusive relationship and the struggles young parents go through. We feel it is a very sensitive subject that doesn’t get spoken about too often and should be seen as a bigger problem than it is.

‘Money’

HK: I had the beat for a while before it was vocal-ed and wasn't planning on doing anything with it. I remember I sent it to our A&R at Sony and our management just to see what they thought and everyone came back saying it bangs. At the time of Rhys vocal-ing things weren't great in terms of income. We didn't have much money coming in and we both found it frustrating that we weren't making enough to provide for family and pay for bills etc. The alarm before the drop gets your attention and that’s followed quickly by the aggy and in your face vocal from Rhys. It puts you in a place of discomfort and anger which is where we were when the tune was made.

‘Wasted Love’

HK: We had the guitar for ages before I even started making the beat. Rhys found it on his phone after about six months and sent it to me. I knew straight away what the tune was and what it needed to be. I added the drums, piano, additional guitars and that was enough for Rhys to work his magic. He sent it back with the vocals and a short snippet of my niece Remi (Rhys' daughter) talking. On first listen it gave me goosebumps. The part with Remi talking really hits home with everyone and is something that can make you laugh or cry. I've always said to Rhys, I know when we've got a good tune if when you're down it makes you feel down, and when your feeling good and happy about shit then it makes you feel happy. ‘Wasted Love’ does exactly that in my opinion and I think it will connect well with people. Much like ‘Our Generation' did.

More about: Everyone You Know