Fourth Son South Chat To Us About New Single, New Female Co-Vocalist Among Other Cool Things

Interviewed by Duzzy Clayton

Intro

South African Alternative Indie Pop Rockers, ‘Fourth Son South’, are back with a catchy new single ‘The Cold’. The track is the first that features new band member Sarah Gardiner and its message offers hope to those in need of some light.

Peter Toussaint shares that “I wrote The Cold on the 21st of June, literally the darkest day in the Southern Hemisphere, yearning for the return of the light and warmer days. This also applies to a relationship that is at its lowest point. As always, there is hope, because the light will come again!”

We chat to Peter Toussaint the band leader about the band’s new single and the new female co-vocalist, among other cool things.

Enjoy the read:

Questions

Hi Guys, welcome to Fanbase Music Magazine! Let’s start with the exciting news about adding a female co-vocalist to the band. Please tell us who she is, Peter? Also share who else is in the band, and what they do?

Our new co-lead vocalist is Sarah Jade Gardiner. She’s young; she’s fresh, yet also experienced; (having won the Performing Arts Community in South Africa and having just released her first single ‘My Favourite Time’). Furthermore, we have Bernhard Viljoen on bass and vocals; Carel Viljoen (yes, they are brothers) on drums and vocals; Dale McHardy on guitars; and me, Peter Toussaint, on guitars and vocals.

How has Sarah been settling in with the band?

Fantastic! She’s got such a bubbly personality and, of course, an amazing voice.

For people who don’t know your band yet, can you describe your sound?

Fourth Son South creates uplifting Pop Rock songs that are performed with loud guitars, multi-harmonies and a lot of energy.

Who are some of the band’s influences?

Since we try to write well-rounded songs, we have to include The Beatles here. But also Foo Fighters and the Red Hot Chili Peppers; and even bands like Muse and Radiohead.

Before we talk about your new single ‘The Cold’, can we first chat about your EP called ‘Machine’ that you released recently? How many tracks does it comprise, what inspired the EP, and where was it recorded?

‘Machine’ has 5 tracks; and we play most of the tracks during our live performances. The songs were inspired by the struggles we’ve all had during the difficult period the world has been going through over the past years. But we also believe in a better future.

Let’s talk about the new single ‘The Cold’. I must say foremost: I really love the track. Please can you tell us what the song is about?

I wrote ‘The Cold’ on the 21st of June, Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. I’m not fond of winter and was counting the days until the first glimpses of summer would return. In the song I was also considering the coldness that can exist within a relationship. But there is hope, the light will come again!

What was the recording process like; was it a lengthy process?

It was fairly straightforward. I usually write the songs and record a demo version in my studio at home. The other band members can then give their twist to how I envisioned their instruments and vocals and then come into record. The drums were recorded in our rehearsal studio after which it was sent off for mixing and mastering (by Pieter Nel in Cape Town).

Having Sarah now sharing leads on some songs, which is really evident in this track, how has this changed your writing process now?

‘The Cold’ was the first song where I had all voices in mind whilst I was busy with the arrangements; and it has given me so many more possibilities for the vocals!

What I like about ‘Fourth Son South’: you have 4 vocalists in the band, which is quite an awesome composition; how has having this dynamic helped with the live shows for the band?

I think it is amazing! There are so many parts in the songs where there is a rich choir going on and it really lifts the songs.

You will be having a Single Launch for ‘The Cold’. Please tell us where and when this will be; and what do you have planned for this show?

We are doing the launch on Friday 7 October at Jarr Bar in Pretoria. Of course, we will do a full show; and we also have the amazing Jaco Mans doing the pre-show. We will be giving away some prizes for a competition that is running on our Social Media. Of course, we are having a party afterwards with everyone who’s at the venue.

You have recently been doing a stripped down acoustic show without having the full band on board; can you tell us more about that?

Yes; we have started an extra band, which for now is called ‘Fourth Son South Lite’, comprising Sarah, Bernhard and I where we will be playing covers and some ‘Fourth Son South’ songs on acoustic and bass, and sing a lot of three-way harmonies.

When writing music, can you tell us what the process is like; do you work on lyrics or music first?

Most of the times I start with the music; ideas always pop up, which I then quickly record on my cell phone. At regular times I listen to those ideas and arrange them into music for the songs, after which I try to compose lyrics that go well with that music. With ‘The Cold’ however, I first wrote the lyrics.

Can you describe a typical band practice experience; especially when you are preparing for a show or festival?

We usually decide which songs we want to play at a show and then go through the ones that need some attention. But, we also have acoustic vocal rehearsals where we focus on the harmonies.

What can you tell us about the future you envision; can we expect to see you playing live; and will you be releasing more music in the future?

We hope to be playing as many shows as possible in the coming month. In between that, we will be finishing more songs that are in various stages of production at the moment. Whether those will be released as an EP, album or as consecutive singles is not really clear at the moment. For December, we are planning a tour to the south of our country.

Thank you for doing this interview. Good luck with the new single and the launch. Do you have any last messages for your fans and our readers?

Firstly, a big thank you to the people helping behind the screens: Devo from Devographic Music Agency; Marsha; Duzzy From Fanbase Band Management; and Rohan Mostert (our photographer and audio wizard). We are so grateful to our fans and all the people who’ve been listening to us and supporting us. Please all be kind to one another!