The Thomas Brothers are a band of four brothers. Consisting of four siblings, Sam, Josh, Joe and Ben. They have been playing music together since before they could walk. With a musician for a dad, music is in their blood. But it’s not just music that the brothers are passionate about. For them, the visual representation of songs is equally as important. Samuel spoke to Isla from Muzic.net.nz about their new album, influences, and much, much more:

Hey guys! I’ve just been listening to your soon-to-be-released album Together. It’s crazy catchy! Before I get into asking you some questions, could you introduce the members of the band?

This album has been a real family project. As the name 'Thomas Brothers', suggest all four of us are brothers;

Sam: The Go-Getta. Fun fact he studied acting at Australia’s most prestigious drama school and wrote, created and acted in his own feature film Someone To Carry Me. Guess who wrote the score ;)

Josh: The Geek. The only one in the band who enjoys computer technology. Sam writes the song; Josh makes it great.

Joe: The Lady’s Favourite. Constantly teased about his good looks, but his personality is his real hidden talent. Fun fact: Worked on Planet of the Apes… not as an extra.

Ben: The Talented One. Drums, piano, guitar, vocals: Ben can pick up any instrument and master it. Speaking of pickups, he’s played competitive basketball in America.

...but even beyond us four brothers, and our sister also features on three tracks. Dad demanded to do backing vocals on a couple tracks. "Okay, Dad..." For us, family is about being real, and so is our music. This album describes what we mean to each other, and the importance of unity. Like we kept saying when recording it, “You can go fast alone... or you can go far together!”.

Who’s the first artist that made you think ‘we want to do that?’

Coldplay was one of my biggest influences growing up. In more recent times, 21 Pilots has also been a huge influence.

Four years is quite a journey! How does it feel to get to this point with Together, and which track are you most excited to share with the world?

It feels so good to finally be releasing this album. The 4 years we've spent working on it have been a lot of fun and we're so proud of how it's turned out. These tracks are like my babies so it's very hard to say which is my favourite... Sorry and Writing On the Wall are definitely near the top of my list. I think my favourite part of this album was getting to record/produce it with my family, all the most important people in my life.

Fair enough! They’re cracker tunes. I'm sure they'll be really well received, too. What are the stories behind them?

Sorry is about escaping addiction, in this case alcohol. There are a lot of things that we, as humans, do for pleasure or self-gratification that we think are only hurting ourselves, but we don't realise they are having an even greater effect on our loved ones. It's hard watching a loved one struggle. It can be harder than struggling yourself. I have struggled with many addictions in my life, and still do. I know the other brothers have also. It's partly why we are so close as brothers. We are closer through supporting each other in hard times.

Writing On the Wall is about following your destiny and not letting the struggles of life break you down. Everyone goes through hard times in their lives. Literally everyone faces things they don't think they can overcome. Writing On the Wall is about rising above it all and not giving up on your dreams and continuing to do what you were places on this planet to do no matter what life throws at you. None of us are perfect, none of us have figured it all out. All we can do is our best with what we are given. Sometimes we have to let go and stop trying to control everything, in order to find the path to freedom.

Wow, what cool stories. It’s awesome that you’ve been able to help each other through such challenging times and have clearly emerged with a strong family bond. On a lighter note, who were your main influences for this album?

I had the pleasure of meeting both Tyler Joseph and Josh Dunn from 21 Pilots a couple years back. They are both such great guys and it had a profound influence on me. They're also both 1988 babies, were home schooled, into basketball and Jesus is their homeboi... We have a lot in common ;)

Amazing! What’s the most flattering comparison you guys have received?

We get compared to Coldplay quite a lot. I've been told my voice sounds pretty similar to Chris Martin.

Together is quite a piano-heavy collection of songs. Did you have formal training on the instrument, or did you learn by ear? What about the other instruments on the album?

I was trained classically on the piano from a young age. That was how I originally started out when I was a kid. I'm really thankful for the foundation it's given me and the deep understanding of musical theory. We have all been trained musically from when we were young. Comes with the territory of both our parents being musicians. It was pretty much a requirement when growing up. But we didn't mind, we loved it!

It’s so exciting that you were able to play Festival One. It’s got such a great environment and brings so much energy. How was the big day? Did you ever go to Parachute growing up?

We were regular attendees at Parachute when we were kids. We used to watch other bands and dream of one day playing main stage. It was a real honour for us and a dream come true opening, on main stage, for Rapture Ruckus' last show on Saturday night. It was such a great weekend and we are still buzzing!

Speaking of exciting plans— you’ve started 2020 on such a high note through releasing your album and playing a festival. What’s next for the band?

We've got at least two more music videos coming in the next few months for Don't Play Around and Give Me a Sign. I think a lot of people don't realise that we are still an independent band and that we do pretty much everything you see, ourselves. We hope to really make some waves this year in the music industry and hopefully attract the interest of a label. Either way, we are continuing to put in the hard work, moving forward to bigger and better things.

• 1
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  Horror Story
• 3
  Fraser Ross
• 4
  Fur Patrol
• 5
  Michelle Rounds
• 6
  L.A.B.
• 7
  Devilskin
• 8
  Coridian
• 9
  The Boondocks
• 10
  Late to Chelsea

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  LOST BiRD @ Space Academy, Christchurch - 15/12/2024
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  Dream Chambers @ Meow Nui, Wellington - 14/12/2024
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  The Phoenix Foundation @ Meow Nui, Wellington - 14/12/2024

• 1
  APT.
  ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
• 2
  DIE WITH A SMILE
  Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
• 3
  BIRDS OF A FEATHER
  Billie Eilish
• 4
  TASTE
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 5
  I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
  Gracie Abrams
• 6
  ESPRESSO
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 7
  SAILOR SONG
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• 8
  LOSE CONTROL
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• 9
  A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
  Shaboozey
• 10
  GOOD LUCK, BABE!
  Chappell Roan

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