This Wednesday 9th September, we’re teaming up with Gnarwhal Presents to bring KULK to The Angel Microbrewery in Nottingham. Before they hit the road, we caught up with the band at ArcTanGent – tequila in hand, surrounded by the glorious racket of a festival in full swing – to talk about their new album Choosing to Die, grief, anger, and finding some light amongst the darkness.

So, you’re back at ArcTanGent. How was it for you?

Thom: It was really lovely, and coming back and feeling a bit more like we knew the craic. It didn’t feel as scary this time.

Jade: I thought it felt more scary, because the first time was 2024 and we were like, “Oh my gosh, we’re never going to do this again, so let’s go for it.” Then we got asked to do it again and I was like, “Oh, we’ve got to do it all again!”

Thom: It was lovely being joined by Hannah from IAN.

You’ve just released your new album “Choosing to Die”. How’s it been received so far?

Thom:  It’s going well. No one’s said they hate it! We’re really gassed to have it out there and to have it on Church Road as well. They’re just really lovely and really supportive.

How did that relationship come about?

Thom: We just shot in the dark and wondered if they’d be down, and then Justine got back immediately and was like, “Yeah.” It was that simple.

They’ve been great, and we’re really glad it had a home – and a really nice home at that.

It Gets Worse was quite a primal album, How was the writing process for Choosing to Die different this time around?

Thom: I think it’s more of an aggressive cut. We sort of did it backwards this time round. We booked the studio and then had to write an album ready for it, so we worked for three months, going really hard and just using the spirit of that and the stress to inform it.

It didn’t come really easily. It was like a fight the whole time, which was nice. I think it was good in the end. Without over-analysing it, it worked.

What do you think fans will take away from the new album?

Thom: I don’t reckon they’ll be happy! It’s quite a bleak record. It’s called Choosing to Die and there’s a lot of weight behind that, but at the same time, it’s not a record that’s just fucking sad the whole time.

I think it ends on quite a hopeful note, and it’s more of just an honest reflection on grief. Sometimes there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Jade: Yeah, we didn’t want to make a record that was just about grief, but more of a collective feeling that a lot of people can relate to. It’s about how you then perceive other things because you’ve been through grief, and how you behave around other people and treat them.

We took the idea of grief, and a lot of the record is about the loss of one of our friends. It wasn’t the first time we’d had to experience something like that. The last ten years, for instance – how has grief changed the way we behave or the choices we’ve made, for better or worse?

Thom: Then you look back on things you’ve done and think, “Yeah, maybe that was influenced by grief in some ways.” Maybe I would have done things differently if I wasn’t afraid of losing someone or holding onto something.

So it’s more of a record about that – assessing your own life through grief and what it’s like to choose to die, basically.

Jade : This time round, the writing process was more like the theme came first. We spoke about it a lot, almost like therapy, and discussed it, which is something we hadn’t really done before. We’ve known each other for so long and we perceive these things so differently from each other.

Thom: It’s kind of just the questions you don’t ask yourself or other people. You know, you don’t say, “Do you still live in the city you live in because your friend killed themselves there?”

And I’m like, “Maybe I do.”

Or you ask yourself, “Should I have been harsher on that person? They did something very wrong.” Or you’re worried someone might abuse themselves, so you walk around on eggshells around them, but they deserve every ounce of rage.

Sometimes you can be too kind, and then it’s a really weird feeling to regret being too kind. It’s something you’re not really supposed to think.

Jade: I guess you feel sadness with grief and aggression, and I think the album took those feelings and made them into something. The cellos just added to that sadness. There’s something about a cello, especially Hannah’s performance, and then the leaner, faster tracks on the record.

It’s rationed too, and I think that’s how we translated it.

How has it been working with Church Road?

Thom: It’s been great. They really know what they’re doing, and it’s a great roster to be a part of. We can say we’re label mates with these awesome bands now, which is cool.

Jade: Them instantly saying yes and believing in us just builds your confidence, knowing you’ve got their approval.

What have you got coming up next?

Thom: We have a tour kicking off in September. We’re up and down the country, with a lot of the dates joined by IAN.

*They’ll be in Nottingham on Wednesday 9th September at The Angel Microbrewery.

Before you go, are there any new bands you’d like to give a shout-out to?

Thom: If you didn’t see the Believe in Nothing set, get them on your radar.

But I think our favourite bands of the weekend will likely be everyone else’s favourite bands of the weekend too.