SEPTEMBER, 2025- by GIANNI BERALDO
Flyte, one of the most fascinating and creative duos on the British music scene, comprised of Will Taylor and Nick Hill, are back with their highly anticipated fourth studio album, Between You and Me. Released on August 29th by Nettwerk Music Group, this new work is poised to be another milestone in their career, continuing their artistic evolution.
Since their debut, Flyte has distinguished themselves with a sound that blends complex pop melodies with vocal harmonies reminiscent of folk and classic rock greats. Their music is an intimate and profound journey, capable of exploring themes like love, loss, and the complexity of human relationships with disarming sincerity.
In this Zoom interview, Will and Nick’s eyes light up when they talk about their recent concerts in Italy. They were struck not only by the beauty of the venues but also by the special connection they felt with the audience. This statement speaks volumes about the duo’s philosophy, a philosophy fully reflected in Between You and Me.
In an era where music is often overproduced, Flyte chooses to return to the essential. Their search for a more honest and direct sound led them to record songs like “I’m Not There” in a single take, capturing the raw emotion of the moment. From the influences of legendary artists like Arcade Fire and Radiohead to the ability to tell personal stories universally, as in the song “Hurt People,” Flyte proves themselves to be masters at bringing emotions to the surface. This interview with Nick and Will is a journey into their art, a conversation that reveals a deep need to help people connect with their own feelings.
INTERVIEW
First of all, congratulations on the new album. It’s truly beautiful.
(Nick) Thank you!
In late July, you played in some beautiful Italian venues (at the Rocca Malatestiana in Cesena and the Roman Theatre of Ostia Antica). What was your impression?
(Nick) They were beautiful concerts. I could easily answer that they were probably the best ever.
And how did the Italian audience respond?
(Nick) Well, I think very well. They were very polite. If they didn’t like it, they pretended they did (Nick says this with a laugh).
Which song on the new album do you think best represents this change—an evolution into a style of songwriting that distinguishes itself from your past indie-folk sound?
(Will) That’s a great question. I think there’s a song called “I’m Not There” that was an improvisation on the first take, which represents that situation best. We used to do that. Now we almost always do. By leaning on the songs and our tracks, especially during recording, in a sense, it was like we were summarizing the ethos or the place we’ve traveled to. We simply write a song so that it’s beautiful and foolproof. Then we go into the studio and, in a way, let the music breathe. We’re incredibly lucky to know a lot of talented people and to play in a very free environment where a song is created very naturally.
(Nick) In the studio, everything is improvised and played live. And we’ve done that every time.
Hurt People is one of my favorite songs. The lyrics could speak of personal, emotional wounds but also describe this terrible historical moment where society and politics seem to have gone mad. What did you focus on?
(Nick) We try to write every song so that it can always be open to interpretation and not
force the meaning of the song to be too clear and specific for the listener. We don’t want to deprive them of the chance to feel sentiments that can be reflected in certain songs. When we wrote it, we were talking about a program called the “12 steps,” you know, like Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. I set the song by attending a 12-step meeting, in the sense that everything that happens in the song is inside that room. But in the act of doing so, it seemed like the whole world knew about it. It’s something we like—when writing starts off as something so small and then becomes big.
In the song Alabaster, you collaborated with Aimee Mann. She’s a great artist with a wonderful voice. This is another incredible piece with that fuzzy guitar effect and everything else. But who is the “Alabaster” in the title?
(Nick) Alabaster is the name of a person, my next-door neighbor. It’s based on a true story and is about a friend of mine, Mia Folic, whom I wrote to in Los Angeles. Alabaster is a perfect name; it’s a type of material, a durable rock, but it’s also the name of Alabaster DePlume, a very good English musician.
(Will) And it’s also a beautiful name to sing.
At this point, Nick sings a part of the song in a funny way, and I playfully joined in by making up a lyric, with Will inviting me to join the band.
The only thing I could play is percussion because I’m terrible at guitar or singing.
(Will laughs) Then you’ll fit perfectly in our band because we’re pretty bad too.
The song I’m Not There talks about the difficulty of being present in a relationship, and you’ve said it’s an invitation not to run away from your feelings. Specifically, what do you mean?
(Nick) I think it’s a common theme we’ve explored several times. Art, in England in particular, is very interested in hiding emotions. In England, emotions are quite repressed. We bury them, we bury them deep, as deep as possible. And songs are a way to bring them to the surface. Maybe as an Italian you’ll find it hard to understand these things, but it’s true.
(Will) And then songs are the way we can let them come to the surface.
Your lyrics have always explored the complexities of human relationships. Songs like “Emily and Me” and I Just Can’t Believe That We’re Friends seem to touch on the theme of friendship and its boundaries. It’s as if you feel the need to tell stories that make people reflect—is that right?
(Nick) Yes, I think our main goal is to help people connect when they can’t do it on their own. And so if someone comes and tells us in real life or in a message that a song has helped them with an emotion they were struggling with, then we feel our job has been done well. It doesn’t matter if we haven’t made money or we’re tired from creating certain feelings.
But money is important in life.
(Nick) Of course, having a little more money would be nice.
(Will) But we’ve gotten to this point with little.
(Nick) Because we’ve learned to manage ourselves well.
All the pieces blend in perfect harmony, thanks also to a soft, almost jazzy-style drum sound, folk guitar arpeggios, and that light touch of piano. In an era where music is often overproduced, do you feel the need to return to a more “sincere and direct” sound?
(Nick) Yes, we’ve tried to do that. When we first started, it didn’t come out well. It took years of experience, making mistakes and trying again, until we got to the point of touching things up as little as possible. Sometimes a song doesn’t need drums, sometimes it doesn’t need a guitar. Sometimes just a voice is enough. It’s also enough to know whatever the song will convey, to convey the emotion of the song in the most effective way.
I imagine it probably also depends on the message you want to convey
(Nick) Yes, absolutely. I mean, if it’s “Alabaster” and it’s about natural disasters and this chaos, then we cover it with this big fuzzy guitar, and everything becomes chaotic. But if we’re talking about something clean, clear, and small, in that case, we do very little.
(Will) As I said before, we have the privilege of working in the studio with fantastic sound engineers, like Ethan Johns for example. With them, once you start singing in front of a microphone, you know the work is already done and ready for recording. All of this is really encouraging. I mean, they make you feel good enough to simply sing and play with a guitar and a voice.
Do you prefer to play solo and acoustic, or to play with other musicians?
(Will) Luckily for this album, Ethan played the drums, so we were like a small band. I played bass more than acoustic, while Ethan was on drums.
(Nick) After all, we have a background in teenage bands, and we like to make a lot of noise. But it’s nice when we can go back to playing live in the acoustic version. A version where it’s just me and Nick, together and without a band, with two acoustic guitars, and that is purity. Every time we can, we make sure there are a lot of musicians on stage, just because it’s more fun.
Which version of Flyte do your fans prefer: the acoustic or the electric version?
(Will) I think the electric. I prefer to play acoustically, but playing electric is definitely more fun.
(Nick) I also prefer to play acoustic guitar, unlike the electric, which doesn’t have the same limitations. With the acoustic, you always know what you’re doing and what you want to achieve precisely.
Ethan Johns did an excellent job as a producer. I imagine he gave you comfort and the freedom to express yourselves musically. Is that right?
(Nick) Absolutely. I think if you’re not expressing yourself as freely as possible, then he’s not doing his job properly. You just have to trust this process because it’s always the first time. I mean, as soon as we start playing a song, it’s always the first time we record it that will be the thing we end up using.
Arcade Fire, Radiohead, or Nick Drake: how important are these artists to you?
(Nick) Very important. Arcade Fire and Radiohead have been important influences for every band, I believe, because they set a good example for bands and said, “Don’t repeat yourselves and take risks and change when people like something you’re doing, and, you know, don’t be afraid to upset your audience and bring them with you.” And that’s fantastic. Thinking about Nick Drake is always good, because if you feel you’re not doing well enough in your career, you can always comfort yourself by saying, “Well, Nick never sold any albums and then he died.” So we can use that as a factor of reassurance.
Do you also listen to music like soul, blues, etc., or not?
(Will) Certainly. We also listen to blues and rhythm and blues. Definitely. I think all real music is worth listening to.
In your opinion, how much does music help people overcome life’s difficulties?
(Will) Well, I think it’s just about feeling understood, I guess. And it applies to anything or any moment you’re going through. I mean, music is crucial. Also at a funeral or a wedding or, you know, on a bad day. As well as on a good day or a car trip. We all need music to punctuate our existence.
(Nick) And it’s also scientifically proven; it’s a great thing.
(Will) And you can’t argue with science!
You’re going on a US tour, right?
(Will) Yes, it’s planned. In general, we’ll do a pretty long tour. We’ll first go to most of the UK cities and then we’ll go to the United States, on the West Coast and North America. Then to Canada, starting from Vancouver. It will really be our first very extensive headlining tour. And then we’ll come home, we’ll return to Europe with several dates planned.
I don’t think you’ll be returning to Italy, so I’ll come to see you in England, maybe in London
(Nick) Well, if you come, let us know and we’ll add you to the guest list!
