James McVey on ‘Thick and Thin’: A Nostalgic Journey Through Childhood

It isn’t our first time meeting James McVey, in fact we’ve met him many times as a member of The Vamps but today we meet him as a solo artist on a very different musical journey. We caught up to discuss his new EP “Letters Home,” and the transition from band life to a solo career in this exclusive FAULT Magazine interview.

FAULT Magazine: Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind your new single ‘Thick and Thin’?

James McVey: “Thick and Thin” was written pretty quickly one evening while sitting in the dressing room. I’d always wanted to write a song about growing up on the south coast where all we did for fun was ride our bikes and kick a football around. I find that period of life fascinating; being in a sort of no man’s land between childhood and adulthood. “Thick and Thin” is all about those years when the world felt small and I had a small tight-knit group of friends. I think a lot of people can relate to that time in their lives too. Production-wise, I wanted to create something that had a campfire feeling to it. Instrumentally, the track is quite bare, but we wanted to build the choruses up with a lot of gang vocals. I often find that not over-complicating production on songs like these works best.

FAULT Magazine: What themes can we expect from your EP ‘Letters Home’?

James McVey: “Letters Home” pertains to several different themes and emotions. The highs and lows of navigating marriage, grief, friendship, and my own mental health journey.

FAULT Magazine: Has your creative process changed for this EP compared to your previous release?

James McVey: The entire process of creating this EP was different from “Manabi,” mainly due to the fact we wrote and recorded everything on the road while touring Europe. The songs came about really quickly and over a period of two weeks, we had all six songs written. We made the decision early on in the process to not be overly precious with the production. We realized that embracing the rawness of recording backstage at venues or on the road added to the vulnerability of each song. I’ve always wanted to set aside a small window of time and create an entire project, and “Letters Home” was that for me. It’s a time capsule of a month of my life and I’ll always cherish it.

FAULT Magazine: What song would you say was most challenging to write on this EP?

James McVey: Emotionally, I’d say “Hold On The Times” was the hardest to write. Both Alex Stacey (co-writer and producer) and I have lost grandparents, and the song just seemed to resonate with us both equally. It’s rare that my own music gets me teary, but that one did!

FAULT Magazine: What have been the biggest challenges in making the shift from performing in a band to being a solo artist?

James McVey: Physically, singing for two hours a night is a pretty big change, especially following vocal surgery. I absolutely love the sense of feeling 15 again too: setting up my gear on stage, meeting people at the merch stand after the show. For me, that’s exactly what music is all about, and I’m so fortunate to have the chance of feeling that again at this point in my career. There’s a lot more pressure, but I think this pressure brings an opportunity to learn more about myself and grow.

FAULT Magazine: Gaining notoriety so young, has it been difficult to have so much of your artist development play out in public when usually artists don’t have large platforms to experiment, fail, and succeed in front of?

James McVey: It’s definitely strange, but I made the decision a long time ago to be as transparent with my audience as possible, be that with my music or my mental health. I love the fact that I can use my audience as a genuine soundboard for my ideas; I can post a verse I’ve just written online and see if anyone relates to it. Writing “Letters Home” on tour meant that as soon as we wrote something, we’d add it to the live set that night. That’s how “All The Things” and “Thick and Thin” became the first two singles!

FAULT Magazine: Looking ahead to the rest of the year, what are you most excited for?

James McVey: I’m excited to tour with The Vamps, but also to play some more live stuff on my own. We are planning a one-off show towards the end of the year, as well as potentially one or two other live bits. There’s also a lot of new music coming too.

FAULT Magazine: What is your FAULT?

James McVey: My inability to relax and switch off.