Murray Macleod of The Xcerts was kind enough to do a great interview with PropertyOfZack. Murray and I discuss the band’s trip to the US, their work with Mike Sapone, plans to release a new EP in February, and more. Enjoy!

For the record, could you state your name and role in The Xcerts?
My name is Murray Macleod, I sing and play guitar in The Xcerts.

Scatterbrain came out in early October. Two months later, how has the reception been in your eyes?
The reception has been pretty incredible. We were uncertain as to what people would think about the sound we went for on the record, but from what we’ve seen at shows, most people are eager to hear the new stuff rather than our previous material. We weren’t overly fussed about what the press would think, but the reviews I’ve seen have been pretty fantastic. We can’t really ask for more.

Mike Sapone, better known for his work with Brand New, Straylight Run, and Taking Back Sunday, produced Scatterbrain. Can you talk about working with him came about and how your time in the studio with him was?
Working with Mike was literally a dream come true. I never really thought about it not working out, and it so easily could have. I know alot of bands that have had problems with producers, either they are not on the same page, or the person is just not the right man/woman for the job. However, from the moment we discussed how we wanted the record to sound, we were all on the same page. Mike was pretty much the 4th member of the band, we can’t really credit him enough. He was very involved in the songs, and keen to experiment as much as possible, which is something we embraced wholeheartedly. 

Being in the studio was fun, hard work, but fun. Working with a man you respect, who is also the sweetest guy around, doesn’t really make things hard. Waking up definitely wasn’t a chore. I could write a 20 page essay about working with Mike, it still wouldn’t do him any justice, so we’ll leave it at that.

How was the writing process for the record? What’s your favorite track?
The writing process was pretty simple, we had 2 months off in between tours, and that’s when we wrote the bulk of the record. A couple of songs weren’t finished lyrically, but musically they were strong so we decided to take them out to NY.

My favourite track? I don’t think I have a favourite. I am delighted with how ‘Hurt With Me’ turned out, as it was kind of a Frankenstein song. It originally sounded a lot like The Cure, Mike then proposed the idea of turning it into a noisy rock number during pre-production. Watching/hearing that song evolve was pretty exciting as it took on so many forms, we’re stoked with how it turned out.

Shortly after the release the band traveled back to America for some press and a few shows. How was that experience for you guys?
It was a lot of fun. We played a couple of shows at CMJ festival, so it was all very hectic and rushed, but it was a nice introduction to playing in the States. We headed out to Long Island one afternoon and did a session for Dogma/Sons Modern, which was great, all the guys we met out there were super friendly and very welcoming.

In mid-November The Xcerts played shows with Anberlin in the UK. That must have been unbelievable. How did that go for you guys and how did the crowd receive the live show?
It was a great tour. Anberlin are nice guys, and we seemed to go down well each night. Musically, we are incredibly different to Anberlin, but i think their fans appreciated something different on the bill. Being first on is always hard as the crowd don’t necessarily know who you are, and they just want to see the main act, but you’ve just got to do your thing and hope people enjoy it.

The band is still currently on tour and will be until mid-December. How are the smaller shows going for you?
So far so good. The venues are definitely fuller, and people seem to be excited hearing the new material live. We had a pretty shitty show the other night, bad promotion + an incredibly cold evening = lame show. We’ve got another 10 shows to go, and they look set to be good, so we’re looking forward them.

No plans have been announced for the New Year yet. Should we be on the lookout for some new tour dates?
Yes. We have just announced that we will be a part of the first ever Rocksound Exposure Tour with Dinosaur Pile Up and Japanese Voyeurs. The tour starts in February and I think it’s going to be great. The venues are bigger, so it feels like a nice step up for us. Check out our MySpace page for details.

Is getting out of the United Kingdom and even Europe in general for a tour a possibility in the next year?
Most definitely. We’re trying to figure out the best way to release our record in the States, and as soon as we have that figured out, we are going to try our hardest to get out and play some shows. Any bands in the States want to take us out…? Get in touch.

Are there any b-sides from Scatterbrain that we might see released?
Yes, we are releasing an EP in February, which will feature a track entitled ‘Tear Me Down’. We recorded the track with Mike, and it just missed out on featuring on the album. I’m a big fan of the song, so I’m looking forward to people hearing it. 

Is there anything else from the band we should be on the lookout for?
We’re going to be touring a lot next year, so keep checking our MySpace/Facebook pages for dates. I’ve started a project with a good friend of mine called ‘Cold Crows Dead’, we’ll be releasing some stuff next year, so keep and eye out for that too.

Thanks so much for your time!