ifitbeyourwill S06E14 • Autocamper

There’s something beautiful about a guitar line that smiles while the lyric aches — that’s the trick Autocamper pulls off again and again. The Manchester band’s debut What Do You Do All Day? shimmers with that mix of brightness and bruising honesty.

Their story feels fittingly accidental: friends of friends, a project that almost happened, and finally a pub meeting that did. Out of that came a lineup stitched from deep-house childhoods, folk-festival summers, and an indie-pop instinct that just feels right. The result is a sound that breathes — light, melodic, a little dreamy, and grounded in real feeling.

When we talk about writing without irony, Jack laughs — it’s harder than it sounds. He writes from feeling first, letting words find their place once the music starts to move. Songs might begin as rough acoustic sketches or on a laptop at 2 a.m., but they only really live once the band’s in a room together. Everyone adds something different: the drummer’s electronic sensibility, the little melodic turns, the patience to leave space. It’s what makes the album flow the way it does — shifting vocals, thoughtful pacing, and hooks that sneak up on you later.

The reactions have been wild — singalongs in Glasgow, thoughtful notes from fans, and the odd review that missed the point entirely. That last one kicked off a bigger chat about how we listen, how we care, and why honest fanzines still matter.

At the heart of it all is sincerity. Autocamper’s not chasing cleverness or cool detachment — they’re after connection. And as they look ahead, they’re set on moving forward, not repeating themselves. The goal: keep it real, keep it human, keep it melodic.

If you like your indie rock with heart and a hint of ache, start here.
Spin the record, find your moment, and if it hits — tell someone. That’s how good music travels.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome To Season Six
• 1:02 First Listen Impressions
• 1:58 Band Origins In Manchester
• 4:12 Shared Influences And Gateways
• 5:28 Writing Spark And Early Music
• 6:45 Sincerity, Melancholy, And Wit
• 9:05 Wistful Tones And Bright Melodies
• 11:37 How The Songs Come Together
• 13:06 Individual Roles And Sounds
• 15:15 Release Reactions And Reviews
• 17:12 Touring Moments And Singalongs
• 18:43 What Comes Next For Auto Camper
• 20:00 Closing Praise And Support

Transcript

colleyc: 0:37

Here we are, folks. Season six, ifitibeyourwill podcast. I like to reach across the pond, and I have a lot of ancestry, so I think I have a special place, has a special place in my heart over in the UK. And I'm heading into Manchester today, and I'm pulling in Auto camper. Auto Camper just put a new record out. Great title. What do you do all day? Question mark. That's a very good question. We'll ponder a bit of that. But I'm super excited to talk with them. This is kind of uh they're super jangly and indie and uh uh shit. We'll throw some psych in there as well because they have a few songs that are pretty darn trippy, which I love. So, guys, thanks so much for hopping on here and sharing a little bit about uh you guys and your band and your music and uh how it all came to be. Yeah, well, I listened to the record one time through, and I'm like, these guys, I gotta talk to them. It's like what are they what have they done here with this record? And then it was the first introduction I had to Auto Camper, but I then went back in and started to dive around a little bit more, and it was just oh it's beautiful. Just love it. So where did all this start, guys? So this record that just came out like you have other recordings that came out. How did Auto Camper come to be? I guess is my question. Like what were the circumstances or the run-ins or the that that brought you to where you are right now me and Jack and Ariel Yeah and you I don't think you actually watched them.

Autocamper: 2:30

I think you spent the whole time outside. Yeah, we met then through people with my friends and then started a band that never happened. And then decided we needed some more people. So we met Neve.

colleyc: 2:49

Guys, it's really hard to hear you.

Autocamper: 2:53

Well that that'll be my computer making loud noises. Oh my god.

colleyc: 2:59

What did we go I don't but carry on? I can hear you now.

Autocamper: 3:03

Oh no. So we met Neve. No, where did we meet? It was on the website. We met Neve on an internet website, but not a dating website. And then we arranged to go for a drink in a pub, and I was going to a geek across the road. There was an umbrellas concert or a band that are on Slumberland Records. And then Sorry, Harry's chewing. You met R I met Arthur that I met Arthur that same night after me and Harry met Neve. But Neam and Harry didn't go to that concert, which levels out me not watching the Oriel's attack.

colleyc: 3:43

And like was there an an automatic kind of chemistry that you guys felt with what you guys like to listen to and kind of grew up listening to?

Autocamper: 3:55

Yeah, I'd say so. Like we we all had similar influences. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I didn't think we grow up listening to any of this kind of music. So I just stumbled into what was the music you grew up listening to?

colleyc: 4:12

Curious.

Autocamper: 4:14

It was all like like deep house and techno, because my dad was a DJ. So that was all like all that was on in the house when I was growing up. Whoa. So uh yeah, that was uh yeah, I kind of found found my own way with that. Well I'm glad I'm glad to listen to that.

colleyc: 4:33

Yep. Do you like how did the evolution then like how did you get to kind of more toppy, jangly, indie? Like, what was the gateway that brought you into deciding, okay, yeah, let's let's make a band around this style of music, even though that it's something that you might not be all that familiar with.

Autocamper: 4:55

I think that's what me and Harry kind of like bonded on when we were talking about bands, because it was like there was a band called Perspect from from Leagues that we both knew of, and that we were both like, yeah, I like them, and then the pastels was the other one. Yeah, right. So that's why we uh initially did that. The twee stuff at the beginning. Right.

colleyc: 5:18

And and Jack, what about like what what were you writing like how did music start to come into your into your purview? Like what what was it that started you thinking, yeah, I I I want to write songs and be in a band and perform for people and release records? Like, when did that seed start to sprout inside you?

Autocamper: 5:41

It's probably been like since before I can remember. Like when I were a kid, music was just about a lot. Like my nan used to take me to folk festivals. And I've always just like my dad was quite like open-minded with how like I interact with music, I think, when I was a kid. So he'd play stuff like he'd he'd just play stuff on the radio or he'd play stuff just randomly. And if I liked it, he'd keep playing it and stuff like that. So like I it's and a lot of those bands that I listened to when I was like three or four are still bands that I really like now. And it's weird because I sort of like I found myself gravitating towards things that they are without kind of consciously doing that when I look for stuff. If I'm kind of looking for new things to listen to, if that makes any sense. Totally. I get it, man.

colleyc: 6:35

That's I I like it. I like the the path that you guys are weaving. Well, there's several reviews that mention this sense of I don't know, a bit of silliness, melancholy in your songs. When you're writing, are you consciously trying to capture those quiet moments in life? Like, where did the inspiration for these songs emerge from in the process of writing writing them or going, you know, write putting an album together? Where does the feeling come from? Yeah, like I was kind of like doing a deeper dive into the lyrics of and looking at some of the reviews of the record. And there's this, you know, this this there's this subtleness to like everyday moments in life, and then how you guys kind of turn them or twist them a little bit. How do you approach writing the lyrics and where are they inspired from most of the time?

Autocamper: 7:33

It it's kind of like, I don't know, it's not a case of me thinking about what I'm actually. I don't sit down and go like I'm gonna write a song about this. Right. It's just kind of like how I'm feeling at that moment, and then it'll all kind of come out while I'm making the music happen as well, or like making the initial song structures happen. But but ladies can be very cruel can be very cruel, and I don't like paying council tax. Right. So there are two things that make me very sad, and and that comes out in the music. Most of my songs are about sad things happening relationship-wise. So I think it's just it's just like it's just about being sincere with what you're experiencing. I think we've always had this kind of fim in with like sincerity and kind of avoiding irony or that's the one we've said from the start. Yeah, it's always been kind of a driving force of our friendship in general, really. Yeah, definitely. Like just kind of being honest with what's going on and what you're doing and what you're creating. It's important to just be honest and yeah, uh like put your bollocks behind it in a way, kind of like you know, have a bit of a and if they get kicked, they get kicked hard. Mainly by mainly by me and lady.

colleyc: 8:57

Oh the trauma is coming out here. And do you find that it's easier to write songs about you know the gut-wrenching issues that we experience in life more so than because I mean the record is very light in the sense that it I when I listen to it personally, I kind of feel uh happy and uplifted and like are you are you trying to play those two where the music that's uh that's uh accompanying the lyrics are kind of in different thoughts in your mind?

Autocamper: 9:40

I think I think it's in it's in the same spot for me anyway. But writing the music music outside because it's like it's kind of it's not like a sadness, it's like a wistfulness. Yeah, then it so it kind of it's it's that thing about like you might be sad, but you're still experiencing things and you're still living. Yeah. I'm not really, yeah, I'm not really going for like woe is me, or sort of like oh the boy bet the girl and now the boy is sad because the girl likes another boy or you know, killed the dog of the boy or whatever. But it's more like um like from a listening perspective, a lot of kind of like happy songs or certain melodies or things in production of songs will make me feel a very strong emotion. And I think that's kind of what I aim for. Like, and it's it's hard to explain, like it's not something you can put into words. I think it's just like it it's just music, and like wistful's a good way of putting it, because it's like you'll hear something maybe like even like ambient music, there's there's things in every kind of bit of music that might just kind of set off that little trigger in your head and you just kind of like get all fizzy, you know. Yeah, it's like when people it's not that fizzy. It's good. That's that's sweet. I'm glad that my pain and suffering could do something like be like water. Again again. Yeah, I I'd like to think that our music gives people a similar kind of vibe to like, you know, when like teenagers listen to videos of dogs licking yogurt pots to go to sleep, stuff like that. I'd like I'd like people to I'd like people to get that out of it.

colleyc: 11:32

And how did how did you guys assemble this this this latest record? How did it come to be? Was this a collection of songs that you guys sat down and created together? Or Jack, are you bringing in most of the the the finished song? Or like how does the band get from an idea to actually okay, let's put this down on tape?

Autocamper: 11:54

I kind of half-arse it with a with an acoustic guitar or whatever, until it goes into the room and then everyone sort of kicks it about, and that's when it becomes a song. Right. It's kind of collaborative as far as that goes. Right.

colleyc: 12:09

Right. And and do you find that each person brings I mean, I guess it's a pretty obvious question, but I'm gonna flush it out anyway. Do you find that each musician brings their own, like you were mentioning that you know, you used to your dad was a DJ, and you know, like that's what you grew up listening to? Like, does do you see those kinds of influences seep in through members of the band to kind of create this kind of unique sound that you get?

Autocamper: 12:38

Yeah, definitely. Arthur's got like Arthur the drummer's got his own sort of like way of bringing a demo to us in so much as like he creates it as a as a song on his laptop in a sort of like electronic format. Right. And then we reinterpret it. Neve's got a very particular style of of writing. Right. Um and she's got her own vibe to it, and and Harry is I'll let you explain yourself. Explain yourself, yes. Yeah, no, I tell us about yourself, yeah. Accent and thing. Right. Uh he's he's very good, he's underselling himself, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's nice. I think I had one song which we'll never see the light day. Yeah. Uh but yeah, I kind of I kind of retreated on writing. I think I'm there at just putting finishing touches on the people's stuff.

colleyc: 13:35

Right, right. Well, I'm sure it's far more than that, but your subtlety in answers is very nice. He's a gentleman. Yes, absolutely. Well, all I mean Manchester that's what they produce, is gentlemen, correct?

Autocamper: 13:52

No, no, definitely not. Not anymore, not anymore. Maybe in the late in the late 1800s, yeah, yeah, sure. Yeah. The Industrial Revolution was a great time that made many many men very rich.

colleyc: 14:09

Record July. Around the beginning of the year. Yeah, yeah.

Autocamper: 14:18

The record it's been good. I I think it's it's always hard to to kind of gauge how people are liking it, because there's a lot of times where people will come up to you and go, Oh yeah, I love the new album. I'm sure whether they're being serious or they're just saying it to your face. That might be quite cynical, but I feel like everyone's really enjoyed it. Like even like friends and I guess people whose opinion that I care about. Yeah, have really liked it. And I think that's like a very telling kind of thing. Yeah, sure. So I've got wind. There it goes, there it goes. Sorry about that. Yeah, like yeah, just echo what what what Ari said really, in so much as like when there are people's opinions that like I know they're being honest, it means a lot. It's nice. It's nice. I don't like bad reviews though. Bad reviews are mean I think I think there was a guy in Uncut who who reviewed us and gave us a six out of ten. And he he only mentioned other bands in the review. Yeah. I think there was like six other bands in the review. Yeah. And then gave us a six out of ten. And they were all cracking bands as well. Yeah, yeah. Right, right. I was just I thought that was kind of hilarious. We get, yeah, that's the kind of one thing that drives on me a bit. It's all that seems to happen in a lot of reviews that are bigger reviews are just we get compared to a lot of other bands. Right. Whereas like in smaller reviews or fanzines or something like people really care about what they're writing about, then they really find something in it, and that can be where most of like the the sort of like, oh, you didn't know you'd done something that like that to someone sort of thing comes from. Yeah. But yeah, it's just kind of like, yeah, I don't like laziness.

colleyc: 16:10

Yeah.

Autocamper: 16:11

But a lot of time on that album and uh yeah.

colleyc: 16:15

And I mean, have you guys have toured with this record a little bit? Like have you done some shows?

Autocamper: 16:21

Yeah, we started toured it from the day it came out for like a week and a bit. Okay. And then we sort of took we've taken the gas off um the last sort of like two months. Okay, okay.

colleyc: 16:35

And is like what's coming down the pipe for you guys? So we're you know almost done 2025, 2026 is around the corner. What can fans and listeners look forward to with autocapper?

Autocamper: 16:49

Um we're gonna go to the new world, we're gonna get on an aeroplane, um, we're gonna go to the continent, to Europe, to do many things that would be illegal in England. Like not cueing. Yeah, like not cue out. Yeah. Smoking banana skins in the smoking. Smoking indoors, yeah. I've I've got right yeah, we're gonna be smoking indoors, that's what we're gonna be doing. That's the that's the answer to your question. And smoke, will you maybe play a tune or two? I don't know if people paying these enough money, yeah.

colleyc: 17:30

Have you noticed have you noticed that the shows that people are warm to the songs, like they they recognize them, or you know, every now and then fan like singing along with you guys? Like getting to that point where where you can start to see the influence that the record's having on a population that you might not be familiar with.

Autocamper: 17:51

There was a guy in we played a game in Newcastle, and there was a guy we later found out is Peter from the Nibums, who's like an old C87 band, I believe. Yeah and he he he knew a lot of the words to the songs, and that was kind of that was that was kind of cool. Yeah, Glasgow was really kind of I had yeah, a lot of people in Glasgow. I had Fraser McCallum barking the words back at me every time I looked at him, it was brilliant. And the and the album had only been out for two days at that point as well. Like it's been a learner. That's dedication, yeah. Like I'd like to dedicate this podcast occurrence to Braven.

colleyc: 18:31

There you go. And when you guys kind of look to the next the next record or the next EP or single or whatever, like are you guys looking at extending the sound that you've created already with the latest record, or are you guys looking at also like okay, let's let's get a little bit more of that house action in there, or let's you know try to bring in this or that like are you guys seeing how you want to go after the next record in a in a different way, or do you want to follow the same vein that you started with with this record?

Autocamper: 19:08

Probably, probably something different. No, yeah. I don't I don't think we have any interest in repeating ourselves. Yeah, I think that's like quite an important thing. We've not really I think we're getting to the point now where we might start sitting down and thinking about that and writing and stuff like that. But as far as I'm concerned, like having thought about it for a few weeks, it is like I want things to be better, different than better. There's no point in doing the second thing that's kind of what a lot of bands do now, and I'm bored of it. Right.

colleyc: 19:45

Yeah. Well, I just want to say that I think that uh what do you do all day is a really great record. And I answer that question with well, I listen to Auto Camper, of course, because it's it's really a great record through and through. I really love the sequencing of the songs that you guys put together. Like I find they flow super well one into the next. And the variety, like the shifting of the singing, of the vocals, and like there's so much happening, it's so much fun to go back and revisit because there's a lot of subtleties in there that you might not get after even three or four listens. So I I just want to say that it's a really great record that you guys put out. And this has been really fun talking with you guys, uh the Catholic characters for sure. And I'm I definitely encourage our European brothers and sisters to go and check you guys out, get a t-shirt if sell them a record, go and say these guys, you know, buy them a drink, support these guys. They're doing some really cool stuff, and check out the record uh they just put out over the summer. Guys, I wish you all the best. Thanks so much for taking a bit of time and joining me on you guys in the future and me in the past. It's been a real treat, so thank you. Yeah, we'll look out here in a few hours. Yeah, I'll catch up eventually. All right, guys. Cheers to you and all the best.