Interview: Getting to Know Stay For Tomorrow

Scottish alt-rockers Stay For Tomorrow have released their new single and video, Nonsense, out now. The track is taken from their forthcoming album, When Hope’s Gone, due Friday 25th September. In this interview we get to know them a little better.

1. Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat to us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.

We’re Stay For Tomorrow, a melodic alternative rock band from Dunfermline, Scotland. We formed back in 2018 and have spent the last few years building a sound that’s energetic, melodic and made for the live stage. People often compare us to bands like The Killers, Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy, which is a huge compliment and gives a good idea of where our influences come from. The band is made up of Joe on vocals and rhythm guitar, Nic on lead guitar, Gemma on synth-bass and keys and Sean on drums.

Since releasing our debut single in 2019, we’ve continued to grow as a band, with radio support across the UK, the release of our compilation album The Story So Far and now our biggest project yet, When Hope’s Gone. Along the way we’ve shared the stage with some incredible bands, played some amazing venues and festivals and even picked up an award for one of our music videos, which has all been a great reflection of how far we’ve come.

The band came together pretty organically. Joe had been writing songs acoustically and met Nic after playing a local acoustic show. The two started working together to turn those songs into full-band arrangements and once things started taking shape, Nic brought in Sean, who he’d played with in a previous band. After writing and rehearsing together, we found our original bassist, Ollie and that’s when Stay For Tomorrow was officially born.

These days the lineup looks a little different, with Gemma bringing synths and keys into the band instead of having a traditional bass player. That change has naturally shaped the way we write and perform and it’s become a big part of what gives Stay For Tomorrow its own sound.

2. Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?

I’d say we’re a bit of everything! Stay For Tomorrow has a unique sound that’s shaped by a wide range of musical influences. Every member of the band brings something different to the table, with inspirations ranging from bands like Extreme and Metallica to artists such as Lady Gaga, Meat Loaf, Paramore, and even Pendulum. It’s a really diverse mix and we think that’s one of our biggest strengths.

Because everyone’s influences are so varied, our songwriting naturally blends different styles, giving us a sound that stands out from a lot of what’s coming out at the moment. We don’t like to limit ourselves to one genre – we’ve written everything from pop-punk anthems and hard rock tracks to a full-blown power ballad. At the end of the day, we just want to write great songs that feel authentic to us, regardless of genre.

3. What’s currently keeping you busy? A new album/EP/single release? A new video? Playing live, or planning ahead?

Over the past few months, we’ve been putting the finishing touches on our new album, When Hope’s Gone, which is released on 25th September. Every member of the band has put a huge amount of time, effort and passion into it. We genuinely believe it’s our strongest and most cohesive work to date.

We’re incredibly excited for people to finally hear what we’ve been working on. Our goal is always to reach new listeners, grow our fanbase and hopefully connect with even more people through our music.

We’ve recently released our latest single, “Nonsense,” which is the lead single from the album. It combines a driving guitar riff with piano accents to create a sound that really captures the direction of the record. Alongside the single, we also released a music video, which we filmed ourselves. It was a brilliant experience and a lot of fun to make and we think it really complements the song. You can find it over on our YouTube channel, so we’d love it if you checked it out!

We’ve also got some exciting shows coming up, including appearances at Orkney Fest and Aberdour Festival. The Aberdour Festival in August is always a particularly special one for us because we get the opportunity to act as the backing band for Nic’s guitar students, giving them the chance to perform on stage and showcase everything they’ve been working so hard on.

It’s something that’s becoming a regular tradition for us and every year the response gets bigger and better. Seeing the students grow in confidence and perform in front of a live audience is incredibly rewarding. We think it’s fantastic for both the local community and the young musicians, as it shows what’s possible when you work hard, stay dedicated and believe in yourself. Being able to play a small part in inspiring the next generation of musicians is something we’re really proud of.

4. What is about this current period that is particularly exciting for you?

I think it really comes back to what we’ve mentioned already—we’ve got a lot happening at the moment and it’s an incredibly exciting time for the band. With our new album coming out, we can’t wait for everyone to finally hear what we’ve been working on. We’re really proud of the record and we’re looking forward to getting it out into the world and hopefully reaching even more listeners.

To celebrate the release, we’ll be hosting our album launch show in Dunfermline this October. It’s always special to play in our hometown and we’re delighted to be joined by two fantastic support bands; High Voltage and Bears With Feathers. We’re hoping it’ll be a brilliant night that not only celebrates the album’s release but also builds even more excitement around this next chapter for the band.

5. Tell me about the work that has gone into making it a reality and what it means to you.

I think the whole band would agree that we’ve put absolutely everything into this album. From countless writing sessions to long days and late nights in the studio, we’ve dedicated a huge amount of time and energy to making sure every song was the best it could possibly be. We wanted to create an album that we’re genuinely proud of and we feel we’ve achieved that.

A huge amount of credit also goes to our sound engineer, Dominic Hardy from Gracenote studios in Dunfermline who has done an incredible job with the recording, mixing and mastering. We all joke that he has the patience of a saint – and honestly, after working with us for so long, he probably deserves a medal! But in all seriousness, his attention to detail and commitment to getting the best out of every track has been invaluable.

As a band, I think we all share a bit of a perfectionist streak. We’re never happy to settle for “good enough” if we know something can be improved and that mindset has really shaped this record. It definitely meant a lot of extra work, but we genuinely hope that when people hear the album, they’ll feel that all the time and effort was worth it.

6. Making music and being creative can be a very positive experience and can be very good for the mind. In what way has making music had a positive impact on your mental health?

I would definitely say that writing and recording music can be an incredibly cathartic and healing experience, especially when you’re going through a difficult time. Like any form of creativity, taking your own experiences—whether they’re positive or negative—and turning them into something meaningful, like a song, can be really freeing. It’s a great way to process emotions and it can have a genuinely positive impact on your mental health.

As a band, mental health is something that’s very important to us, and that’s reflected in the music we write. We always try to create songs that people can connect with on a personal level—whether they’re helping someone through one of the darkest periods of their life or simply providing the soundtrack to some of their happiest moments. If our music can make someone feel understood, offer a sense of comfort, or remind them they’re not alone, then that’s one of the most rewarding parts of what we do.

7. It can also be incredibly challenging, more so in the modern times. What have been some challenging aspects of making music and how have you overcome them?

I think our perfectionism can definitely be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it can make the writing and recording process pretty exhausting. We’ve been known to spend hours listening to the same section of a song over and over because one of us feels something still isn’t quite right. It can be frustrating in the moment, but we all share the same goal of making the song as strong as it can possibly be.

Overall, though, we’d say it’s much more of a blessing than a curse. That attention to detail pushes each of us to give everything we’ve got and never settle for something we’re not completely happy with. We all want to put out music that we’re genuinely proud of.

One of our biggest strengths as a band is that we respect each other’s ideas. Everyone gets the opportunity to contribute, and we’re always willing to listen, experiment and try different approaches. We think that mutual respect and openness is a big part of why we work so well together and why we’ve been able to develop such a cohesive sound.

8. How do you handle the online aspects of being in a band? Having to put out content constantly, promoting across several different social media platforms, and having your success measured in likes and follows?

We’re not going to pretend we’ve always had it figured out—this is something we’ve definitely found challenging in the past. These days, social media is such an important part of being in a band. It’s one of the main ways people discover new music, so it’s something you can’t really ignore.

Recently, we’ve been working with Steve Jewell Jr from Black Stone Cherry through a mentorship programme and he’s completely transformed the way we operate as a band – particularly when it comes to our approach to social media. Thanks to his guidance, we now have a structured content schedule and post consistently and we’re already starting to see the benefits.

One of the biggest lessons Steve taught us was that your content doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to be authentic and engaging. People want to see who you are as a band, not just polished promotional posts. That shift in mindset has made a huge difference for us. We’ve become much more confident about putting ourselves out there, showing our personalities and building a genuine connection with both our existing audience and potential new fans.

9. How do you make this part of things enjoyable, and fulfilling, for yourself?

We try to approach social media with the same mindset we have as a band—we want it to be fun and a genuine way of connecting with both our fans and people who are discovering us for the first time.

Each member of the band has shared different cover performances, whether that’s on piano, guitar, or vocals. It’s something we really enjoy doing and it also gives people a better idea of our individual musical influences and how they all come together to shape our sound.

We also like to share plenty of behind-the-scenes content and I think that’s where our personalities really come across. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and we want people to see who we are when we’re not on stage. Of course, coming up with fresh ideas can be challenging at times, but we’ve learned not to overthink it. If we’re enjoying creating the content and it’s an authentic reflection of who we are, then that’s what matters most—and we think people connect with that.

10. Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support you?

The biggest thing people can do is simply check out our music. It’s available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music and every listen genuinely means a lot to us. If you enjoy what you hear, sharing it with your friends and family is one of the best ways you can support us and help us reach new listeners.

We also love connecting with people on social media. Whether it’s liking, commenting on, or sharing our posts, every bit of engagement helps. We always do our best to reply and keep the conversation going because we genuinely appreciate everyone who takes the time to support us. We have also recently created a Facebook group called “The Tomorrow Club” which is a great way to keep up to date with us. As well as this we have The Tomorrow Club mailing list where fans can get exclusive updates, content and early access! Head to stayfortomorrow.com to join.

It’s not just about sharing the music either—if one of our videos, behind-the-scenes clips, or cover performances resonates with you, sharing that can make a huge difference as well. The more people interact with what we create, the more opportunities we have to reach new audiences and we’re incredibly grateful for every single person who helps us on that journey.

11. Outside of music, what do you like to do to relax?

Outside of the band, we all have very different day jobs and interests, which I think adds to the variety of personalities and influences within the group.

Gemma, of course, loves playing the piano, but she’s also a talented fashion designer who specialises in upcycled fashion. She often creates and wears her own designs on stage, so if you come to one of our shows, keep an eye out—you’ll probably be seeing one of her unique creations in action!

If Sean isn’t trying to sell football shirts he’s probably curled up on the couch being very lazy watching TV or playing the PlayStation. Weather dependant, you’ll possibly catch him out on the golf course, which suggests he’d be half decent… he isn’t!

Joe loves playing video games. A perfect lazy day would be chilling at home with his cats, with a horror game on the go. Joe also goes to a lot of gigs too!

Nic often finds it difficult to relax. When it is time to relax, you will still probably find him with a guitar or bass in his hands learning new songs and techniques.

Like Joe, Nic is also a keen gamer and if there isn’t a guitar in his hands it will probably be an Xbox controller instead.

Joe and Nic also stream video games over on twitch.tv/stayfortomorrow and all their past streams can be found on our YouTube channel.

12. Where can people find you?

Find us on all social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube & Twitch! Just search Stay for Tomorrow. You can also find us on sayfortomorrow.com.