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Reigning from the historic Isle of Wight, brothers Michael and David Champion have long found themselves creating with one another. In 2011, the family duo officially formed the group that would become known as CHAMPS. From that day forward, the two have been crafting gorgeous music with heavy influences from the serene region surrounding them. Over eight years have passed since their initial release, "Down Like Gold," and the brothers have grown as individuals as well as artists.

Now, with a vast amount of experience and synergy that can only be found between brothers, the duo returns with their album, The Hard Interchange. The album is already picking up steam as the leading track,  "Solid Action," has already amassed about 400,000 streams on Spotify alone. CHAMPS was able to work with some significant industry players, including Frank Ocean collaborator Sean Oakley, for the album.  

In order to learn more about the birth of CHAMPS, The Hard Interchange, and making music within the family, the OTW team was lucky enough to sit down and learn more about the boys from the lovely Isle of Wight.  

OTW: How much does the Isle of Wight directly influence your style of music?

CHAMPS: It influences our music in a pretty significant way. The space, quiet and solitude it allows has really helped us focus on our music without too many outside distractions. It’s also meant that we’ve never been too influenced by other bands and never been part of a ‘scene’ or in competition with contemporaries.

It’s also a really beautiful place rich in history and heritage which has been really inspirational.

OTW: Who would you say is the biggest influence in your music? Which contemporary artists would you say you are the biggest fans of?

CHAMPS: In terms of contemporary bands, it’d probably have to be Arcade Fire, MGMT, Amen Dunes, Glass Animals, etc.

OTW: What is the experience like to be writing and performing with your brother? Is there any kind of sibling rivalry that breaks through every once in a while?

CHAMPS: I think we’re lucky in that we both respect each other. Being brothers really helps because it means that no matter what superficial stuff we me disagree on, we fundamentally agree on the basis of what the musical direction of the band should be. We grew up together with the same experiences, and surrounded by the same music and culture and because of this, we’re always pulling in the same direction when it comes to the most important part - the music.

OTW: If you had to eat grilled cheese sandwiches or chicken tenders forever which would it be, and why?

CHAMPS: I’m gonna have to go with the chicken as it’s probably a bit healthier. Maybe. I love the fried chicken shops in London so yeah it’d have to be that.

OTW: How has your music changed over the last couple of years, since the release of "Down Like Gold?"

CHAMPS: It’s changed quite a lot in some ways. Our sound now is bigger and fuller and some of the instrumentation is more electronic. I do however think that the core of the music is pretty similar to what we’ve always been doing in terms of the writing and the emphasis on vocals. It’s more just the production style which has changed over time.

OTW: Your cover art for your new track "Red Star" is very minimal, what does that represent for you guys? What is your normal approach for handling cover art and things of that nature?

CHAMPS: We had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted for the artwork. We wanted it to be bold and direct which I think reflects the sound of our new album. I feel that our new album is somewhat braver than anything we’ve released before and I wanted the artwork to show that. The main inspiration for the artwork was vintage London Underground poster art. I’m good friends with the guys who made the art - Joel Maynard and Tristan Stubbings, and they both instantly got where we come from. They totally nailed it.

OTW: How much of the influence of London is on this album?

CHAMPS: We spent quite a lot of time in London mixing and tracking parts of the album with our producer Sean. London can be helpful to give you perspective and it really served to breathe a bit of energy into the process.

OTW: It's a good time to be a musician in London with so many acts of all genres emerging into the spotlight, do any of your local Londoners have influence on this album?

CHAMPS: We’re really big fans of what Georgia is doing. She’s an amazing artist who is really redefining what a live show can be. Our producer Sean Oakley worked on her album and we really love her sound.

OTW: What was it like working with Sean Oakley? How were you all able to come together so easily and create?

CHAMPS: Sean is truly one of the most can-do people we’ve ever met. His ambition, dedication, ability, and sense of fun really helped on this album. He was always pushing us further and helping us to make bold decisions that we might not have otherwise made. The fact that he’s worked with quite broad genres has also helped as we feel that he’s brought some fresh flavors to our music.

OTW: If you could work with any other artists Sean has worked with who would it be?

CHAMPS: James Blake or Georgia for me. (Dave)

OTW: You guys describe this album as something that "almost killed you," what else can you tell us about that?

CHAMPS: It was a long time coming due to factors outside of our control. We didn’t know what was happening with labels for a long time so we had to put everything on hold for a long time. It’s been a great journey though.

OTW: Which brother is more likely to eat the last slice of pizza and blame it on the other?

CHAMPS: It depends on what flavor. If it has pineapple on it Mike can have the whole thing.

OTW: Most of this album was recorded at Chale Abbey, which is a very old monastery. How did this affect the music you were making and just the overall energy of this album?

CHAMPS: It was a really incredible place to record. The history of the place was genuinely inspiring. It’s in the middle of the countryside and completely cut off from the outside world which meant that we could really focus on the process and interrogate what we were doing. We had some nights in there during winter storms and it felt really special to be in there. We also got visited by a ghost.

OTW: On "Solid Action," you address some rather dark topics with drug use, how does writing about things like this normally go? What are your goals when touching on topics like this one?

CHAMPS: It's a risky arena because you don't want to sound pretentious. But I feel like writing should touch on things that are out of the ordinary. Songs allow you to enter a realm outside of the mundane and if what you've experienced fits that criteria then it comes quite easily. As long as you're being sincere and it's real then it'll feel good to the listener. And they can interpret it however they please.

OTW: Who are 3-5 of your personal favorite ones to watch (up & coming) artists?

CHAMPS: There's another artist from the Isle of Wight called Lauran Hibberd who I think is destined for really big things. It's really playful punk music, sort of reminds me of The Pretenders when they first started.

Jessica Winter. She's got this wild Kate Bush sort of thing going on with her melodies and vocal. She's thinking about things a little bit differently and I think it's going to take her on quite a journey. Check out her latest single which is called Sleep Forever. She's been working with Sean too.

Gork, who is a Bristol-based band that has a really mad psychedelic edge. Think July circa 1968 with a bit of Syd Barrett and a sprinkle of Mac DeMarco.