Words: Marshall Dickson

REAX: It was such a pleasant surprise to hear the opening notes of “Cha Cha Cha” as I squeezed into your packed afternoon set at Red Eyed Fly during SXSW. How did the festival and all its chaotic glory benefit you in setting up the new ep?
Ed Reyes: It was really great & we had a lot of fun this year. Last year we played seven times, even playing three times in one day!It’s stressful to play South By Southwest, as you don’t get soundchecks and even though it’s very compact and the venues are close, the logistics of playing gigs in such a hectic environment can be maddening. There’s also press and interviews to be done, and you try to sneak in watching a few shows too. When it’s all said and done the whole experience is very rewarding. So this time having just a few shows allowed us to enjoy ourselves more and talk to more people about the new records.

REAX: You’ve recently changed labels from Astralwerks in the US and Heavenly in the UK to your own Branches Recording Collective label worldwide. What instigated this transition, and how does this affect the band’s future plans?
ER: With the economy the way it is, there was some rearranging at the major label we were with, a restructuring process, and we were let go. In the changing face of the music business, small bands do get affected. In the end it worked out in our favor as when we were let go, we got to take our finished masters. The album, Morning Time, is ready to go and will come out in the summer. In the meantime, we wanted to get new music out to people so we’ve decided to release another EP, Terry Tales and Fallen Gates. When you are on your own you can act quicker than when you are with a major label.

REAX: Your songs are chock full of dancing rhythms and butt-wiggling melodies. The Sing Song EP has been my “Get out of bed and face the day” soundtrack for many months. How do you craft songs that generate such blissful physical reactions?
ER: HA! That’s great. Our approach to songwriting is we go into the studio and work on a bunch of tracks, play the songs either for ourselves or at a show, and watch to see people’s heads bobbing or their feet moving. That’s how we know it’s a keeper! It’s the best and most honest way to song write. When you enjoy it yourself and playing it live, you get genuine feedback and real interaction.

The Little Ones' Terry Tales and Fallen Gates EP is out now.

wearethelittleones.com