INTERVIEW
Alice Gee | 13/10/2025
OTP are stepping into a new era with the release of their album And I’d Do It Again. For the band, it’s more than a record. It’s a reflection on heartbreak, growth, and learning to show up with honesty, both for themselves and their fans. Across nine months of writing and self-discovery, they found healing in vulnerability and joy in turning chaos into music. Setting out on tour in the US with The Wombats and previously touring with YUNGBLUD, Louis Tomlinson and Bastille, the band feel a renewed sense of purpose, selling out Brixton in 10 minutes, OTP are not only chasing their dreams but also building spaces where fans can connect, feel safe, and celebrate together. The band are eager to talk about their evolution, their mission to keep live music accessible, and how they’re navigating this wild journey side by side.
Alice
Today is a big day for your guys' debut album announcement. People trivialize the idea of putting music out, because music is so accessible in many ways nowadays, but to actually write songs and put them into an album together, it's not easy.
OTP
It's incredibly exciting though. It's busier than ever, but we're doing what we've always set out to do. We always try to stay present, live in the moment and remember that there’s no guarantee we'll be doing this forever.
I feel like the album is like a new evolution. I wrote the record in a time where I was self-reflecting and discovering. It's a crazy life, but it's A beautiful chaos.
Alice
It’s interesting as I'm known for meeting a goal, and then chasing the next thing and the next thing. You're constantly on this conveyor belt of creation in-between everything. It's nice to take a moment and just realize we’re doing what we've been dreaming of for a long time.
OTP
If the us from 10 years ago could see what we’ve achieved now, I think we’d be proud of how far we’ve come.
We're also trying to keep growing and chasing dreams. There’s a destination for us, like the venue we've always dreamt of playing - Brixton. When we play there, it feels so poignant not just in our music careers, but also in our lives. We’ve all been there as fans, feeling inspired at those shows, so actually getting to be part of creating them is a bit surreal.
Alice
The album feels very open and honest around the writing, emotionally and in every other single way possible. When creating the album, what was it about being honest that you wanted when showing up for yourselves and the fans?
OTP
Fans definitely have helped my writing processes. When I started to be vulnerable, the way they took the songs in our early career and told us how much it had helped them open up about their feelings. That definitely made me feel like I could just write with no fear.
Putting out a really vulnerable piece of music is quite scary, but it is a beautiful thing to hand it over, to let people take from it what they need. My earlier songs paved the way for me to be as honest as I can. I went through a breakup when writing the album, and I was reflecting. That led me to dig deeper, and the album became a soundtrack to nine months of intense self-reflection.
The album explores heartbreak, as well as things that happened more recently. We wanted the stories to feel universal because they’re about human emotion. We're all the same in the sense we share the same thoughts and feelings.
We wanted it to be a bit of fun and not too solemn, but for the undertone of the record to be genre bending, look at self sabotage, but also bring the message of loving yourself more. It doesn't matter if you make mistakes in life, what matters is how you come out the other side.
Alice
I think it's really interesting to see what the fans take from it. It does have the power to change people's lives. Going through those phases and figuring things out, especially in your late twenties, can be a real turning point. Has making this record helped you with that?
OTP
I use songwriting and music as an outlet to cope with my negativity. At those moments I want to be honest and let it all out. It's amazing as I feel a sense of being emotionally hungover, as if I didn't want to admit I was feeling down.
I was writing these soulless pieces of music that didn't mean anything, then I just admitted to the boys I'm having a bit of a tough time. Then that song fell from the sky. We wrote it in like an hour, and the fans have really taken that one recently.
I think it's a beautiful thing to see how a piece of music that meant something to you had helped you, then helped people on mass. It’s amazing that people have got the lyrics to the tune already. There's no bigger compliment as a musician, if your music can actually help people.
Alice
To me it’s always been about creating these safe spaces, and I feel that is something that is important to you when listening to the music, little moments where people can experience escapism, reflection or an accessible community where people feel safe with each other.
OTP
That is what we want. In a nutshell, it's a community. It’s escapism. It's acceptance. You can leave your worries at the door and have a moment with us.
Music has a powerful way of speaking to us in a deep way. That’s exactly what we want our shows to be.
Alice
I think it’s amazing how something that seems small can have such a big impact. Whether it’s a gig, an album, or something people don’t even think of as a ‘safe space,’ it can become that place that really changes things for someone.
OTP
The amazing thing about what we do is that we create art that’s deeply personal to us, but music is subjective, and that’s the beauty of it. A song might be written about one thing, but it can resonate with someone else in a completely different way. That’s not offensive or a problem, it’s part of what makes music powerful. I don't think other things can be that subjective to every single individual.
As much as we love to be in the studios of safe spaces and pour into the music while creating it, we have to give it over eventually. It's almost like you're handing over your baby, but it's so amazing and beautiful to see how people take that in. We hear how our songs speak to people, and it's completely different to why I wrote those lyrics. It feels so fresh and inspiring to hear how people take your songs.
The shows are the celebration of what we want for the community and the fans. They said they are thankful for the community we've built, but we're grateful that they have created this around us. One of the most amazing things is that we know so many of our fans by name.
Alice
You must be proud to have created a safe space for fans to bond – a community!
OTP
We know that there are best friends who came to our show alone before, but they've built bonds and become best friends. I remember seeing these circles of fans at a show in Holland and a video on Twitter, they weren't even looking at us but singing at each other. That's unbelievable, because it's not about us on stage. It's about them having a moment with our sound track.
I honestly didn't think our music could have that effect on people when we first started. It's really incredible. We're celebrating the album, and I can't wait to feel the energy on show. It's been seven years in the making so it’s a big release for us.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Tommy wears: Tshirt, SCRT. Jacket and Trousers, Sandro. Belt, about:blank. Shoes, Prada.
Marcus wears: Shirt, Geordi Campbell, Tie, Stylist’s archive. Jacket and Jeans, END. X Levi’s. Shoes, Sebago.
Andy/Roo wears: Top, SCRT. Shirt, SCRT. Jeans, Acne Studios. Shoes, GH Bass.
Clem wears: Top, &SONS. Jacket, Heron’s Ghyll. Trousers, Feng Chen Wang. Belt, R.M.Williams. Shoes, Sebago.
Alice
When it comes to playing your dream venue I do believe that good things come in time. What was the thought behind playing Brixton for a pound? Were you hoping to highlight accessibility in the industry?
OTP
We're the first band to ever do Brixton for a pound. You've just hit the nail on the head. We're in a cost-of-living crisis and gig prices are getting really affected. They're soaring and live music's becoming so inaccessible. We feel that strongly because we picked up instruments for inspiration and escapism. You go to a show and feel accepted immediately, because everyone in that room is sharing one common interest, which is the music that's resonating with them. That's being taken away from young people particularly.
We believe live music should be accessible regardless of income and background. Music saved us in our early years, so we want to do the same for others. Our first tour was a pound, because we wanted people to come and make a real statement. Doing Brixton is a big thing for us, but the bigger thing is we want to discuss how live music should be more accessible. We want it to be affordable for anybody, and hopefully everyone can come and celebrate the album with us. It's our dream venue as well and fair play to everyone's been involved in making it happen.
Alice
We're always conscious that if we can't create everything to be free, we have something that is accessible where people can feel part of it.
You guys have been so open about your mental health, whether it's creating the community and the spacing. There’s beauty in having people around you in times where you might not necessarily want them to be there. Being together in a band for more than seven years, propping up and supporting each other is really important. It’s crucial in the evolution of the band.
OTP
We’ve spent so much time together, so we learned really well. We make a point of checking in with each other, while also giving space if someone’s having a tough day.
Talking about mental health is more important than ever. We've got a couple of songs that are reaching out to people, so they don't feel like it ends with loneliness. Those songs seem to have had the biggest reaction firsthand for us, and people told us it helped them through a hard time. There's no bigger compliment in the world for a musician. When we're pouring into these songs, it helps us mentally as well, because we're able to kind of pour ourselves into music. That's the outlet.
We encourage young men to talk about how they're feeling. We weren't talking much about our feelings ten years ago, but the conversation is developing. What’s amazing is that our fans are helping. It's all about that safe space, allowing people to come and just and express themselves mentally.
Alice
It’s showing up for people in different ways. During the days where we have to pick our battles, they show up simply and don’t push that. There’s the beauty in knowing one another or knowing the space.
OTP
There is pressure with what we do. I don't think being a solo artist would bode well for me, because we're like four brothers who can lean on each other, so you're never really alone. There's always company on this wild ride we've been on together. I'm so thankful that I've got the boys. I wouldn’t have as much fun or be as stable, if I’m by myself.
There are tough times and days when you feel knackered or low. When you're away from home, it can get tough, and we're always there for each other on a friend level, which is really lovely. Our crew are all our best friends, because they are still the same from the start. We're like a band of brothers that have come through together.
Listen to OTP new single ‘Thinking bout your Ex’ on all streaming platforms.
Words Alice Gee
Photography Ruben Davies @rubendavies
Styling Nathan Henry @naifhen, Stella Creative Artists
@stellacreativeartists
Grooming Evelyn Davies @evelyndavieshairr
Styling Assistant Stoyan Chuchuranov @__stoyan
