One Man Boycott Connects on the Raw Power Behind New Release "Face for Radio" and the Journey to Rebuild
- STAFF
- Nov 6
- 13 min read
By: Staff
"Face for Radio” is a bold, electrifying anthem that captures One Man Boycott at their most vulnerable and powerful.
One Man Boycott has returned with a force that will shake you from the inside out. With the release of their latest album, Face for Radio, frontman Joe Brewer has once again put everything on the line, raw, honest, and unfiltered. The album marks not only the band’s return but a pivotal moment in Brewer’s personal journey, a reflection of the struggles, self-doubt, and eventual resurgence that have defined his path. It’s a ride through the highs and lows, with a chorus so anthemic you’ll feel it in your bones and lyrics that hit like a cold splash of water. It’s one of those rare works that demands you listen, not just with your ears, but with your soul.
We spoke with Joe to uncover the stories behind the music, diving deep into the themes that shaped Face for Radio. We explored the driving force that led to this comeback, what it was like to confront the darkest corners of addiction and self-doubt, and how the vulnerability on this track has opened new doors for him both as an artist and as a person. Joe opens up about the personal battles that fueled the album, the deep connection with fans, and why he’s willing to stand in the spotlight despite the struggles. The conversation reveals an artist who’s no longer hiding from his truth but is instead daring the world to listen.
Face for Radio is more than an album; it’s a statement. A declaration that even in the face of adversity, the journey to rebuild and move forward is worth every step. Read on as Joe Brewer takes us through the making of this powerful record and the lessons learned along the way.
Keep scrolling to get into it with One Man Boycott.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview:
Hello One Man Boycott, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview! We've had an amazing time exploring your music and diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more intrigued to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.
Q. What was the defining force or life-changing moment that pushed you to create this incredible album, making you feel like you had to make Face for Radio, no matter what it took?
A. Hey thanks for having me, I think with the way that I write music the definitive 'moment' that launches me into writing anything isn't super obvious, it is just that I need to write, I've learnt that I can't live with myself without it,
When I think about the trigger for Face For Radio, it's been a long time coming. If I'm honest, it goes back to when I was starting to fire up One Man Boycott again after the break – After all the successes we had with the debut album Counting The Seconds, I kinda got lost, I lost sight of who I am and what was meant to be a short reset break turned in to a few years of depression with basically zero music.
When I finally snapped out of it and realised I wasn't living as my authentic true self, One Man Boycott felt like starting from zero, fresh, exciting and scary.
I had buckets of self doubt, all the past achievements seemed so far away, did they even count any more?
But from that moment I wanted to put out this follow-up album, I've had the name Face For Radio for years but that was the only thing I had towards this release at that time. I also knew that jumping straight into an album project to follow the debut after so long away wasn't a smart move and would potentially give the fans something less than I'm capable of so I spent a couple years releasing singles, covers and a couple EP's to rediscover the love of songwriting again and find my voice again.
The last 18 months to two years I've been in a place where I've started to believe in myself as an artist again so I knew it was the time that the singles I was writing would turn into the album we have today, that's when the project started gathering size. The one thing I truly underestimated was how much, at least lyrically, it would mean to so many people.
This album is a snap shot of who I have been over the last two years, who I am in some capacity and I'm overwhelmed and proud of the connection it's having with people around the world.
Q. What is the song “Boycott Fans Saved My Life, And Not For The First Time (Intro)” about, and why did you choose to open the album with it?
A. Ah so this is the only track on the album I've had for longer, it's a thank you letter to the OMB fans.
I wrote this in my head walking alone on a beach in Fuerta Ventura. The thinking behind it is all the negative talk and self doubt I have, contrasted against the positive energy and love I get from the fans.
When I'm at my lowest or if I'm going down a route that isn't healthy, it's invariably the positivity and kindness of the OMB community that pull me out of it.
My favourite part in this one is the opposing lines of “let me drown” always answered quieter with “don't let me drown” - it really shows the internal struggle of light and darkness.
I've got two kinda fun facts for you too; I've actually got a tattoo that says “Out Of Darkness Cometh Light” across my chest from the city I come from, it's funny how often that resonates.
And the reoccurring line of “let me drown” was actually the last words my Grandfather said as his lungs filled with fluid before he died, a bit morbid I know but I didn't know that until last week when my dad heard the track for the first time and it knocked him sideways.
Q. “Imposter Syndrome” has a cathartic and melodic feel. How do you personally relate to the themes of this track, especially considering your journey through selfdoubt and recovery?
A. Firstly I think recovery is an ongoing thing with these sort of themes, it's something we need to constantly be aware of so we don't slip back into them.
All of the songs are personal to me on this album in some way but this one is close to the bone in terms of self talk, doubt but using those things to pull yourself out of it.
Also the universal idea of putting on a brave face or smile or outward looking confidence or whatever when inside you're in pieces, barely holding it together really resonates with a lot of people, me included.
Q. Your song “Confidence” is a direct plea to a past version of yourself. What specific moment in your life or career were you trying to reach back to with that track?
A. The spark of inspiration for Confidence came from the person I was before getting into a toxic relationship in the past, it absolutely stripped me of any confidence in my self, my thoughts and ideas, everything, it was horrible. And although it took years to regain a lot of it, it definitely has changed me as a person and I hate that.
I still try everyday to be more like that dude I was before, the dude I am deep down and some days I nail it, some days I don't but the OMB fans have helped more than they can know with giving me more of the good days than the bad ones.
Q. "Self Help Pt.2" confronts personal growth head-on, yet with a bit of self-aware humor. What role does humor play in your recovery process, and how does it help you cope with darker themes?
A. Haha yeah I do that a lot! Humour is the best medicine for sure and I've always been like it. Take the music seriously, don't take yourself too seriously.
But I don't actually use it in music with darker themes, I really think it's important to feel all the emotions when writing or laying down vocals, that's what music is all about; connection and emotion. So I never shy away from it or try to make it easier, if I cry or get choked up when I'm writing or recording songs like that, I know I'm on the right path.
Q. “Nevergenetics” stands out as a fan favorite. We love the title, too! What did it mean for you to release a song about breaking the patterns you feel are “in your DNA”?
A. Yeah I thought I was being clever with that title haha.
I think again the theme in this one is kinda universal to anyone who has felt like a predetermined path is working against their life goals and ambitions, I really like the defiance in the lyrics of this one like I won't accept that.
There are actually a load of nods to different things in this one, I wont go into all of them now but even from the opening sample saying “a reflection on people being more harsh or uncaring towards each other” to “we don't lie”, “if we never hit the ground, we'll never give up”, and “you're just a fake...”, “I don't care what you think” there's a load packed into this one but somehow I managed to wrap it into a coherent song about fighting against a perceived predetermined life path.
Q. The track “Life Is A Movie” dives into a raw, vulnerable subject like infidelity. Why did you choose to explore this theme, and how did it feel to channel those personal emotions into a song?
A. It's a bit messy to get into these sort of subjects but sometimes I like to get amongst the weeds and let my imagination run with a situation to maybe blow a narrative up or create a story that becomes the basis of a song. I kinda did this on a track or two on Counting The Seconds too but I enjoy the process because it's a bit different to my 'go to' and I find it a bit harder to achieve the end result. This one slaps though, I love the “I can't breathe when you're not with me” lyric.
Q. “The Alchemist” has a darker, more introspective feel compared to some of the more upbeat tracks. Can you talk about your personal connection with the themes of addiction and transformation in this song?
A. Yeah so The Alchemist – another title I thought I was clever with - is pretty dark and placed at track seven on the album on purpose.
I've never said it publicly to somehow try and protect her but my mother has struggled with addiction for probably her whole life, it's torn our family apart. Growing up with that and having to deal with it as an adult trying to be a good son is so tough and exhausting. I hope nobody who sees this can relate but you know, sadly many people will.
Having a parent with addictive traits make a child eight times more likely to struggle with addiction so that is where this song is written from.
Lines like “It feeds on your insides, if you let it, it cheats and it fu**ing lies, if you let it” is talking to the addiction in an advise kinda way, the break is kinda like a talk with an addict and I delayed the chorus coming in with the structure of this one because the chorus is the self talking to the internal addiction with a conversation I'm certain an addict has said to themselves so many times, “this time is the last time”.
Q. “Optimist Prime” offers a more hopeful conclusion to the album. How does it reflect your current outlook after everything you’ve been through, and what’s the message you hope listeners will take away from it?
A. I'm so proud of this song, I think from a songwriting perspective it's probably up with the best I've done, especially with the added weight of being the closer of this particular album.
It's so vibey, I love it. Actually the vocals are the demo takes because I tried to re record it for the release and it just lost something, the authenticity of it maybe, maybe I was in a different place when I wrote it to when I recorded it properly, like I was saying earlier about emotions in vocal takes, maybe when I went to re-record it, I just wasn't in that place any more? I'm grateful my demos are usually good enough to do this with, just in case.
I think it's a song about the good days and bad ones, and trying to walk on the side of rejecting the negative and accepting the good things and mindsets to walk in the light. We're all trying and it's OK to find things hard but just don't give up on yourself you know, there's beauty in the trying itself, you're not alone, most of us try you can too.
The chorus was trying to capture the times you wake up and you're just on it, you're energised by the good mood you're in and nothing can touch you, suns out you're just in a great place mentally and there's no good reason for it, that's a beautiful day.
Q. Self-producing the album must have been both empowering and challenging. What did you discover about yourself as a producer that you hadn’t realized before working on Face For Radio? What was the biggest challenge you faced during this process?
A. Self Producing this one is part of the longer term plan for One Man Boycott, it was right for me to do it at this point and working with Grant Berry for the masters was brilliant. I'm not sure that any future OMB full band tracks will be self produced again at this point but I'm already working on the next release. I'll continue to self produce the acoustic side of Boycott though because I do love doing it.
I think the main takeaway from this process is that although I know I'm not the best there is, I'm definitely better than I think I am. I love the whole process of creating in the studio then recording and mixing myself so it'll be hard to give it away to someone else but also there's so much merit in working with other producers after I've done a record myself to completion.
That's what happened with Counting The Seconds, I produced the entire record then took it to Romesh Dodangoda and he put new ideas forward plus his world class production on it to make that album better than what it started as. I think that's gonna be the way to go because I still get to produce myself and the fans get the best version I can deliver at the time. After the success of this album with zero backing, completely DIY, completely solo self funded, I'm looking to go all in on what's coming next.
Q. After years away from the full-length album format, how did it feel to return to it with Face For Radio? Was there a part of you that felt like a fresh artist, or did you feel like you were picking up right where you left off?
A. Yeah it did feel fresh, I think the time away and between albums has helped me not feel too much of the pressure that a second album in particular can put on an artist.
Attention spans have pushed the industry into a singles only format, especially for small independent artists trying to grow and that was kinda the path I'm taking but I had a realisation that wait a minute, I'm the artist, if I think I want to do an album and it's not just a collection of singles why the fu** shouldn't I do it?
So I think I'm gonna continue doing it my way; continuously writing and releasing those songs to my Patreon community as soon as they're done, then we choose what singles go out for release and when I get to a place where a group of the backlog of songs on Patreon fit into an album I'll release that as a full length.
It's kinda bests of both worlds while giving my Patrons a lot more for their direct support.
Q. You’ve been open about mental health struggles and the cycles of relapse and recovery. How do you feel music, specifically Face For Radio, has helped you in that journey, and what do you hope it offers to listeners who might be going through similar battles?
A. It's the kind of thing where I didn't really intend on it ending up that way but in retrospect it's been like therapy for me to write these songs and even now after it's out, the songs are helping me like it is others, except it's me telling me so I guess there's and added weight to it for me personally.
My hope with the Face For Radio and based off conversations I've had with fans about it is that it reaches as many people as possible because the kind of feedback I'm getting from people it resonates with on a deeper level are things like, “I've struggled with this kinda thing my whole life and you understand”, “I feel seen”, “you shine a light on what I'm going through and give me the confidence and hope to pull through it”, I think that matters and shows me I've completely underestimated my songs on this one.
Q. In the songwriting process, do you ever feel like the music takes on a life of its own and starts steering you in unexpected directions, or do you typically have a clear vision for where the song will go from the start?
A. Honestly the normal way I write music and lyrics doesn't come from a place of “I want to write about this or that today”. I get an inspiration for a chorus or vibe of a track, like I hear it all fleshed out in my head then I start recording and see where it takes me from that point.
I feel like I'm uncovering where the song goes like an archaeologist digging up bones or listening to something else writing through me rather than writing it myself – I've got pretty out there thoughts on writing music, like where does it come from, is it pure inspiration from the artist or are we just a conduit?
I write on feelings and emotions, I try not to think too much about what I'm saying in a song only about the feeling and technical execution.
Usually it's only after a song is finished, I look back and realise what I've written about, and then potentially tweak lyrics to make more sense with that new perspective, it's weird I know but yeah that's how I do it.
Q. We can’t thank you enough for sharing these intimate details! So, what's next? Can you give us the inside scoop on your upcoming projects and what fans should be excited about? We’d love for the readers to hear the news directly from you!
A. Oh yeah I'm an idiot and decided to release a solo acoustic EP with all new songs, not just acoustic versions of full band songs in December! So I'm frantically working to make that happen on time because I want to run solo acoustic One Man Boycott alongside the full band experience to showcase two different sides to my writing under the same artist name. I'm working on some production changes to the full-band Boycott sound for the next release and I'm also working on returning to playing live in the EU again after an 18 month absence and obviously UK shows in '26.
Thanks for having me, I've really enjoyed this!
One Man Boycott, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!
End Interview
We’re happy to have shared One Man Boycott’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
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