Editors (band) - Musical Style

Musical Style

Editors' own variation of dark indie guitar rock draws on influences from both older and contemporary bands. Their influences include Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division, The Strokes, The Walkmen, Elbow. and R.E.M.. The band draw their musical style particularly from the latter two bands' debut albums Murmur and Asleep in the Back. While often compared to Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen by the media, the band commented that those bands are too old to have a major impact on their musical style. Upon Editors' first appearances in the British music scene, they were also heavily compared to American indie band Interpol.

Editors' first album, The Back Room, was described as having a wiry and raw sound, which led it to being famously dubbed 'dark disco' by the NME. This sound was created by the use of synthesizers, catchy guitar riffs and simple, ambiguous lyrics. An End Has a Start showed progression to a new 'bigger' sound. This new sound was created by adding more textured layers to the songs as well as incorporating new forms of music into them. These include the adding of a choir in "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors" and the inclusion of the sounds of the band playing Hide-and-seek in the song "Spiders".

Lead singer Smith announced that the band would explore a new direction on their next album, pursuing a new, rawer sound. The new sound materialised itself on the third album through the use of traditional synthesizers instead of the band's previous use of guitars. The producer of In This Light and on This Evening, Flood also increased the importance of "vibe" in the music's sound, making it darker than the previous two albums, while also attempting to make the album sound as if it had been recorded live.

While Smith tends to write the lyrics and chords, song writing overall is a collaborative effort. The song writing starts with Smith on the piano or acoustic guitar where he records them and sends them to the other band members where the song is turned into a full 'Editors song'. Lead singer, Smith, has said that he purposely makes the lyrics ambiguous so people can draw their own conclusions.