So, where exactly is it that only the truth is spoken?
“It’s a reference to Sheffield. Wilkie was on holiday one day and he got talking to a local guy about the area. When this guy found out Wilkie was a Sheffielder he spoke the phrase, ‘Ah, Sheffield, the land where only the truth is spoken…’ We thought that was so cool. Sheffield is renowned for its honesty. Brutal honesty, sometimes. People tell it as it is.”
Opening track Blood To The Leach ends with a sample that sounds akin to the encounter you’re describing, but it’s not exactly in the King’s English. Where does that sample come from?
“It’s just one of our friends. There’s a local quote: ‘If you ever do something for nothing, make sure you do it for yourself!’ If you put that into Yorkshire slang it becomes ‘If ivver tha does owt fer nowt – allus do it fer thissen – in God’s own country, where only the truth is spoken!’ It feels like a bit of an Easter egg, an explanation of what the album is all about. Is WOTTIS a tribute to Sheffield? I wouldn’t call it a ‘tribute’ necessarily. There are songs, like Heavens Shake, which reference aspects of life in Sheffield, like young kids getting drawn into gang violence. The album title is a tribute, but there’s more going on than that.”
That cover piece is another collaboration with veteran artist Eliran Kantor. What is it saying?
“Eliran smashed it. I love working with him because he always understands our vision, and this epic reveal for the artwork feels like the driving force behind [the album launch]. We wanted the artwork to reflect the same things as the album title. The image itself shows a central figure – you don’t see his face, just this outline of a man – in some kind of fiery factory setting, which is crumbling around him. But he’s pulling this symbol with his finger on his lips. He’s surrounded by fire and general suffering which is a reference to the history of Sheffield with steel making, the factories and the hard conditions people worked through in years gone by.”