Since 2009, Polar has developed a raw and chaotic sound, paired with energetic live shows. Over the past 15 years, they have built a strong reputation in the music scene.
In 2023, the band experienced a significant lineup change, with founding member Adam Woodford (singer) remaining at the helm while new members Stefan Whiting (bass), Bruno Consani (guitar), Simon Richardson (guitar), and Max Flohr (drums) joined. This revitalized lineup brought a fresh perspective.
The newly formed Polar has performed at Resurrection Festival, toured Europe and the UK, and recorded their sixth studio album, “Five Arrows,” produced by Jack Murphy. This album explores the theme of change and is considered their strongest work to date.
With renewed determination, Polar feels unstoppable and continues to grow stronger than ever. We caught up with Adam to discuss the band’s latest album, music, and more!
Thanks for agreeing to speak with Occhi Magazine! The project ‘Five Arrows’ marks a significant new chapter for Polar. Adam, as the founding member carrying the torch forward, what emotions were you processing while rebuilding the band?
Thank you for the interview, I really appreciate it. For me, it feels like I have gone full circle and started from zero and that is not a bad thing at all, it feels like we are all learning and growing together. The split from the old members was sadly in bad blood and not only did I lose a band I lost their friendships as well and I’ve had a lot to process, and this had severely affected my mental health. With the new lineup in place, it has really energised me and the band and it’s made me appreciate the journey that Polar is on. This band had a near-death experience and that’s given the band a fresh perspective and a whole new lease of life and made me respect what Polar has built through the years.
The album title ‘Five Arrows’ feels symbolic – does it represent the five new members coming together as one force?
Exactly that, each arrow represents each member of the new era and the determination that they bring. We used to have a three arrow logo and it felt like the perfect transition to call the album ‘FIVE ARROWS’ and use the five arrows as the logo. We felt the title really represented the album we had created.
You’ve described this album as “the beginning of a brand new era of Polar.” How would you say your sound has evolved while maintaining that signature raw energy you’re known for?
When the old lineup left Polar, the first thing I did was to plan where I wanted to take Polar with its new sound. I have an interest in many different genres of music, but I have grown up in friendship circles that are making a lot of EDM music and I wanted to add an electronic back drop to the raw hardcore edge that Polar had become known for. It’s really added a lot of energy to the sound and a whole new dimension, which has opened doors for ideas with what we can do next to evolve our sound even further on future songs.
After 15 years of building Polar’s reputation, what aspects of the band’s identity were most important to preserve with the new lineup?
I think one of the reasons this survived and thrived is because the vocals stayed the same but evolved along with the new music, that consistency has really helped. I felt that the old Polar was a wounded animal and that band had lost its bite which it had taken a long time to create and I wanted to keep the reputation of being a force to be reckoned with and I think we are even more than that with the strength the band now has.
Working with producer Jack Murphy at Crystal Sound Studios, what new elements did he bring to your creative process?
Jack is the sixth member of Polar, he lived and breathed that record and his level of creativity has elevated our sound to levels I didn’t know that we could achieve. He shared our vision of fusing together all these different genres but keeping the raw hardcore sound which was probably last heard on our album ‘No Cure No Saviour’. Jack was constantly adding new elements with EDM, but he really helped with the structures to make sure the vocals have their moment in every song, this was super important to all of us.
‘The Hills Are Alive with The Sound of Violence’ tackles the hostility in today’s world. Was this theme of societal aggression a running thread throughout the album’s writing process?
It wasn’t really a theme but using that feeling of aggression and putting that into the songs. I felt a lot of anger and aggression towards myself and Polar because the band’s survival wasn’t supported or agreed within my old friendship group and that left me hurt and angry and the album allowed me to channel all these pent-up emotions and let out via the lyrics and the vocal delivery. With ‘The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Violence’ concept comes from the hostility in today’s world and living within a hostile environment and how both of situations have left me sad to exist in such a hateful world. It comes from a worldly and personal perspective.
Stefan, Bruno, Simon, and Max – as new members, what unique elements do they bring to Polar’s sound?
I feel forever lucky that I found such an incredible group of people that I am proud to call family now. What is special about each of them is their ability to come together and create a strong bond which has allowed Polar to gain momentum, they have created a loving team which shares the same goals and ambitions. Each member is integral to Polar and we learn and grow together, I truly believe that fate brought us together.
How did playing main stage at Resurrection Festival and touring Europe help cement the chemistry of this new lineup?
It was real learning curve for all of us and a lot of things went wrong on that run and being in those situations allowed us to strengthen our bond and cement that everything can be overcome as a unit. We really enjoy each other’s company a lot and that tour was a real education and it allowed us to support each through the rough and smooth, we could see that we had each other’s backs and we have a strong support network in one and another. This bond can’t be broken and that is such a positive feeling for each of us to have.
The album explores “the destructive power of change” – can you elaborate on how this theme manifests across different tracks?
Five Arrows tells the story of how personal circumstance and change are happening whether you like it not and to progress in this world you must accept change, however much it’s a bitter pill to swallow. The theme of “the destructive power of change” is really highlighted in such tracks as ‘A New Mentality’ which is about changing your mindset to better yourself from your past persona and ‘Soak It in Tragedy’ which is about drawing a line in the sand between the past and the present and how much damage the past relationships between friends/ex-band members had caused. I believe that if you can open up and embrace the changes around you, you can find something special, the record reflects the negatives and the positives that the band and I have gone through.
Was there a particular moment during the recording when you felt this new incarnation of Polar had truly found its voice?
It was when we finished the demo for ‘Swimming with Sharks’ with Jack and I honestly have never been so excited with a Polar song, it was fresh and exciting. I could feel that we were about to create something very special with this album, it felt we had broken the mould to Polar’s traditional sound and that we had accomplished what we had set out to do with the future sound of the band.
With support from major platforms like BBC Radio 1 and Metal Hammer, how do you plan to build on this momentum?
We are so thankful for all the support of the platforms like BBC Radio 1 and with this support and exposure, we want to push that momentum that they have built for us into touring as much as can so that side of the band can have the same strong momentum in the live environment. We have a lot to prove.
Your live shows are notorious for their energy – how have you adapted the new material to maintain that intense live experience?
I think the new stuff has created a brand new chaotic energy that we all feed off, we are currently on tour playing the new songs and they are being a lot better received than older material. The new songs have a lot of dynamics that lend themselves to the live environment and to see people connecting with them is such an incredible feeling.
Adam, as someone who’s been with Polar since 2009, which track on ‘Five Arrows’ best represents the band’s evolution?
It would have to be ‘A New Mentality’ as that is what was needed to rebuild Polar and return stronger than ever. ‘A New Mentality’ brings together the traditional Polar sound with the brand new elements and I feel this song really sets the tone for the record.
The album is described as “a symbol of resilience” – what do you hope fans take away from this new chapter of Polar?
I hope fans take away that however hard life can become don’t give up and that fans see this record as a symbol of resilience. ‘FIVE ARROWS’ takes you on the journey through the dark days to find solace in the brighter days ahead and this can be adapted to everyday life although this record is a personal account of the dark days I went through to get to this point, I hope this record gives people strength to carry on.
For further information on the band and touring dates visit the following links:
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