Ex Agent On Debut EP, Origins, And The Importance Of Surprising Themselves

George Ward

Freelance journalist and online editor for CLUNK. Can be found out and about in Bristol, finding cheap records or having a pint on King Street.

Following the release of their debut EP ‘New Assumptions…’ we chat with Bristol experimental group Ex Agent

Ex Agent are a Bristol experimental collective formed in 2021. On 30th July, they released their debut EP, the fascinating ‘New Assumptions…’ via Collapsing Drums.

Though only 5 tracks and 16 minutes in length, the band have crammed everything they can in there, making for one of the most exciting releases of the year so far. With moments of noise, classical, post rock and everything in between, Ex Agent have capably translated the uncomfortable chaos of their live show into a worthy debut project.

We chatted with the band prior to the release, discussing their origins, the making of the EP and possible future creative directions.

You formed in 2021 – Can you give us a quick rundown of how Ex Agent came to be?

2021 was a year of uncertainty. We were constantly in and out of lockdowns, Kill the Bill protests were in full whack and, in the gaps, a few of us would meet up and talk about art, film, music, and literature. Evo invited us round one evening to play together; a scarcely tuned piano, half a drum kit, and a few speakers filled their room at the time; most of us barely knew each other. We improvised and discussed approaches we may take to tell stories sonically. Graphic scores, live soundtracking, text based scores, free-improv, rule-based systems etc.

What has the journey since then looked like for the band?

Ex Agent started out as a pretty loose, improvised project. We booked our first show with Improv’s Greatest Hits just a few weeks in and pulled a set together from improvised material melding sections together through textural elements. The journey since has been scrambled. We’ve mostly focused on more composed material but meanwhile experimenting with ways to implement improv into our recording process.

Improvisation is still at our core and whenever we get to embrace this, it feels very special. We did a one-off show with Lee Ranaldo, Mark Stewart, and Gareth Sagar, supported Jukulo Duo at a night curated by Dali St Paul, and played a mostly improvised set at Schwett X with some of our favourite collaborators; Natalie Whiteland and Harry Furniss.

There’ve been loads of gigs that have excited us, but over the past year or so, outside of the odd show, we’ve mostly been focused on our EP. It’s been a slow and careful process, but one that feels tied to the start.

Your new EP ‘New Assumptions…’ is out on 30th July. What made 2025 the right year to release your debut project?

This wasn’t exactly a choice but more a necessity to get it right. It was important for us to feel collectively proud of what we were releasing, and to feel as if it was an accurate representation of our sonic identity. We changed the format of the EP a few times – scrapped tracks, added improvised sections, and experimented with layering. We wanted for the piece to feel like a story, contain the ups and downs of a narrative, take the listener on a journey etc. We’ve worked extremely hard on it and we are happy it took us until now to release. On to the next.

Can you tell us a little about the recording of the EP? Was it one session or over a longer period of time?

It is very much a collage of various recording sessions in multiple locations. We did most of the live tracking in the Louisiana basement so this is where all of the drums and electronic instruments were recorded, guitars, bass etc. It was pretty essential for us from the start to feature acoustic piano on the EP; we booked out a church to record the acoustic elements such as horns and grand piano.

We also assembled a choir of Bristol musicians for ‘Credit Song’. This location felt it brought so much personality to the EP. In June last year we were invited for a week-long residency at Prah Foundation in Margate, this is where all the vocals were recorded. Lastly, we did some additional recording at Bliss Community studio which unfortunately isn’t around anymore, and also some bits from home. A true collage.

Was it a challenge confining the chaos of your live show into a short, recorded project?

In many ways yes, but this also felt like a necessary aim for us. Forming as more of an improvised project meant we could freely experiment with new ways of sonic storytelling while allowing our expressive subconscious to help form chaos during live shows. We always wanted to capture this in our recorded material and we are still exploring new ways to approach this.

We’ve recently been setting some time aside during studio sessions to record improvised material, these can later be used as transitional tools, narrative prompts, interludes etc. The EP features two completely improvised moments that actually replaced composed material; this lack of intentional writing ironically allowed the EP to flow more naturally and tell a story that to us that felt more cohesive. I think the idea of ‘collage’ in various ways will continue to make its way into future material, contributing to the chaotic nature of the band.

Even in 16 minutes, you take us on a bit of a journey. The swells, intense noise and more reflective closer make the project feel much fuller than many other similar EPs. Was this flow of the EP something you considered much when choosing what to include on your first release?

The flow of the EP is definitely something we’ve considered. During live shows, we have always made a point of continuous playing; we love for each section to flow seamlessly into the next blurring the lines between what is composed, and what is improvised. This was always something we wanted to achieve within our recorded material. The final two tracks were always intended to be played together, we considered releasing this as one song but decided against it. Similar to the editing process of a novel or a film, the pieces are to be stitched together in a way that benefits the full picture.

Within the genres you explore, it would be easy to lose some of the more unique textures, such as the woodwinds. Is it important to you to balance your sound, to give these quieter instruments as much space as more traditional noise instrumentation?

For sure yeah. We’ve actually wanted to explore less guitar based music for a while, it’s just slightly more out of our comfort zone, which could be a good thing really. We definitely see a need for listeners to take a break from traditional ´rock´ instrumentation also, a sort of palette cleanser. There are so many interesting instruments and sounds around us, each with a unique voice. Each plays its own important role in the context of music and story telling; those voices should be heard.

You’ve played with some exciting names in the past, Squid, Moin, Deb Googe to name a few. Can you think of anything you’ve learnt from these artists or any others you’ve performed alongside over the years?

We are all in the same boat in many ways, some people are lovely, some are monsters. We all need to use the toilet.

You’ve experimented in the past with incorporating performance art into your live shows. Is this something you’d like to expand further in the future?

100%. We’d absolutely love to do it more. Logistically it seems quite tough at the moment to bring these elements outside of Bristol. We will be working on that as soon as we have the means to do so. A set where a different performer comes on per song / chapter has been something that really interests us, almost a score to multiple performance pieces or even an Ex Agent play.

If you were to score another medium (eg. Film, Theatre etc.) what would make the most sense for the band? Is this something you’d be keen to explore?

We talked about this in the very early stages of the band and we are still yet to work on it. There were a few things that came to mind. Mostly 1920’s Surrealist films; The Seashell and Clergyman by Germaine Dulac would be a dream to score. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari by Robert Weine also.

Has making ‘New Assumptions…’ made it clear to you what a full length LP from Ex Agent might look like? Or is this something you’re yet to fully realise?

We are yet to fully realise this but are definitely more sure on some of the approaches we may take to do so. We have learned a lot through the making of ‘New Assumptions…’ about how we work as a group. We’d never want to just chuck a collection of ‘songs’ together. It’s important for us to surprise ourselves in the process, just as much as the listener, we’ll see.

Listen to ‘New Assumptions…’ here: