Introduce your band – who’s in it, and what do you all do? How did you get together?
So we have Vanessa on lead vocals, Jay on electric guitar, Roo on synths and Max on drums! We met at uni in Bath – drawn to each other from day one. We were all obsessed with sounds/visuals from the same eras (80s and 90s pop culture). I think we all have an inner darkness as well… ??♀️
What first got you wanting to create music?
The urge to express and relate feelings, ideas and fantasies to a greater audience is a reason why we all feel compelled to play/write. Music has always been one of the most powerful forces in pop culture, and it’s incredibly inspiring.
You’ve just launched your first track, ‘Tastes Like Money’ – how did you go about creating it? What were you inspired by, and was it an easy process?
‘Tastes Like Money’ is a funny one, because the truth is none of us can really remember how the process went. We do know it started with Jay bringing the raw instrumental guitar track and the lyrics: “sweetness drips from your lips in a kiss”. The rest simply happened, lol.
Instrumentally the song suggests alternative 80s bands such as The Cure or Cocteau Twins, while melodically and vocally, poppier acts of the same era come to mind. Lyrically the song explores the idea that all love comes at a price (no, not prostitution).
We wrote it at a time when we were learning more about the music industry and coming to terms with selling ourselves as a product. Producer/mixer Marta Salogni (Blossoms, Shura) helped give the mix some crunch. She’s a hun! ?
What is it about 80s and 90s pop culture that you find so alluring? Nostalgia? Escapism?
80s and 90s pop culture is alluring because it feels like a different world now. Artistically these last eras before digital feel so stylistically defined in their very being that any image or sound from them feels like art. A lot of people, ourselves included, look to the pop culture of these times as escapism from the ever-blurring genre-saturated digital culture of today. Also, there are so many bangerzz!??
Are you a prolific bunch, do you have lots of tracks ready to go?
We are extremely prolific but at the same time extremely self-critical. We have a huge back catalogue, but only want to put things out that fully represent who we are. Saying that, we’re very excited for people to hear what we have up our sleeves… ✨
How did you end up supporting The View earlier this year? It seems a bit of an odd fit. Was it a fun gig?
Haha, it was a great fit! They’re such nice guys and incredible performers with really attentive fans – we had such a good time. One of our managers (James Endeacott) used to look after them on 1965 Records back when they released their first albums ten years ago. They had some crazy times together and are still really close. He showed them some of our stuff.
What do you guys like doing outside of band life?
Outside of band life, we’re all film fans, especially work that pushes boundaries. David Lynch is someone we’re constantly fascinated with. Overwhelmed that Twin Peaks is back baby!! ?
Photography’s also a particular interest to us, especially when it comes to pictures that ask questions. We were recently lucky enough to do a shoot with Charlotte Patmore (@Voteforpatmore) who we’ve been following for a long time. All her photos tell a story. We try to incorporate these things into our aesthetic. ?
Do you have big plans for over the summer? What are you up to?
Ah, well that would be telling! lol. We’re really excited to release the video for ‘Tastes Like Money’, gig and release more music in the not too distant future. Nothing’s set in stone yet… this is only the beginning. ?
Taken from the August issue of Dork – order a copy below.