In Conversation With - Orchards
Orchards have just unleashed their amazing debut album ‘Lovecore’ into the world, and it’s packed full of twiddly-fiddly math-rock goodness while pushing the pop music boundaries wide apart all at the same time. The Brighton bunch recorded a special live video of their latest single ‘Magical Thinking’ as part of their special Dreamland Sessions series, filmed at a special location in Margate. We are delighted to be able to share with you this unique performance.
The band took a moment to talk to us about recording on a boat, the importance on mental health and how the whole album came together.
So, your debut album 'Lovecore' is out now. How does it feel to have it out there?
Relieved? Excited?
Is there any meaning behind the title?
We've always struggled finding a genre that defines us. We joked about us being like a cheerful hardcore band once and the phrase Lovecore came up. We put it on the album name list and after listening back to the album we decided it just made so much sense.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the recording process?
We recording in London on a boat, like a proper studio still but a boat - it was genuinely so surreal but the most fun. The rest of the album recording was in the Essex countryside in a renovated barn in burning hot August sun. It was perfect, it was so remote, just us greenery and some partridges.
Your single 'Magical Thinking' is on the album and if deals with the topic of mental health. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
We like to talk about fairly serious topics in our tracks but in a positive way. We want to bring a little sunshine into your day but also help people feel less alone, and it's only becoming more important to really take care of your mental health.
Do you feel there is enough being done about mental health in society? Or should we be doing more?
More could be done, but it's a slow process. It won't happen quickly but subtle changes in everyday language will make all the difference. Validation and support is what people need and adapting that into everyday language.
You all met at university, what were you all studying?
We all studied music, some of us songwriting some of us specific instrumental disciplines. I think we all roughly met on the first day! Daniel and Sam have been friends since they were 3 though!
With it being your debut album, how did you decide which tracks made the final cut?!
We tried not to overload our options, write specifically for the album with the addition of a few older tracks. We wanted to make an album that was a drop of summer and I think we did that!
Do you have a favourite lyric on the album? If so, which one and why?
The lyric that have helped me most, "I'm ashamed of the things I don't act on" from 'Stealing Your Sleep', it's really pushed me to trust my instincts a little more.
Now the album is out there... what next ?
We have rescheduled our album tour for September and really it's just spreading Lovecore around the world!
Ochards’ debut album ‘Lovecore’ is out now via Big Scary Monsters. All Photo credit - Jessie Morgan