Band Of The Week #180 - Polo
This week’s Band of the Week is the hypnotically electronic Polo - who have just released their new album ‘A Place Between States’. It features previously released singles including the poignant down-tempo ‘A SOBERING THOUGHT’ and the pulsating R&B tinged ‘HOLOGRAM’. They took a moment to talk to us about how the album came together.
Hey there Polo, how are you? So your debut album is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Equal parts surreal and amazing. Every decision, action and thought over the past 18 months has been geared towards the release. It’s crazy to think that it’s out in the world for everyone to hear, the decisions have been made and the work is finalised.
It is titled ‘A Place Between States’ - does that have a certain meaning behind it?
APBS takes its name from the album track (a personal fave). The particular track is about having your mind opened up to a new feeling (or place) and taking comfort in its existence. It’s sort of about losing an idea of ‘yourself’ to discover yourself.
APBS then felt really fitting as an album title as it seemed a perfect phrase to describe our headspace and also the world around us, at the time of writing.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
We recorded the album across multiple spaces. Most of what you hear was recorded between Studiowz and Gethin Pearsons home studio. Kat was undergoing vocal therapy, we were writing remotely because of covid restrictions and we had to cancel several studio sessions that postponed the whole process considerably. We were travelling to Wales to record, which added an extra element of stress and resulted in lots of travel and little sleep.
Midway through the record we hit a wall, it was very hard to write anything and the thought of new material was extremely daunting. We decided to mix up the process and ditch our computers. We wrote most of We Recover, a personal favourite for all of us, in one long session at our studio. It was a pivotal moment for us, and opened up the door to the rest of the tracks.
What are the key themes and influences on the album?
We were sharing a lot of music between ourselves at the start of the recording; Yves Tumour, Dorian Electra, SZA, Sega Bodega, 070 Shake and then gradually all stopped listening to music the further into recording we got.
We explored several themes across the album. The songs inhibit the beauty of being outside the binary (You Have Always Been A Star), the magic in the chaos (Crazy Mind) and the recovery / healing process (We Recover, Hologram). It's definitely gets a bit darker in places as well. These songs are all set in the places in-between/outside and around ideas, constructs and states of mind.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the album? If so, which one and why?
‘’Because we dust off
And if I’m restless again, if I feel restless again, I know there’s always this place
Waiting, waiting, waiting waiting,
This is a place between states that’s waiting’’
This has always felt like the defining lyric from the record. One in which the rest is hinged upon.
Now the album is out there - what next for you?
Next up is our live session at BBC Introducing Leeds on 30th October. We’ll be playing a few of our favourite tracks from the record and having a chat with Emily Pilbeam. We’re also touring the record in February, so most of the tail end of the year will be spent preparing for this. We absolutely cannot wait to perform the new material. We expect it will provide some closure on the whole process.