#essential2013 Interviews: Novella on the Murmurs E.P.
Earlier
this month we published our #essential2013 E.P’s countdown and featured at the
very top was the Murmurs E.P. from Novella. This kind of thing calls for a chat
so we decided to talk to the bands’ Hollie about the E.P itself, cassettes and
Psychedelic cocktails…
One // So you made it to our
#essential2013 selection… How does it feel?
Very cool! Much
appreciated.
Two // Murmurs was released on
cassette. What is it that makes the cassette a perfect format for your music?
Well, firstly it’s cheap…
With this release we really wanted do something quick with little fuss and to
give us the opportunity to record some of the songs we’re working on for the
album. And putting something out on tape is just a quick way of getting something
out there. And thanks to Sophy who did the artwork, they look great too.
Three // The E.P is a very listenable
one. What was recording process like for Murmurs?
Pretty speedy so we didn’t
have much time to mess around as we did 4 songs in 6 hours. But we were
pleasantly surprised with the results and it was really such a useful process
to help us with the album – we don’t really record demos as a band aside from
recording our rehearsals on a phone so it’s helped us think about how songs
will sound on record.
Four // You have an album due in 2014
as well. How is work going on it? What can we expect to hear?
We’ve been working pretty
hard the last few months, not playing any shows and just focusing on writing.
This record is so important to us - it really means a lot to be putting out an
album and thinking about putting out a collection of songs rather than just one
song. We’ve been really determined to only put songs on the album that we feel
really happy with rather than just the latest set of songs we happen to have
written.
Five // It’s been (to our ears at
least) a good year for music. Which artists have impressed you in 2013 from
your local music scene and nationally or beyond?
Blueprint Blue are a great
new band. I also love Telegram’s single, though I keep missing seeing them
live. I’ve enjoyed everything Mazes have put out this year. And we’ve played
with Moon Duo a couple of times and they are by far my favourite live band I’ve
seen this year – their set at Liverpool Pysch Fest was insane.
Six // When we first heard your music
it was through single Mary’s Gun. There’s a slower version on Murmurs that is
just as brilliant as the original. What made you record a slow version of the
song?
One of the things I think
is both fun and frustrating about making music is knowing when you’ve written
the best version of a song… Sometimes you’ll write something acoustically and
then others will write their parts but there can sometimes be this feeling of
is this version better or is it better to just leave it alone? I don’t
necessarily feel like that about Mary’s Gun, I think the single version is
great, but I’ve always liked the idea of recording songs but then re-working
them to play live or to put on something like the tape. It’s something I hope
we’ll do more of in the future.
Seven // Earlier this year you were in
#srcz’s base in Liverpool for the International Psychedelia Festival. How was
the experience?
By far the most fun
weekend I’ve had all year. Psychedelic themed cocktails? What’s not to like.
Eight // Looking on your TUMBLR, you
often post vintage art and music that is truly inspiring. Is there a song that
you wish you’d written? Why?
Maybe Stereolab’s ‘Jenny
Ondioline’. Or ‘I’m Set Free’ by The Velvet Underground. Or ‘Some Velvet
Morning’ by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. Or The Flamingos ‘I only have eyes
for you’. That’s a very hard question. Too hard.
Nine // What is your personal
favourite track you’ve released so far?
Probably ‘Mary’s Gun’, as
I think it’s the truest reflection of our influences and it was quite a turning
point for us as a band. But I have a soft spot for our first single ‘The Things
You Do’.
Ten // finally, what words would sum
up your 2013 experience perfectly?
