Hi Sean, how are you? You have been together with Josh, Connor and Sean as a band since 2018. Your first album, Guitar Music, has been out for a month now. How do you feel now that it's out in the world? 

"Our plan was to record a rock album and then ruin it.” You mentioned that in the press release of the album. I think you've done it and you've become even more rock in doing it. Congratulations. 

As it usually happens, when describing your work, many comparisons with other bands have been written, or the formula ‘another band meets this other band sound’ is often used. Is it true that when it comes to writing about music, comparisons are useful for the reader to get an idea of the music you’re talking about is. But they are useless and unfair, especially for new bands. That's why I didn't want to do it in the first place (you've been very clear about that on Twitter), but I can't help myself and I think of Late of The Pier or The Horrors (sorry). But not in the sense that you're similar to these bands, but more in the sense that your album reminded me of some of their work, as it really channels indie music and indie bands and the idea we have of them. So, more in the way you’ve created such a concept album. Is that fair enough?  

Does the fact that you come from Liverpool intimidate or stimulate you? 

I love that you were influenced by Sophie to do some of the songs on this record. I feel like her work was never acknowledged enough. But it's really interesting to see a band take inspiration from her work and create something so great. Were there any of her songs that were key to this for you? Did you get a chance to meet her? 

Similarly, I think that capital R ‘rock’ music should be bombastic and fun, and solicit an instant reaction from listeners. I think Sophie achieved that a lot better than most modern bands and we wanted to capture that same feeling.  

“Guitar Music is about realising that you really love the music you hated when you were 13.” This is taken from their press release, and I think it's brilliant. It sort of captures the feeling that a lot of young people feel today about different things, but it's also such a poetic line. Has pop music become more respectable nowadays? Do you feel like you have come to terms with your teenage-selves? 

The title of the album is a very interesting choice, as it questions the concept of bands making and playing ‘guitar music.’ At the same time, there have been a considerable number of years in which most music critics have held up the concept of guitar music as the most valid criteria for assessing music. It seems to me that one of the layers of meaning we can find in your work is this cultural commentary as part of the ideas and lyrics of your music. How did you decide to name the album this way? Had you recorded the music before or was it really a turning point in creating the album? 

Guitar music is also a big heteronormative concept; pop music has always been much more inclusive, and this is probably one of the reasons why people and (male) critics are sometimes a bit harsh and don't take it seriously. Also, most of the bands that make guitar music have traditionally been boys and men. Why do you think it's hard for straight young men to like (or admit to liking) and enjoy some fun pop music? 

Loaded is one of those striking songs. You sing “And yeah, somewhere, yeah, yeah, somewhere in the Northern Quarter I picture piles of money falling from the sky,” and you talk about gentrification and the changing of cities and their identities. I can't think of a concept more relatable to so many cities around the world. Musically, the riff stands out, it's very cool but it also reminds me of a riff I've probably heard before in a Franz Ferdinand song (not sure if that was intentional). And also, your Spanish “Set your money on fire to see me, see me” is spot on. How did this song come about? 

I love the David Berman/David Beckham juxtaposition in Famous – were you fans of the first David? 

Is Jumper the love song of the album? I feel like Uncanny Valley Forever is such a beautiful song and has its great moment on the record, but this one feels especially tender. “I'd do the dishes. You could kiss me while I do the dishes,” captures a very intimate, very domestic moment, and the rest of the song talks a lot about things like watching a movie with the one you love, going for a walk at night or even imagining scenarios together. 

“I want you in analogue format forever” is a very enthralling line. Uncanny Valley Forever seems like a very emotional song, a tale influenced by dystopian times, almost like a Black Mirror chapter. And the production is quite hypnotic. I love the fact that we played it first without knowing its length. It's a delight. Can you tell us a little bit about the story behind the song? 

Crass is another highlight of the album. I wonder why it's the only song you've released before Guitar Music that you've included on the album, even though it's a new version. The beginning reminds me of some of the most popular poems in British literature, it's very folkloric. But somehow you bring it into the present and use references like “I think me and Kanye might still have sex” or the funny “Robbie's gone and I'm more than just the Jason from your damned Take That cover band.” Why did you decide to keep it on the album, and do you remember when and why you wrote it? 

You've talked about how you deconstruct your songs. How do you approach this process as a four-piece band? Is it difficult to reach the same point of satisfaction with the result of all the members deconstructing a song? 

In recent years, Dry Cleaning, Sports Team, Black Country, New Road and of course Courting, have appeared. Is the UK indie scene really shaping up to have a generational moment?  

Lizz Truss is gone, so what now, how do you feel about the current political climate in the UK? 

For a band whose debut album came out a month ago, I guess the pandemic may have affected the timing or even the process of making the record. It has definitely affected the music industry in many ways (live is becoming a real struggle for many bands) but I wonder what it was like for you guys to experience this when you were about to create the band's first album. 

What are your plans for the immediate future, is there more music on the way?