“How would you describe your music to those who haven’t heard it before? –
Being punched in the face then kissed tenderly.”
Another Sky, a London-based four-piece band, have taken the alternative scene by storm: haunting, enchanting and curiously wistful, they secured a slot on the prestigious BBC Later…show and regularly perform across the country to smitten fans. Their incredibly well-received 2018 debut EP ‘Forget Yourself’ and recent release ‘Life Was Coming In Through The Blinds’ are a testament to the talented musicality of the band’s members, Catrin (singer and guitarist), Naomi (bassist), Jack (guitarist) and Max (drummer).
Who is your biggest musical inspiration?
The band formed out of a mutual love for Talk Talk’s later, more experimental work. Personally, my musical hero is Tracy Chapman. She’s a storyteller who captured people’s realities, the lives that weren’t being represented in mainstream music at the time.
Naomi is inspired by artists like Radiohead and Kelly Lee Owens. Anything wielding ethereal, heavy bass as a weapon.
Jack is inspired massively by Tom Petty, James Taylor etc. All the classics. REM inspired Chillers, can you tell?
Max is inspired by electronic dance music. Jon Hopkins was a big turning point for him. As a kid, he’d jam for hours to late-night BBC6 with his Dad and brother. To be honest though, we don’t each have a ‘genre’ or ‘artist’. Me, Jack and Naomi love Jon Hopkins too. We show each other music we like then assimilate each other’s tastes.
Your song ‘Apple Tree’, from your recent EP ‘Life Was Coming In Through the Blinds’, is stunning; as is the artwork. How are they related?
The original Apple Tree artwork features a man with daffodils for eyes, something artist Mikey Burey drew from the song itself. The EP artwork is a massive nod to Talk Talk’s ‘Spirit of Eden’ and ‘Laughing Stock’, but I feel it relates to Apple Tree too. We can water ourselves instead of cutting off parts of ourselves. Mikey deliberately put oranges instead of apples, though. Orange trees have to be grown in greenhouses in the UK. I don’t know why, but I feel like that’s significant.
Where is your favourite place to perform?
We just did a show at Village Underground, our biggest venue for a headline show to date, which feels half like a Church, half like a bunker. I think…there is our favourite, so far. We like venues with vibes.
Have you ever been to Oxford before? What’s been your experience of the city?
When we last performed in Oxford, all I had time to write in my tour diary was, ‘a woman comes up to the van and says to Naomi, “I thought you were hiding an immigrant in there”.’ Reading that back always makes me laugh. It sums up England at the moment, not just Oxford. Oxford reminds me of a more beautiful version of my hometown. It’s a fairytale place, really. We feel really calm there.
Which other acts are you looking forward to seeing at the Ritual Union Festival?
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Far Caspian and SELF ESTEEM. We gigged with Far Caspian last year at Live at Leeds and I really, really, really need to meet Rebecca.
Which part of being in a band do you most prefer? Touring, writing, recording, performing …?
I prefer writing and recording. I’m happiest holed up in a studio for days on end. Performing is a double-edged sword for me, it’s similar to taking drugs. I have the most amazing time then completely crash the next day.
How do you think digital streaming platforms such as Spotify/Apple Music/Tidal etc is changing the music industry?
That’s a big question. Music is more accessible to people and that’s what I love about the internet, no more gatekeeping music. Like I’d be able to buy records. But these streaming platforms don’t exist in a vacuum. It’s happening across every industry and exploitation is especially prevalent in the arts. There are some really shitty things going on.
What do you think of the popular music charts at the moment?
We’re really happy Sam Fender got to number one.
What are your plans for the future?
Get laid. Finally.
