Coming from
Ireland with a deep musical legacy thanks to U2, Bob Geldof, Bell X1 The
Frames, Damian Rice and others, do you feel any pressure to live up to those
bands or are you unfazed by it?
Not at all. While Ireland's musical heritage is
undoubtedly a very rich one, we're not trying to match or outdo anyone else's
achievements. We just try to write the best songs we can regardless of
what has gone on, or what is going on around us.
Hailing from
Ireland, has the country’s recent shift in economics played a role or influence
in your music?
The economic situation pervades so many aspects of life in
Ireland that music serves as welcome respite.
Are you
influenced by where you come from?
Ireland is a country with a singularly contradictory
national psyche and, while we are not necessarily conscious of this when we are
writing, it is undoubtedly echoed in some of of our songs.
How did the
band come together?
We met in an Early Education lecture, became friends and
started writing songs which we've been doing ever since.
Who are some
of your influences?
We're devotees of the lyrical nous and musical ingenuity
of Ryan Adams and, while we love acts like Titus Andronicus, Fionn Regan, St.
Vincent, Pavement and The Walkmen, he remains our most enduring influence.
The band is
very basic, just drums, guitar and vocals – like White Stripes and Black Keys.
This trend seems to be ongoing in indie rock, do you find it to be a trend?
Not as such. For us, it's borne purely out of
circumstance...as no doubt is the case with other 2-pieces!
How would you
describe your style and sound to someone who has never heard of you before?
Short songs on drums and guitar.
What was it
like making your debut?
It was a really fun time. We recorded the album with
Jimmy Eadie in Dublin, Ireland who, we feel, brought out the best in us. We
spent a week tracking the album and a winter mixing it.
You titled
your debut, “Today I Realized I Could Go Home Backwards,” what does the title
signify?
The title
alludes to making sense out of the mistakes taken in ones personal life.
There has been much buzz around the
band, how are you responding to it?
We've been very much unaware of anything of the sort up to
now!
Given the name of the band, do you find you try and do
everything easily?
On the contrary, it's meant to be mildly self-mocking of
how long it takes us to do everything.