Some bands carry such an intangible air. Whether they’re discovered through an internet rabbit-hole, or in the crates of your favourite record shop, stumbling on them can only be described as discovery.
When first sprung up into the radar, their elusive band name and atmospheric blend of folk-psychadelia carried just that; a sense of mystery that felt like being part of an in-crowd. But as the two members who form this elusive group, and , sitting via Zoom in their separate houses, wake in the early morning, their demeanor is friendly as ever. “You know, putting up the singles before this release has always been exciting…”
There’s a hesitation to this confession, before Victoria presses on. “But there’s a lot more work involved with this one, far more. When we released our last EP, the music had already been recorded and put out for the most part, so it was a lot less to do. This time we’ve got a busier schedule, and there’s more decisions to be made.”
It was the aforementioned releases – and ‘Are You There God? It’s Me @’ – that seemed to build the foundations of the band’s sound. The two projects mesh dreamlike psychedelia with grounding folk elements, each release adorned with stacked harmonies and playful melodies that would soon become the cornerstone of the band’s outputs. It seems incredibly deliberate in its ethereal tone, and yet, as the band tell it, their beginnings are anything but. “There wasn’t a huge intention around our decision to start making music,” Stone tells. “We were part of the same music circles, so we just came together and started creating. The way our fanbase grew was an afterthought. We put our music on Bandcamp and decided that whatever happens, happens.”
This ethos seemed to pervade the band in their early years, until their latest offering ‘Autosmile’. An evolution by all accounts, ‘Autosmile’ is a record that feels like the result of years of development. The foundational elements of the group’s built upon, but are now complemented by newly adorned arrangements and a confidence in tonality. “This record was made a lot more intentionally than our other releases,” Victoria continues. “I would say most of the songs are a lot fuller, but they’re still in the same vein of the style of what we made.”
Throughout the release the groups melodies are pervaded by orchestral elements, adding a new found flair, whether it be an occasional isolated flute lick that pops up, or the melancholic cello pervades tracks. “I would say this album is more developed, but they’re still in the same vein of the style of what we made before,” Victoria states. “We pretty much write the songs on acoustic guitar almost always, and then that becomes kind of like the scaffolding or the essential core of the recording, and then everything else gets kind of overdubbed on top of it.”
When the band explains their process, it only adds to the music’s allure. “The way that we record is done at home and without much studio equipment,” Stone describes. “That definitely influences how the records sound. We end up being pretty limited to quiet acoustic things than electronic elements that kind of fill things out with more full spectrum information.”
In an unexpected turn for such close collaborators, the duo decide to work separately, even when situated in the same city. “We’re just used to it,” Victoria confides when questioned on this. “Recording separately and writing separately is more comfortable for us. To write the music is one thing, but then also recording can be very meticulous. It can take a long time, and I think we’re both private people.”
Stones nods at that confession before continuing. “We don’t really want people. Watching us, even if it’s each other because it can add a level of pressure to the situation that could hinder it. It works, why change it?”
Lyrically, the album situates itself somewhere between reality and existentialism. tracks hint at the growing pains of living, and yet are transformed by dramatic ponderings that make even the most routine of issues become something otherworldly.
When asked about songwriting, Victoria tilts her head in thought. “I’ve never thought of myself as a very good storyteller, you know. I think Stone can be sometimes.” Stone sits up in reaction: “I was going to say the same about you!” he laughs. “But I feel like in general we’re not very, we’re neither of us is really like very narrative songwriter, you know, like I think some songwriters like to be like. I feel like our songwriting styles are more like vignettes or more just like emotional, ambient emotional situations rather than anything super.”
Despite such an isolated creation process, the group credit playing live together with the evolution of a lot of this album’s offerings. “There’s something funny that kind of happens with us playing,” Victoria smiles. “Most of the tracks on this record were actually recorded after we had figured out playing them live.‘’Love In The Dark’ we originally recorded prior to really performing it. But on stage one night Stone developed this really amazing guitar solo for the end of it, so we rerecorded. We’ll have an initial idea for a track, and when we perform it the song will transform!”
“That’s not something that happened at all on the first album,” Stone follows on, reinforcing our belief that live musicianship is more evident on this album than the previous one. “Another track, ‘Earthly Love’, sounds exactly like that when we play it live, and we wanted to record it in a way that was very live, so we recorded the three part vocal harmony on that song, singing at once. Though, most of the tracks get chewed to death with arrangements later,” he grins.
‘Autosmile’ is a step into the future, however, despite the business of release, the band still finds time to celebrate everyday. “I’m excited about the weather cooling off,” Victoria remarks. “I just got a new bike and I haven’t had one in years.” Even in elusiveness, the foundation of @ comes from the expression of the individuals that make it.
‘Autosmile’ is out now on 4AD.