Things are most certainly on the up for Brighton-based alt-pop quartet Orchards. For anyone who might be wondering why, there’s one word that seems oddly lacking in the description of many bands, but sticks to Orchards like glue: Fun. Charming, delirious, positive, big-beaming-grin-on-your-face bundles of fun.
Following a string of UK/EU support dates with Minnesota trio Tiny Moving Parts, the quartet are now gearing up for the release of their new EP Losers/Lovers will be released on 6th July 2018 via new label Big Scary Monsters Records.
Friends since childhood, Sam (Rushton, guitar) and Dan (Fane, bass) met remaining members Will (Lee-Lewis, drums) and Lucy (Evers, vocals) in their first week at university in Brighton – the start of a friendship which has seen them become increasingly inseparable and has resulted in the tight, family unit they are today. Check out Double Vision below!
We managed to catch up with the band as they talked about their upcoming EP and more!
Hey guys thanks for taking the time to talk to us – so, tell us how pumped are you for the release of Losers/Lovers?
We can’t wait! It’s been a long time coming. We’re so happy that our first physical release gets to be with Big Scary Monsters too. We’ve worked really hard up to this point and Losers/Lovers is the culmination of that work.
Can you tell us something about the EP no one else knows?
The original title of the EP was Age Of You.
What’s your favourite track from the EP and why?
Daniel: I’d say mine is Be Here – it’s probably the oldest song on the record and has had many different versions before we finished it. It’s a sentimental song and is a change of energy from the rest of the record. It’s really fun to play live too.
Lucy: Age Of You, personally for me it was the hardest to write and the most fulfilling to get recorded!
Sam: For me it’s Drama King, it wasn’t for a while and then we sat down with it in pre-production before entering the studio and it all kind of fell into place. I feel the song goes through so many vibes in its 4 minutes and to me that’s the really cool thing about it.
Will: Age Of You, the song probably took the least amount of time to write, and felt like it almost wrote itself. I don’t think we overanalysed it too much and it produced a really fluid, kinetic piece of music. And the bridge is one big drum-flex; that’s always fun.
How does it feel to have sold out your release show in London already?
Surreal. Its justified to us that we actually have people who like us haha! We were in the mind-set that we were going to have to really push ticket sales and then the next thing we knew we were getting the email telling us we’d sold it out! We’re going to make sure it’s a real party. The other bands we’ve asked to play are awesome too.
If you could collaborate with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
Everything Everything are such a massive influence, we would love to work on a song with them. The way they have managed to mix left field music with pop and make it so accessible is an inspiration. We would have to get our excitement out of the way quickly and just tell them we love them, then we could be professional again and get some work done.
What do you all get up to in your spare time when not working on music?
We all work jobs as well as the band, so that takes up a fair bit of time. Other than that, we enjoy going out on our bikes, the occasional bit of craft beer & coffee, lots of coffee. Luckily Sam and Will are chefs for their day jobs so we enjoy some good meals together too. I think it’s important to note we’re also an incredible pub quiz team.
You also have Truck Festival and ArcTanGent Festival coming up, do you find festivals a hugely different experience to live gigs?
We haven’t done all that many festivals but we love playing in a field. It is very different, but we try to put on the same show whether or not we are playing on a festival stage, a small pub or a sold out Tufnell Dome. We just enjoy playing live on stage so it doesn’t really matter too much to us where that stage is. I suppose with playing a festival you are going to be playing to people who haven’t necessarily come to see you or even of heard, we find that exciting.
What’s the alternative scene like in Brighton at the moment?
The alternative scene in Brighton has always been great ever since we moved here. The best thing about Brighton is that there is so much going on, it’s not just an alternative scene – there is so much music to discover in this city & the fact there is a gig every night means you’re not stuck for stuff to do.
2018 Tour Dates:
05.07.18 – London – Paper Dress Vintage (EP release party) – SOLD OUT
22.07.18 – Oxfordshire – TRUCK Festival
17.08.18 – Bristol – ArcTanGent Festival