Local lo-fi
The band — Ma (guitar and vocals), Sparkes (keys and vocals), Jules Fisher (bass), and Nick German (drums) — started playing together about four years ago, at a time when they were all starting to become disenchanted with playing in bands. "I think when we met we were all in the same boat, like — is there a reason to keep doing this?" says German. "But then we kind of dug each other and it's really been worth it."
Ma and Sparkes had been writing songs together for a few years, but bringing German and Fisher rounded out the band's sound and added a driving, sunny rhythm section that balances out the duo's honest — and, at times, melancholy — lyrics. The band's tendency to melt poetic apathy with almost poppy chord progressions creates a sound that can feel something like skipping the prom to go watch John Waters movies in your crush's basement.
Since releasing forget it, don't
"The other bands who played... they played because they had to or else they wouldn't feel right," says German. "That's why we started playing music in the first place, especially when we all started playing together, it just felt right."
The band's synchronicity comes through in its music — both on forget it and when they play live. While forget it was recorded entirely in Fisher's attic, the band's forthcoming record should get a more pointed sense of musical direction with Thomas in their corner.
From our 2019 Bands to Watch issue.