A Q&A with Pocket Sun
Alt-pop 5-piece from Bristol…
What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
‘Hidden Places’ is our most recent track. It’s the third single from our upcoming album Mirror In Blue Light, set to be released on August 27th. It’s one of the more unconventional songs on the album, pushing the boundaries of our arrangement and compositional skills. The contrasting sections draw from a wide variety of our influences, everything from dream-pop to jazz fusion. The writing process was interesting too—we started by jamming on a groove as a band, then Gina and Laurence worked on sections separately before bringing it all together. It was quite a multifaceted and non-linear process.
What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
The hardest part was piecing the song’s different sections together to make it feel cohesive and natural. The sections differ quite dramatically, both texturally and harmonically. This pushed us to be inventive with transitions and dynamics to shape the piece into its final form.
Who produced the release – what did they bring to it?
We collaborated with producer and mixing engineer Josh Best-Shaw on this release and the rest of the album. He helped us shape the instrumental palette and find the middle ground between sonic clarity and a lush, wall-of-sound approach. Both Gina and I also produce music separately, so we often have a clear vision going into the studio.
What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
We hope our music captures the listener’s consciousness and puts them in a state of reverie. Mirror In Blue Light is quite a dramatic and kaleidoscopic journey, and we want to invite listeners to take that journey with us. We also hope listeners appreciate the depth of the songs in the full-album context, as we feel the tracks resonate best when listened to in order.
How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
It really changes from song to song. Sometimes Gina brings a song to the band with lyrics, chords, and melody complete, and then we arrange and embellish it together. Other times, we start with a jam session and build from there collectively. Occasionally, Gina and Laurence will write together and demo our ideas as a duo. Our process is flexible and collaborative, allowing each song to develop uniquely.
What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
We all have our separate influences and musical backgrounds, but there is some overlap. The psychedelic indie soundscapes and production of acts like Melody’s Echo Chamber and Men I Trust are constant inspirations, along with the jazz and soul of the ’70s, like Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions and Herbie Hancock’s Thrust. These influences inspire our approach to production and songwriting, acting as a golden thread that ties together some of our stranger and more stylistically ambiguous tracks.
What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
Ideally, we’d love to tour all over the world. We’re starting to gain an audience in Japan and South America too, so those are on our list, along with the usual Europe and North America. We enjoy large club or arena environments which allow strong visual elements of lights and projections, so venues like London’s Hammersmith Apollo or Paris’s Supersonic are definitely on our bucket list.
If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
‘Take Your Time’ comes to mind. It represents our influences of jazz, synth-pop, and psychedelia in equal measure. However, this might change with the upcoming album, as it features some of our most unique work to date.
What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
Right now, we’re focusing on our album launch show on September 7th. We’re going all out with special guests and set design! We want this album to reach as many listeners as possible, and we believe the music speaks for itself. Despite the time spent on album preparation, we’re itching to get back to writing and recording, so expect more music soon. All we can do is focus on putting music out, the opportunities that follow are yet to reveal themselves.
Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
We normally just go with what feels natural, usually something along the lines of “Thanks so much for your support. Come and say hi after the show!”
For more information on Pocket Sun, follow them on Instagram
Images: Dante Belt
