Indie up and comer's APHELIA have a few single's along with an EP out. An all new track is expected this spring with more tunes to follow. The band chats it up about their music and what they have planned up next.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
We all met at University in Hull. The first tracks were written as part of an EP for uni work but after enjoying working together on those tracks, we decided to head out and start doing some gigs around the city. We started out as a 4 piece however the line-up has changed over the years until we reached our current 5-piece line up, with, Sam Ayres on vocals and rhythm guitar, Josh Wilkinson on lead guitar, Jamie Nowell on bass, Ashley Cantwell on synths and Phil Jerromes on drums
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
We originally went under a different name but to changes in the line-up we thought that a change in name would better reflect the new line up. The current name Aphelia was almost just a made-up word that we liked. Turns out it’s a type of moth, a flower, a phase of the moon and it’s a literacy term for a sentence with no entertainment value. As much as I enjoy the fact that it’s a band named after having a term for lacking entertainment it was a happy accident. I think if anything we just wanted a word that sounded nice.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We are mainly based out of Hull, though the band members have spread out over the last year due to jobs and changes due to different lockdowns. The music scene in Hull is great and I’ve seen some amazing bands come through and it’s been great watching bands start to move out of Hull over the last few years. Because it’s quite a small scene it’s also very supportive and friendly group of people who are all doing amazing work in helping the scene progress putting on bigger and better events to support the bands. Some of favorite bands from Hull are The Hubbards, Mauritia and Low Hummer.
4. How would you describe your style?
We’d probably describe it as an eclectic mix of the 1975, Bombay Bicycle Club and Foals. Definitely an indie vibe to everything but we tend to just write what we enjoy which means that we cover a pretty broad-spectrum genre wise. Because we all come from different back grounds and have different tastes we often find our tracks drawings inspiration from lots of places.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We’ve released a few singles and an EP called “It All Started With. A Girl”. Our most recent track was called “Kiss Me (IMC)” our tracks tend to be up-beat tracks that make you want to get up and dance.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
We have a new track coming out in March that is a bit more down beat then we usually release it’s a track we’ve had around for a long time but we think it reflects the way we’ve all been feeling over the past year. It definitely draws a lot of inspiration from Bon Iver and James Blake with its use of effects and atmosphere. We’ve also been working hard on some new tracks to release this year which are all going back to a more feel-good vibe, trying to recapture that summer feeling. We’ve also drawn on the music we’ve been listening to over lockdown which has been Larkins, Marsicans and The Hunna.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We’re just waiting and seeing what happens at the moment. The rules change so quickly that we’re trying not to plan too far ahead. But we’re going to be ready and come out swinging when gigs start again. It’s likely that if we’re not able to do live gigs when we release the next few singles, we’ll do something live on Instagram of Facebook.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
Hopefully we’ll be able to get into the studio soon and record our new singles, we plan on releasing a few new tracks over the next year. Once gigs start again, we’ll be making the most of it and playing everywhere we can as we’ve all missed playing a lot. We’re also planning on rearranging the EP launch we had to cancel last year, it’ll be a little be late for the EP but it’ll still be an amazing night.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
All out tracks can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and most major streaming services. We don’t currently have merch for sale but we’re looking to get some sorted over the next few months so keep an eye on our socials for those.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
I think mainly we just want people to remember to enjoy the music. Music can be such a great way of escaping especially during the current hard times, so just enjoy the music have a dance and remember that there is another side to all this.
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