What got you involved in music?

I learned piano when I was a kid and then started playing drums when I was a teenager. I played drums in bands in high school and university, and I feel like I would always have played music in some form even if I hadn’t ended up being in a band that got signed. It’s such an integral part of my life and how I express myself and communicate and figure out feelings.

What are your musical icons / influences?

Between the three of us in the band, we have such a spread of influences but I feel like that’s why our music sounds the way it does. Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins, Eurythmics, Cyndi Lauper... I’ve been re-listening to a lot of Jeff Buckley recently and never get over how special his voice was. I’ve also been diving back into the Blonde Ambition / Truth Or Dare era of Madonna and thinking about how important and boundary push- ing what she did was.

How long have you known each other in your band? How did you all meet?

I met Iain in 2011 when he was recording an EP for my old band. He and Martin had known each other since university, where they had both stud- ied music, and they had worked on a few different projects together and were just starting what would eventually become CHVRCHES. Iain asked me to come down and do some backing vocals on a couple of songs, and we felt like we really gelled and had the same vision for the music so we started all writing together. We put a song on Soundcloud in 2012 and everything kind of just exploded.

When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?

We formed the band in 2011 and got signed the following year. I knew of Iain and Martin from bands they had been in previously and really ad- mired their work so it was fun and exciting to then start writing together and seeing what we could make. They are such great song writers and producers and I have learned so much from them. I really feel like our music is a true mix of everyone’s talents and personality. If one element were removed, none of it would work.

Could you briefly describe the music- making process?

Normally the guys will start messing around with a synth sound or a beat, and then we’ll work up a vocal melody at the same time. Once we have that rough structure in place, I go away and write lyrics. We made the first two albums ourselves so the writing process and recording process happen pretty much at the same time, and we just developed the songs over the course of time. It was really fun and interesting to open ourselves up and work with an external producer on the new record, but I think we needed to do those first two by ourselves so that we knew exactly what we wanted the band to be before we started working with anyone else.

What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous?

We tour so much that rehearsals in a practice place aren’t really neces- sary after a while. We’ll try things out during soundchecks but most of the time we just spend a couple of weeks at the start of an album cycle figuring out what the live set is going to be, and then just practicing it until we know it inside out.

How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?

Each of us has grown as a musician and a writer, and we know each others’ “musical language” so well now that you almost speak in short- hand or code because you know what the other person means so well. I feel like I’ve become more comfortable as a lyricist and as a singer, and my favorite thing about the new album is that the music feels more aggressive but also more vulnerable. In some ways, it’s the most “pop” we’ve ever sounded, but in other ways it is the most emotional and the most raw.

What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

I think for anyone who reaches any level of success in art, it is always a challenge to stay authentic and true to what you really want to do when there is a whole world out there trying to tell you what to do and who to be. I have learned that everyone has an opinion, and they are most definitely entitled to it, but that shouldn’t change how or why we make music. The musicians I love the most are the ones who mean what they say, rather than the ones who have the most impressive and cynical marketing campaigns.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own band?

Practice, practice, practice. Don’t play anyone any songs or do any shows until you feel ready and that it’s going to be the best it can be. I learned so much from playing in so many different bands but I also did a lot of musically growing up in front of people, and first impressions last.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

Getting to communicate and connect with other people in a really simple, honest way.

What are your best or proudest moments?

I am proud that we really are what we say we are. We write the songs, produce the albums, and we don’t sacrifice the things we believe in because we think it will make people like us better. In the world we live in right now, I think that is important.

Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?

Although my parents aren’t musicians, there was always a lot of music playing in our house so we would listen to a lot of Mamas and Papas, Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell, Peter Gabriel, Aretha Franklin and The Blue Nile. I was obsessed with Whitney Houston when I was a kid, and I think that led me to look at her influences and discover singers like Nina Sim- one, Billie Holiday and Etta James. I loved Alanis Morrisette too. I don’t like the idea that Jagged Little Pill is “old” now but that record had a real impact on me in terms of the music I wanted to write and sing, because I had never heard a woman write to honestly.

How do you handle mistakes during a performance?

If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’re in trouble. Someone said to me once that a live show doesn’t need to be perfect, but it does need to be authentic, and I’ve held onto that. For me, when I go see bands, I love it when you get to see a little humanity and character. None of us have ever been seriously injured during a gig so we definitely all laugh when someone trips over a cable or tumbles off the back of a riser.