Fading Lines, the debut album from Amber Arcades, is one of the outstanding dream pop albums of recent memory.

Released last year and recorded in New York with members of Quilt and Real Estate, it’s a collection from the ether, showered in reverb and embodied by instrumental breaks and vocal gauze.

Behind the music Amber Arcades is Annelotte de Graaf, a worldly musician that once lived in a commune before migrating to the US and starting her music career.

She also, most famously and until recently, worked in human rights law assessing asylum claims in her native Netherlands, where she now again lives.

New music is on the way, and Annelotte has never been truer to the spirit of shoegaze than on the so-called Rock Song – it’s a working title – with its resemblance to Lush at their very best.

It’s set to be included on a new EP, as is Can’t Say That We Tried, a pretty lament that she’s been performing with her band on tour.

FEISTY’s Katy spent a day with Annelotte during her UK run, browsing the vintage stores of Sheffield and learning more about her new music.

In our interview she also revealed her thoughts on how Brexit might affect musicians from the EU, why she left her job, and how working for the government impacted upon her creative freedom.

Thanks for spending part of your day with us, and welcome back to the UK!

Annelotte: “Thank you!”

You’ve got quite the connection to the UK yourself, right?

Annelotte: “We have a label [Heavenly Recordings] here, and although I haven’t lived in the UK, I have lived in Ireland. Is that part of the UK?”

Well, that’s risky territory! The north of Ireland is.

Annelotte: “Oh, I don’t know. I was three years old at the time. I like the UK, though. We come here a lot, and we play more shows in the UK than anywhere else! I guess that’s our connection!”

Why do you think British audiences have taken to your music so much?

Annelotte: “I think foremost it’s because our label is based here, and they have quite a long tradition in the UK. People pay attention to what they release and their press team focuses on UK radio, they focus on UK magazines. That’s the business side of it.

“Musically? This kind of music does better in the UK. The Netherlands is a bit of a complicated country. It’s very small, so you’re done in a week of touring, because you’ve seen the whole country! Here there’s also a culture of going to gigs, even if people don’t know the band they’ll still go.”

Has living in the US and working as a human rights lawyer internationally helped you with your music? Over, say, other Dutch artists?

Annelotte: “I’m not sure! Indirectly, maybe. Moving to the US was a way of getting more into music, I played in my first band while I was in Philadelphia.

“Recording my record in the US helped. People could say, ‘Oh, she’s serious, because she goes to the US!’ And then a label has more confidence in it, you know?

“People always want to know about my job, but I’ve quit that already.”

Oh, you’ve quit your job? How did that happen?

Annelotte: “I quit in September because we were going on tour with Nada Surf for a month, and then we had a month of our own dates in the UK. My work was pretty cool about it and were fine with me coming back, but I already had in my mind that I needed to stop.

“The last year has been totally mad. I was driving to the UK every Friday in the summer, playing Saturday, driving back Sunday, then being in the office from Monday until Thursday. I was a bit burned out, and I had no time to write new stuff.”

Did doing that job have any impact on your creative freedom?

Annelotte: “Not in writing, but I mean, obviously I wouldn’t have been able to write about very intimate details of cases I was working on! It’s a bit weird to say that in a song anyway, like, ‘Hey, I’m working on this case!'”

Did you feel you could be opinionated about anything?

Annelotte: “In interviews, no, not really.”

I guess in that sense you did have to be a bit careful in expressing yourself?

Annelotte: “Yeah! And still, because maybe I’ll want to go back to that job one day! I don’t have any super radical opinions anyway, because I find it really hard to have an opinion about anything when the world is so complicated and half of the news is fake news. What can you know?”

We’re actually doing this interview during the week Donald Trump takes over as President.

Annelotte: “Oh, yeah. Scary stuff. I did have to be careful in interviews, especially if they asked me about the refugee crisis. As a representative of the government I couldn’t say, ‘Government sucks!’ It doesn’t look good.”

The world is changing at the moment. For musicians like yourself that come from EU countries, will it be harder to play in the UK in the future?

Annelotte: “With the Brexit, you mean?”

Stuff like that, yeah.

Annelotte: “Maybe! It’s such a messy thing. It totally depends on how it’s going to be played out, but in the worst case scenario then yeah, because there wouldn’t be free movement of people anymore, so you’d need a visa.”

I suppose my hunch is that less bands from Europe would be able to break into the UK and other countries if it becomes a lot more insular politically.

Annelotte: “I mean it’s hard to predict right now, isn’t it? Is it [Article 50] actually going to be invoked, how is it going to be negotiated.

“The worst case scenario is that it’s going to be fucking hard. If you go to the US for example to tour then you need a working visa, and we spent like $6,000 last time just to get one. That’s horrible, you can do it once, and then your money’s gone and you can’t do it again.

“If it’s going to be like that then it’s going to be a huge impediment for European bands to travel to the UK. But, I’m hoping it won’t be that bad! Fingers crossed, or, I’m just going to marry an English person!”

Yeah, that would help! So, your debut album Fading Lines was very well-received. How has that and being able to tour internationally changed your relationship with music?

Annelotte: “Ooh. Well, I guess it’s made me more confident. Our label, they’re so supportive of what I do, and that makes me feel more supportive of myself. You get pushed on by other people’s confidence in you.

“But, it also becomes more of a job. There’s so much other stuff involved. Not just music, but to take it to this next level there’s lots of meetings about budgets, about plans, about videos, what the label wants, what this guy wants, what this guy wants. There’s lots of production hassles.”

You brought together quite a supergroup for your first album. How was that assembled?

Annelotte: “The bass player and guitar player were from a band called Quilt, and they played in the Netherlands in 2014. I supported them in Amsterdam, and we kept in touch. I then decided which producer I wanted to work with, Ben Greenberg, and he lived in New York.

“I remembered they did too, so I was like, ‘Hey, you guys, I’m coming to New York to record a record! Do you guys wanna play on my record?’ They were like, ‘Sure!’ Then the drummer Jackson Pollis, he’s a long time friend of Ben. I’m a huge fan of Real Estate, so when I heard he was involved I was like, ‘That’s awesome!'”

Do you envision that when you record again you’ll go back in with them?

Annelotte: “I really don’t know yet. I recorded some new songs in September, and that was with the Dutch band I’m touring with.”

Some of that new music is coming out soon, or so we’ve heard!

Annelotte: “Well, we recorded five new songs last September while we were on tour with Nada Surf in the US. We did them with Ben again. Those new songs are coming out on the EP later this year, at the end of April or beginning of May.”

That sounds great! You recently released a Nick Drake cover. You’ve already said you’re a huge fan previously, but why did you choose the track Which Will specifically?

Annelotte: “It’s the one that’s always stuck in my head! I really like how the melody moves, and I already had an idea of what I wanted to make with the drum beat, so I just tried some chords over it and took it from there. I don’t know why I like it, the melody is just very mysterious.”

His music is still remembered and celebrated decades later. How do you envision your music might be perceived in 40 years?

Annelotte: “Well, I hope I don’t have to die a tragic death for my music to be remembered!”

Haha, that wasn’t what I was insinuating!

Annelotte: “I guess that’s how it works a bit, though. I mean, it’s such a morbid thing, that when someone passes away their record sales go up and all of these amazing articles are written about them. We saw it last year. It feels a bit arrogant to say people are going to remember me.”

I guess it’s impossible to predict, isn’t it?

Annelotte: “Of course, it’s what everyone that creates hopes and wishes for. Humans are all trying to come to terms with the mortality of life, trying to create something that is a bit more immortal than ourselves. I guess making music is a way to do that, to add something more permanent to this world. Maybe the earth will not even be here in 50 years!”

In an interview a year ago you said one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to make an album on which you play all of the instruments yourself.

Annelotte: “Oh yeah!”

Is that any closer to being a reality?

Annelotte: “I have started to teach myself some piano, which is going moderately! I’m mostly just writing new songs, but I’ve found learning keys leads to a very different way of approaching writing, so that’s good. But, I’m not really progressing very fast.”

I guess there’s other instruments like drums and stuff, too.

Annelotte: “Yeah! I definitely still want to learn drums. It’s a lifetime plan.”

I guess it’s not going to be your next album, then! That leads on nicely to my final question, what are your plans from here?

Annelotte: “Definitely the EP this year, and then we’ll have to see how that’s being received. We hope to be doing some festivals this summer, and there’s a UK tour with Grandaddy that’s just been confirmed, so I’m really excited about that.”

Do you think there’s a chance of another album this year?

Annelotte: “Yeah, maybe! It depends on how much we’ll be away in the summer, and how much time we’ll have to write. If we aren’t touring so much then I’ll write more. So certainly a maybe!”

Amber Arcades is on Facebook and Twitter, with a new EP due via Heavenly in the spring. Her debut album Fading Lines is out now.

Amber Arcades UK Tour (with Grandaddy)

March 23 – Potterrow – Edinburgh, UK
March 26 – Hoults Yard – Newcastle, UK
March 27 – Irish Centre – Leeds, UK
March 28 – Albert Hall – Manchester, UK
March 29 – Rock City – Nottingham, UK
March 31 – Colston Hall – Bristol, UK
April 1 – Concorde – Brighton, UK
April 3 – Roundhouse – London, UK

Meet Ambiere. They’re a band in the business of “fairytale grunge”.

They share their hometown of Mossley with modern day punks Cabbage – they know each other well – but the similarities end there.

Reminiscent of The xx and early Florence + The Machine, they’ve honed their wares discreetly to date, crafting magnetic sounds imprinted with floaty vocals, synths, and celestial symphonies.

It’s dream pop at its ethereal best, as vocalist Amber Lane-McIvor sparkles alongside Jake Blythe and Oliver “Lamy” Lamb, and so we couldn’t be more excited that their debut EP is finally on the way.

Tree of Life is out on 11 February, and will be accompanied by the band’s first UK tour.

We decided to lift the lid on the elusive trio, visiting Mossley for an exclusive chat.

Read on to learn all about Ambiere, from the “utter nonsense” behind their favourite track, to tales of singing at funerals, the Manchester scene and Goldie Lookin Chain.

So, Ambiere, thanks for meeting up with FEISTY today! How’s the first two weeks of 2017 been for you?

Amber: “It’s been hilarious, because we’ve got this tour coming up, and it’s only just hit us that we’ve got this tour! It’s come so quick.”

Jake: “It’s been pretty busy so far, hasn’t it? We’ve just been cracking on with the EP.”

We’ve spent a lot of time outside today in the middle of winter. Is it fair to say you have quite an affinity for nature and the outdoors?

Amber: “I do like nature! I mean, I’m freezing my tits off, but I do like nature.”

Jake: “I like climbing trees, more than anything in the world.”

Amber: “You like getting stuck in trees!”

Going back to basics, what is your backstory as a band? How did Ambiere first come together?

Amber: “I started university on a vocal course, and Jake was on a guitar course. I’d written loads of songs, so I wanted to make a new band and I saw this guy with dreads come into my class and decided I had to be his friend. He was actually really nice, and we just clicked, didn’t we?”

Jake: “We sat in Amber’s bedroom for about two weeks, just drinking red wine and writing songs.”

Amber: “Then we had a really good idea and needed someone with octopus fingers to join the band, so we got Lamy. We found him, and stole him.”

You’ve been in a band before Ambiere too?

Amber: “I was in a couple of mad indie bands when I was younger. I didn’t really sound like I do now, I put on a weird voice, but it was good. We played Academy 3 in Manchester, I can’t remember what we were called. Start Point, or something?”

So Start Point was your first band?

Amber: “Start Point! Yeah, I think it was Start Point. It was good, because everyone used to come to Manchester for the gigs from Mossley.”

Didn’t you almost support Goldie Lookin Chain as part of that?

Amber: “When I was like 15 or 16. I really don’t know how that happened! I’d like them to see me now, see if I look any older. Maybe they’d like us, can you ask them if you see them? Say we’re available!”

I’ll see what I can do! Are your separate musical backgrounds quite diverse?

Lamy: “Yeah, I started off playing classical piano, and three or four years ago I switched to synths. It’s a completely different background to Jake.”

Jake: “I got into a rock band early in high school, and stuck with that for five years until politics made it fall apart. Ambiere is great because it’s so open-ended compared to that.”

Amber: “I’ve gone from theatre, to indie wannabe rock star, to funeral singer. Singing at funerals, I still do.”

I didn’t know that was a thing!

Amber: “It sounds really beautiful in churches. So, I’m also available for funerals, if anyone’s interested.”

If you check out Ambiere on Facebook your music is described as having a “jellybean peanut butter finish”. Why?

Amber: “We were trying to describe what our music was, but we never knew what we wanted to do. One minute I was like, ‘I really like this native American style music’. After that, ‘You know what, I want to be dirty dubstep!’ But I liked those words and Lamy agreed, plus it’s fun to say.”

Lammy: “We’ve got that sort of sugary finish.”

So how would you say other bands taste?

Jake: “Ooh. That’s a good question. It depends on the other band? Some of them are creamy?”

Everyone laughs

Jake: “Creamy, I’d say Rick Astley.”

Amber: “Or you get sort of Kinder Bueno, with a bit of a crunch in the middle.”

Speaking of other bands, which would you say you most admire?

Amber: “Everything. I do, I love everything.”

Jake: “Yeah, to be honest, she’s kind of right.”

Amber: “Florence + The Machine is brilliant. Really ethereal.”

Lamy: “We love trip-hop stuff as well, minimalistic things.”

Jake: “I think no matter what sort of phase I’m going through, Pink Floyd will always have a special place.”

Your own music, though, isn’t quite like any of those. Without using food if possible, how would you describe it?

Amber: “Fairytale grunge!”

OK! What is fairytale grunge?

Amber: “We try to be cool, but we’re like fairies.”

Lamy: “It’s orchestral, with nice vocals on top, just floating over it.”

Amber: “Like film music.”

Jake: “We’ve got this The xx kind of sound going on.”

Oliver: “It’s pretty spacey.”

You’re from near Manchester. It’s a city commonly known for the Madchester scene, Britpop, furious indie rock and stuff like that. Is it hard for you, doing the music you’re doing, in this area?

Lamy: “I don’t think so. There’s enough variety for us to be able to dip in to a couple of different scenes. There’s so many in Manchester at the moment, even hip-hop, and the dance scene is massive.”

Jake: “I once saw a gig at The Castle Hotel, where a guy just had a xylophone on stage and rolled around for his entire act. So it’s not just Oasis!”

Amber: “I’d like to try that.”

I imagine he’s broken big! You’re releasing your first EP soon, I imagine it’s quite an exciting time?

Amber: “It’s very exciting!”

Lamy: “I’m looking forward to getting it out there, getting some reviews.”

Amber: “It’s just amazing to have everything that you’ve had in your head actually right in front of you. For about a year we’ve had all of these ideas, and it’s all been put into this EP.”

It’s out on 11 February, but until now you’ve not revealed much. We now know it’s called Tree of Life, what else can you reveal to us today?

Lamy: “There’s five tracks that are all fairly different genres, but with a similar theme.”

Amber: “Tree of Life, Conscience, Unsteady, Intelligence and Sparkly Marmalade.”

Jake: “The EP goes to a lot of different destinations.”

Two of those tracks are already out there. Tree of Life particularly, that’s been a popular demo. What’s the story behind the song?

Amber: “It isn’t about one specific thing. Tree of Life was written about relationships, running away to a happier place. Others that have listened to it feel it is about loss and I can see that too. Everyone interprets songs differently.

“The meaning changes depending on your own feelings at the time. I love that about music! Every single situation is a story needing to be told, life is a collection of short stories. We are all about light and shade, it makes life more interesting.”

Which new song are you most excited to reveal?

Amber and Lamy: “Sparkly Marmalade!”

Lamy: “Full of twists and turns.”

Amber: “It’s complete and utter nonsense, complete and utter nonsense.”

In what way?

Amber: “Well, my mum came in my work one day and she was eating toast, and asked if we had any marmalade. Then I just sat and watched her, and I kid you not, I thought, ‘Oh, she’s really sparkly!’

“So, I wrote Sparkly Marmalade in my order notes and put them in my pocket, and got them out when I was writing the song. When I first wrote the lyrics I got really excited because Lamy could sit down and do some weird beats, and Jake could do an amazing guitar riff. I’ve got a tattoo of it on my arm now.”

So you have a tattoo of Sparkly Marmalade?

Amber: I do. It’s a lovely backstory, isn’t it? So indie.

Was it difficult to put together and record the EP? What sort of challenges did you face?

Lamy: “Well, it’s not a common setup, with guitar, vocals and electronics.”

Jake: “We write as guitar and vocals first, a sort of acoustic thing, and then bring it to Lamy and put all of the electronic stuff on afterwards. I guess the challenge is finding that balance between the electronic and acoustic aspects.”

Where will fans of the EP be able to check it out live this year?

Lamy: “We’re playing in London, Leeds, Newcastle and Manchester between the 8th and 12th of February.”

You haven’t played a headline show before, have you?

Lamy: “Not really, not our own. We’ve headlined a few other people’s nights, but there’s never been a dedicated Ambiere gig.”

Amber: “Please get a ticket!”

I should point out that Amber is speaking at the phone like it’s an audience!

Amber: “I’ve never had a phone like that before, I’ve got a Nokia!”

What are your hopes and aspirations for Ambiere?

Amber: “Just to have fun, and travel, and be able to get a nice studio apartment with a dog. A few more tattoos? And to not be too serious.”

Lamy: “Some festivals would be great.”

Amber: “Yes! We’re available for bookings.”

I’ve noticed you’re available for a lot of bookings: Funerals, Goldie Lookin Chain gigs, and festivals! Is there anything else?

Amber: “Yeah! We can also do contemporary dance, instead of singing, if you want that.”

Jake: “I make a good brew.”

Amber: “Yeah, he does, but it’s green tea. He’s too indie for normal tea.”

To close, would you like to add anything? Maybe a bold statement?

Jake: “High contrast sports jackets aren’t cool. That’s a bold statement.”

Amber: “Just to please buy the EP. We’ll beg, like a charity video.”

Lamy: “Give us some money, we need petrol.”

Amber: “Lamy’s car’s just been for an MOT, and also we’re going on tour, so it’d be good if people came along to that. What’s Lamy’s car called?”

Lamy: “Oh, it’s Percy! Percy the Peugeot passed his MOT.”

Amber: “Percy the Peugeot passed his MOT! That’s all we wanted to tell you really. Yeah, thanks!”

Lamy: “Buy the EP!”

Tree of Life is released on 11 February. Ambiere are on Facebook, and will be playing the following dates next month:

February 8 – Lending Rooms – Leeds, UK
February 9 – New Cross Inn – London, UK
February 11 – The Castle Hotel – Manchester, UK
February 12 – The Tyne Bar – Newcastle, UK

The luscious electropop stylings of Anna of the North are a viral pop sensation that will stride on and on.

They’ve racked up tens of millions of streams across their singles, collaborated with EDM giants The Chainsmokers, and made a hit appearance at Pitchfork Music Festival.

The Scandipop duo are eponymous vocalist Anna Lotterud and producer Brady Daniell-Smith. They first met in a Melbourne bar, leading to a viral hit, a record deal, and Brady’s relocation to join Anna in Norway.

They’ve just released their new video for latest single Oslo:

 
FEISTY editor Katy met up with the pair in Brighton to learn the story behind their formation, their dream collaborations, and the romance behind one of their best singles.

Thanks for taking the time out for a chat! How has your week been so far?

Anna: “It’s been amazing! I’ve never been to Brighton before, and it’s a totally different vibe from London. I really like it here. It’s also our first time playing our own set without being a support, and people have actually come to our shows!”

For those that are new to you, how did you first get together?

Anna: “I went to study in Melbourne, and before that I was just a bedroom musician in Norway, sat writing sad love songs when my heart got broken. I met Brady at a bar.”

Brady: “I was playing a show, and there must have been about ten people there. Anna’s friends pushed her to get up and sing at the end of my set. I really loved it, and we kept in touch for a few months, just sending through music we liked. She’d gone back to Norway by that point and I was still in Melbourne.”

Anna: “We made Sway and posted it on SoundCloud. It got picked up, for some weird reason…”

Brady: “It was the next day and it had a few thousand plays. None of my tracks had got that many before, even in a month, it was pretty crazy. We got signed, I moved over to Norway, and we thought, ‘OK, let’s give it a go!'”

Did you ever envision that you would be successful?

Brady: “I thought that Anna had everything. She has a great voice, she looks really cool, and there’s something special about her personality. That was already there, and so we just needed some music! I thought it could do well, but I didn’t think it was going to happen that fast, overnight.”

Quite early on you also worked with The Chainsmokers, who remixed your first track Sway.

Anna and Brady: “Yeah!”

How did that come about?

Anna: “They actually got in touch with us.”

Brady: “They were really self-aware. At that point The Chainsmokers weren’t making the bangers that they are today. They’d done that #SELFIE song, but wanted to make some good music as well!”

Is there anyone else you’d like to collaborate with?

Brady: “I want to make a supergroup with Anna, Astrid S and someone else. A girl synthpop One Direction, you know what I mean?”

Anna: “It’s so hard because there’s so many good musicians out there. I’m probably, like, the No 1 Spotify girl. I love making my own playlists, and, what do you call those old CDs people used to make?”

Brady: “Mixtapes?”

Anna: “Yeah! I love that shit! I’m a fan of so many artists.”

Anna’s from quite a small region of Norway. Has that upbringing had an impact on your music?

Anna: “Umm, maybe? I’ve never had any musician friends, and that might be why I’d never done anything before Anna of the North. But when I met Brady, we had music in common. Like you know, you always do things better together?”

Brady: “The thing with me being from New Zealand and her being from Norway is that there’s so many big cultural differences. Norwegians are quite reserved, and I feel like on my own my songs are too revealing, so when we write together we meet each other halfway and it balances out quite nicely.”

Anna is quite expressive on stage, there’s a lot of arm movements and so on. Is that something that just comes naturally?

Anna laughs

Anna: “I don’t know, I think I do that to get my voice out. It’s a way of expressing myself, and to get used to doing what I’m doing? I’m quite new to performing, I’m still learning!”

Brady: “Anna just got thrown into this. We toured with Kygo, and Anna was on stage every night, with fireworks and thousands of people! We hadn’t done many shows before that. She went from being really nervous and shy, to by the end of the tour being so much more confident.”

Anna: “No, I’m still nervous!”

Brady: “Well, you’ve got to be nervous, it’s good to be nervous.”

Anna: “I wish I could see myself live. Not on camera, but just feel and see it, and progress out of that. ‘No, don’t dance like that, you suck!'”

Do you feel comfortable being classed as a pop duo? I know that some find there’s a stigma attached to it.

Anna: “I’ve always loved pop music, and now possibly love it more than before we started! When I was just fourteen years old, I was sitting on Napster downloading all of the baddest hip-hop I could find. Back then I wanted nobody else to know what I was listening to.”

Brady: “Like guilty pleasures?”

Anna: “No, not at all, I just didn’t want to listen to the same things as other people. I wanted to be different.”

In 2016 you released Baby. What was the creative process behind that song? It’s been quite successful!

Brady: “It was the first song that myself and Anna wrote together, so it’s special and meaningful for us. Before that the songs were already there, so it was kind of back to the drawing board.”

Anna: “Brady already had an idea for the song, and I heard it and really loved it, but the lyrics were totally different.”

Brady: “We had the chords and the drum beat, but we hadn’t really figured out the meaning and the storyboard, and that’s where Anna’s really good.”

Anna: “It was actually a really easy process. That song was meant to be.”

Is there a story or meaning behind the song?

Brady: “Oh, we’ll leave that for the listener to decide!”

So there is one, but you’re not telling, right?

Brady: “I think it’s better if people take their own meanings from it. What it means to me is different from what it means to Anna, or to somebody else, and I like that we don’t tell anyone.”

Anna: “I was in a relationship at that point, and I’d had my ups and downs. It was written in that situation. Everyone has been in the position where they really like someone but it’s hard, you don’t know where the other person is at, and we’d both experienced that.”

Brady: “It’s a really vulnerable process, songwriting. There’s no other job where you have to look at yourself and be honest about your mistakes, and share that, record that for the world.”

What can we expect from Anna of the North from here?

Brady: I think we’ll see how things go!

Anna laughs

Brady: We’re working on writing an album at the moment. There’s our new single [Us] and then another set of songs that are already finished [including Oslo].”

Anna: “We’re definitely going to keep doing our thing. I never thought I was going to do music, but now I want to keep at it, whether people listen to it or not! Whatever happens, it’s going to be music from here.”

It’s all happened so quickly for you, almost overnight. Do you sometimes think it’s moving too fast?

Brady: “Not really! I’m 28, so…”

Anna: “It should hurry up!”

Anna of the North’s new single Oslo is out on January 13. Find them on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud.