Etaoin

by the partae May 9, 2021

written by the partae May 9, 2021

Where are you currently based?

I’m currently based in Ealing, London! I grew up here.

You grew up between London and Ireland, how did the traveling back and forth affect you?

Travelling back and forth for me was actually super enjoyable. It was like having a life in England and a separate life in Ireland with different friendship groups in both.

How did you first start playing music?

The first music I ever played was Irish music when I was super young. I played the Irish traditional flute and took singing lessons as a kid.

Your debut EP ‘Bedroom Walls’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?

I’ve always been super passionate about songs that can stand on their own two feet without much production around them. I think there’s something to be said for simplicity. That was the main influence of the sound, letting the songs speak for themselves. Regarding the songwriting, all the songs were inspired by real events and people.

How did you approach the recording/production process and who else did you work with?

For this EP all the songs were approached in a different way really, for the songs Pale Damp Cheeks I literally knew no one in music and cold called the owner of this music studio and he put me in contact with a sound engineer called Michael Biggs who ended up recording the song. The producer for Bedroom Walls was Brad Ellis for I Dare you was Edd Holloway and for For Her was Phil Davidson.

The EP has arrived with the new single ‘For Her’, how did this track come about and what does it mean to you?

I wrote For Her when I was abroad for a few months. I missed home and my friends and all in all felt pretty lost in myself. I wrote it literally at like 2am about the idea of waiting and wondering if you’ll ever get your spark back, missing who you used to be and wondering if she’s gone for good. It’s a super personal song that I was afraid to show anyone for quite a long time as it’s super revealing and covers some stuff that I’ve never covered in any of my songs before.

You’ve achieved over a million streams since launching in January this year, what do you attribute this massive success to?

I’d attribute the success to being surrounded by good people who believe in me, the honesty of the songs and the support of the people listening.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

I’ve been listening to a lot of Phoebe Bridgers at the moment.

What do you like to do away from music?

Outside of music I spend a lot of time with my friends, I find a lot of inspiration from that for my songs.

What’s planned for the rest of 2021?

This year I’ll be releasing another EP and I have two headline shows in November!! One in Dublin and one in London.

Favourite food and place to hang out?

Fave food has to be chocolate. Every single time. And sweets. Sour ones. I don’t really have a fave place to hang out, anywhere where my friends are!!