Inland Murmur (Hannah, Toby and Alan) are an indie-pop/rock band based in Cardiff, Wales. Since forming last year, the band have released two singles 'Icarus' and their brand new single 'Waterline' a track that captures warm summery tones with Hannah's vocals guiding the listener through a nostalgic narrative.
I caught up with Inland Murmur to discuss their brand new single 'Waterline' and the importance of staying true to your creative vision.
Hi Inland Murmur, tell us a bit about yourself!
Hello! We’re Inland Murmur, an indie band primarily based in Cardiff. We formed early last year and released our first single ‘Icarus’ in May 2020. The band consists of Hannah (bass and vocals), Toby (vocals, guitar and drums) and Alan (guitar).
How would you describe your music?
It’s a blend of indie pop and rock with some 90’s style guitar tones. We try and create a nice contrast between the darkness of some of the lyrics and the upbeat musical context. Hannah and Toby grew up in rural Wales and take a lot of inspiration from the landscapes, which is conveyed in the lyrics and the more ambient aspects of our sound.
What made you guys decide to pursue a career in music, do you have other side projects apart from music?
We’re all busy with other jobs in addition to music but we’ve been playing in various bands for years to different extents. Toby and Alan worked together in a library at Oxford and bonded over a joint 30 mile a day cycle commute (plenty of time to discuss music!). Hannah is an engineer who is also mad about coffee, so we all have plenty going on.
How do you guys work together, is it a collaborative process or do you all have different roles within the band?
We all have different roles and they develop all the time. The band initially started as a bit of a side project for Toby but being able to mix things up periodically has been great. Alan joined just before the first national lockdown and his guitar work has really helped to flesh out the sound. Things have been a bit different with lockdown, but we keep in touch regularly with ideas. Toby and Hannah often put together short videos/ sound files of the songs which are then shared with Alan who adds in some great guitar.
You’ve just released your brand new single ‘Waterline’, what can you tell us about the single and how it differs from your previous work?
‘Waterline’ is in many ways the distilled version of what we set out to do on our last single ‘Icarus’. We tried to really think about how each part of the song contributed to the whole and in the end came up with a really punchy indie track. Hannah has stepped up to sing the lead vocals on ‘Waterline’ and this has given us a whole new aspect to our sound.
Do you have any plans to make an EP or potentially an album?
Yes absolutely! We’re hoping to get our first EP recorded in 2021 and have already written a large amount of the songs. We’d ultimately love to record an album too and experiment with the longer form that this allows, so we shall see what emerges.
How has the pandemic affected your creative process when it comes to recording new music?
It’s been a little difficult to record in the same way and we’re certainly looking forward to being able to rehearse and play as a full band again, which we haven’t done for almost a year now.
Have you found it challenging to adapt to the current pandemic?
We’ve all had really supportive friends and family, who despite not being able to come to shows have been really eager to hear our music and have been really supportive, tuning into radio plays and always wanting updates. Not being able to do shows has been a huge disappointment, and we can’t wait to get back out there when it’s safe to do so. We’ve also had some time to invest in building our online presence which has been beneficial.
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing independent musicians today?
Being able to make enough money to support your art is the hard part. Unless you’re born into a beneficial financial situation it’s really difficult to fund your music without working an additional job. I think we have to really reassess the value of art to society and think of things a little differently. The pandemic has highlighted just how important good music, books and art are to our wellbeing and we mustn’t lose sight of that and the artists that need support to create it.
Having spoken to a lot of artists, some have said that lockdown has left them feeling uninspired resulting in periods of prolonged writing block. How do you personally cope with writing blocks and get inspired to write music?
We’ve used lockdown as an opportunity to practice, practice, and practice. Although we’ve been desperate to gig, we’ve found that we can spend a lot more time with guitars in hand just writing short parts and learning songs we’ve always wanted to learn. So we’re trying to see it as a positive and use the downtime to just improve our skills and enjoy playing music without too much pressure.
What advice would you give to someone who may be considering a career in music?
Just make sure you’re doing what you love and staying true to your creative vision. Do understand that it’s an incredibly difficult and subjective industry. A huge amount of success is related to who you know, so do set aside time to network.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Hannah: Confidence makes all the difference.
Toby: There’s always value in revisiting an idea. Some of our best songs have come from completely re-working old demos that we’d given up on.
Alan: Put a distortion/muff pedal on. No one will hear you mess up.
Check out Inland Murmur's brand new single 'Waterline' in the link down below!
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