It's no mystery that we're big fans of London-based Mt. Wolf. The quartet can't really be pinned to a genre, but dream folk comes close. We deservedly hyped their brooding Life Size Ghosts EP last October, a wonderful debut worth exploring if you have some time.
Mt. Wolf's upcoming Hypolight EP has some hype behind it thanks to lead single "Hypolight." Some very deep vibes right there. I feel that way about the whole EP. It's whimsical, and at the same time heartbreaking. For further reference, listen to their raw rework of Usher's "Climax."
Mt. Wolf fills a beautiful space with lead vocalist and song-writer Kate Sproule, who meshes so well with producer Sebastian Fox. There's also Stevie McMinn on acoustic guitar with Alex Mitchell handling percussion. Together, these four talented artists create some strikingly original and authentic music.
I had to a chance to talk to Mt. Wolf. Read on for the full interview:
I know it's important we talk about the EP, but first I have to ask: Are you still finding sand from that show in Nevada?
Occasionally Kate still finds some under her eyelid, Al in his drum pads, Stevie in is hair and I (Bassi) sometimes have to massage a rogue grain out from underneath one of my Maschine pads"¦
Had you been to the U.S. before spending time in San Francisco and Nevada?
We had all been on separate trips but this was our first one as a band. We can't wait to return!
You're all from England, and grew up by the sea. How has this influenced Mt. Wolf's sound?
I think landscape has a pretty big influence on our sounds. I know Kate and Stevie have expressed the impact of being near the sea when writing vocal and guitar lines respectively and I think it shows in tracks like "Life Size Ghosts." The beats and sounds I make are definitely affected by my immediate environment too "” if I'm in London a song may come out sounding different to when I'm in Dorset! Al also grew up by the sea in Brighton.
Kate, you mentioned once that it's important for Mt. Wolf's sound to be portable with the ability to layer in electronics. I also read that it takes a while to craft a Mt. Wolf record. How do you think taking that time behind the scenes carries over into the portability of your sound?
On the face of it that sounds a bit counter-intuitive, doesn't it! It's important for us as musicians that we can play our songs whenever and wherever we want to, without feeling restricted. So we take a lot of time and care over the intimacy as well as the expansiveness of the record in the hope that we can be inventive with how we play live. It just means that we can do both full electronic shows but that equally if we strip the electronics back, there's a sound that is still recognisably ours and hopefully, the songwriting still comes through.
Okay, so bigger picture: where do you see Mt. Wolf one year from now; five years from now?
One year from now: Making more music and having it played to a larger audience. Five years from now: Making more music and having it played to a larger audience.
Pre-order Hypolight on iTunes.
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