The concept of the difficult second album is a worry for any young band, especially after the release of a debut LP as well received as The Orielles’ Silver Dollar Moment. Yet, where many promising artists struggle, Esmé, Sid, Henry and Alex have delved into exciting new territory for the release of their stellar second album Disco Volador, exploring bold themes of time and space. The Halifax four-piece spoke to KWAVA about the makings of their cosmic new record, their busy summer plans and what the Coronavirus lockdown has meant for the band.
Your latest release, Disco Volador has been out for just over a month now, how do you feel the response has been since its release in late February?
The response to our album has been amazing - we’re so glad people are as excited about the direction we went in as we are! We felt a lot of love on our album release tour - it was really beautiful to see so many people dancing at our gigs and having a party, that was a big aim with Disco Volador.
Where was Disco Volador recorded and produced?
The album was recorded at Eve Studios in Stockport - our musical abode for the first two records.
What was the main inspiration behind the album and its name?
Disco Volador appeared to Ez (Bass/Vocals) on the back of a frisbee hurled at her by the universe. Disco Volador can also mean UFO, so it tied in with the album’s lyrics and became synonymous with the feeling of uncontrollably travelling through space and time.
Did you go into making the second album in a different way to the making of Silver Dollar Moment?
The process of writing and recording this album in many ways was exactly the same method as Silver Dollar Moment - it was a really organic feeling and songs fell into place over a year or so. Obviously, the inspirations and instrumentation changed massively. The only difference was that there was a deadline whilst writing Disco Volador, but we found it worked in our favour, and that pressured environment actually helped us try out a lot of new things.
How has the Coronavirus outbreak effected your summer plans?
Unfortunately, we had a pretty full summer of festivals planned this year, with Glastonbury being one we were really excited to be hitting up. However, instead, our summer plans are more about quiet self-reflection, contemplation and listening to and playing a lot of music. We’re very eager to start creating, writing and recording again!
What are the four of you doing to keep busy during self-isolation?
We’ve been discovering loads of new music inspirations and playing our instruments a lot, trying to find new things we can bring to our music. Reaching out to loved ones. Taking full advantage of the MUBI discount. Just generally taking life slow and trying not to think about the impending recession that’s going to follow.
Disco Volador is a curious yet formidable second album from The Orielles - fusing elements of 60s pop and 70s disco with alternative indie rock to a fresh and progressive new sound.
Like their Heavenly Records counterparts and fellow West Yorkshire natives, Working Men’s Club, The Orielles have been impressing many from the UK music industry. Their addition to several major UK festival rosters this summer is indicative of their ever-increasingly acclaim. With time on their side, and already backed by an impressive discography, it seems almost certain that we can expect exciting things from genre-mixing quartet over the coming months and years.
The Orielles are still set to play at various festivals over the summer season including, Truck and Green Man amongst others, although their appearance will depend, of course, on the ongoing Coronavirus situation. Disco Volador is out now on all platforms.