Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: We’re an indie rock trio from Cambridge who all have a connection to the University in one way or another. We describe our sound as a unique fusion of indie rock that blends haunting melodies with gritty, textured guitar riffs, all held together by driving drums. Our music draws inspiration from a wide range of influences, but these early tracks were inspired by the likes of PJ Harvey, Warpaint, and Sonic Youth.
All of us had music in our lives growing up. Georgina’s family are very musical, and from a young age she was inspired by their regular performances at family events. This inspired her to start singing and writing songs from 14, before going on to be in bands and also release a solo EP with Michael J. Sheehy.
Brendan grew up in Derry at a time when people typically aligned with either the guitar-based “chuckies” or the electronic “ravers.” He gravitated towards grunge for its raw energy and progressive political elements, which resonated with Derry’s left- leaning culture and shaped his enduring political values.
James’s older brother is an annoyingly good guitarist, and so inspired him to pick it up at a young age. Music was always part of his life and he worked in recording studios throughout London before moving to LA.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “The Tender Heights”?
A: We’ve had some really good momentum since we started. We’ve been together since the summer of 2023, and we released our first two singles “New Boy” and “Back to the Sea” in early 2024. We’ve had a few gigs in Cambridge and London, and have just finished recording our first EP, which should be out in Autumn 2024. We were recently nominated for Best Indie Band and Best New Band in the East of England by Cambridge 105 Radio. We’ve got some great gigs lined up this year at the Portland Arms in Cambridge, the Mascara Bar in Stoke Newington, and we’re really looking forward to playing the Dublin Castle in Camden in the New Year. So, we’ve got a lot going on, and we’re hoping people will enjoy the music as much as we do. But, we all feel like we’re just starting to get in our stride musically, so there’s definitely a lot more to come from The Tender Heights.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: We’re in a bit of a musical flux at the moment after finishing the EP, and it’s kicked us into a bit of a writing frenzy. Recently, we’ve all been heavily into Loma, especially their self-titled 2018 album and the 2020 “Don’t Shy Away’, as well as EERA. PJ Harvey’s Glastonbury performance over the summer was amazing, and we keep coming back to that. Playing with the fantastic Sadplanet recently inspired James to go back through the Cocteau Twins’ library as well. So, if you bundle that together, you can tell that we’re pushing towards a really interesting sound. Inspiration comes from different places, but for us it’s mostly writing about what you know, what you’ve experienced, and what you feel. That way people can connect with the real emotions you’re channelling.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “New Boy.”?
A: It’s really about that excitement and fear we’ve all experienced when you have a crush on someone. So, the track explores the complexities of modern relationships, particularly focusing on desire, anticipation, and vulnerability. Georgie’s lyrics give a raw portrayal of these emotions, diving into the nuanced dynamics that come up when you’re falling for someone.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners
A: Atmospheric
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “New Boy”?
A: Writing New Boy was no problem – we tend to write really easily together. We don’t have any massive egos and no one is the leader of the band. If we’re not feeling something, we drop it quite quickly and move on. We don’t have a shortage of material, so we just focus on the tracks we all gravitate towards. Recording New Boy had it’s challenges though. We’d only been together for 6 months before recording, so this was our first studio session together and we were all trying to be on our best behaviour. That soon ended as Brendan threw his back out lifting the drums into the car, and the studio toilet was something out of Trainspotting. After you’ve had to ration toilet paper for a day it kind of breaks down barriers between people.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I don’t think there is a core message to our music, but there are definitely themes that come through strongly. Those themes vary from relationships, both historical and current, love and connection, its presence or absence and also grief and loss. Also prominent is just living and coping in the whirlwind of the modern world and all the anxiety and stress that entails, most of us are searching for some sort of peace and ‘Slow Down’ one of the tracks from our new EP definitely speaks to that. There is always a kernel of personal experience in our songs though they are not all biographical, but there is some truth that connects directly to one of us in each song. In terms of goals, we want to hone what we collectively feel characterises our sound and then get it out to as many people as people. We think people will really like what we do when they hear it. We are also hoping to grow our fanbase through playing more gigs and our loftier aim is to start playing a few festivals next summer.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: This would be different for each of us. For James that’s easy, as it would be Warpaint, but Brendan would probably agonise over which 90s grunge band he loved most until landing on Sonic Youth. For Georgina, it’s a toss-up between Laura Marling and Gillian Welch.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Just do it – it’s better to try and fail than never try at all, and work your networks, you’ll know someone who knows someone who knows someone who can help. Also write for yourself, it’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to write something that will be on trend or successful, but just writing and producing music that you as a band love and enjoy will always produce better results.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: It doesn’t need to be perfect: just keep putting in the hard work and you will get you where you need to go.
