London-based indie outfit poolhouse hit the ground running with their electric, lo-fi debut album, Moon River Rock. Recorded on a tape machine in a barn full of vintage synths, the record delivers an eclectic collection of laidback, contemplative songs – from the spacey Kurt Vile-esque ‘Acid Song’ to more delicate, dreamy numbers like ‘Precious Days’. Ahead of their upcoming run of live shows, I had a chat with the band to find out more about their beginnings, how they made Moon River Rock and how Mac DeMarco’s keyboard player stole their hat…
Words by Annie Rew Shaw
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Annie) Hey guys! Can you introduce yourselves to our readers?
poolhouse) We’re a band from London who all met in school. There’s three of us: Alex, Ben and Sam. We’d all been making music for a long time separately but wanted to be in a band rather than performing by ourselves. After a while being in a band together we eventually got down to business and just focused on making a good collection of songs, and that’s how Moon River Rock happened!
Where did the name poolhouse come from?
Our lead guitarist Ben got the idea from his cousins years ago and was going to use it as a name for a solo project but it came back as an idea for our band name. We all liked it mainly for the mood it evokes – sort of serene and easygoing, like a lot of the album.
I love your new record, Moon River Rock – it’s eclectic and has some great songs. Can you give us a little insight into the writing/recording process?
Thanks a lot! It was written mostly by Alex and Sam and all recorded, mixed and produced at Alex’s house, where he had an empty barn that we started filling up with music gear over the years as we collected it. By the time we made the album, we were really lucky in being able to use vintage synths and a tape machine to record everything on, which gives it the lo-fi sound.
What’s your favourite track on the record and why?
That’s a really tough one. My favourite to listen to on the album is probably ‘White Sox’, as the mixing on that really comes together and we give it a slightly disco feel when we play it live. Having said that, ‘Acid Song’ is definitely the most fun to play live as we can let loose a bit and just go for it.
If you could support any band on tour, who would it be?
It’s got to be Mac DeMarco for us. The way that the relaxed vibe of his albums contrasts with his insanely energetic live shows is something we’ve ended up heading towards without thinking about it at all. And of course it would be lovely to have a cig with the guy. (His keyboardist took my hat, though, when I threw it to Mac [at a gig], and that is an insult I shall never forget.)
What’s coming up next? Any live shows in the diary?
Making new music and gigging in general is what’s up next for us. We’re also hoping to get a few festivals in the diary for summer! Here’s what’s coming up with many more in the pipeline:
12 December at Boiler Room, Guildford
8 January at Water Rats, London WC1