Northern Irish band New Pagans have released their debut album, The Seed, The Vessel, The Roots and All. We asked band members Claire and Lyndsey the BIG questions . . .
The alternative, post-punk band, who feature singer Lyndsey McDougall, bassist Claire Miskimmin, guitarists Cahir O'Doherty (Jetplane Landing, Fighting With Wire), Alan McGreevy, and drummer Conor McAuley, won Best Live Act at the NI Music Prize last year.
They’ve just released the video for their new single, Harbour, which was written about Lyndsey’s pregnancy with her daughter. "The video was shot on a freak dry day, in between weeks of snow and lashing rain, at St. Cooey's Well," says Miskimmin, who directed the promo film.
"Lyndsey had been a few times and kept it in mind as a stunning and pretty sinister location. It dates back to the 7th century and the 70s altar actually houses the foundation stones of the old monastery.
"That lent itself to the basic premise of summoning a world and its inhabitants beyond ours, hidden from our view. Merging two realities."
Tell us three things about yourself?
We are a five-piece band based in Belfast but hailing from all around Northern Ireland.
We won best live act 2020 at the NI Music Prize having squeezed as many shows in as possible before lockdown, we can't wait to be able to play shows again.
Our debut album, The Seed, The Vessel, The Roots and All, is out now on the Big Scary Monsters label.
How would you describe your music?
It's a bit of an amalgam of styles although we never consciously discussed how we would sound when we got together; it just came naturally. A bit of alt rock, indie, punk . . . being from the north of Ireland gives us plenty to write about.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Claire: That's probably wildly different for all of us, but i would say for me personally, I took a lot of inspiration from punk bands in my teens and early 20s and I really love PJ Harvey. She's a big one for me. So cool and I love how her style has evolved as she's grown older.
Lyndsey: I agree with Claire, PJ Harvey is wonderful, I recently watched a live version of Down by the Water from 1995, it gave me chills, the good kind. I also love Sonic Youth, I remember the weekend I discovered Rather Ripped. I felt so happy to find those songs.
How did you occupy yourself during the coronavirus lockdown?
Claire: After the initial panic we had to just regroup and work out how we could make the most of our time. We had just come back from our first UK tour as the pandemic was starting to become a terrifying reality and lockdown happened a couple of weeks after we got home. That really put an end to any momentum we were building from our live shows, and here we are a year later with no idea when gigs will become a thing again! Writing became a priority. Demoing little bits of songs and sending them to each other to try and piece together new ideas. And so, here we are somehow releasing our first album with plenty of material for the next.
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Lyndsey: Yes, it was pretty scary at the start but if I’m honest not playing live shows happened at a good time for me personally. I’m in my final year of PhD research and I’ve two kids under the age of three so, having time to write new songs has been really refreshing and a needed break from playing live. However, I’m anxious like the rest of us about how long the live restrictions will last, I miss playing with the band so much.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Claire: According to my Spotify, it's anything by Stevie Nicks. Pure Love by Hayley Williams is an absolute pop gem and I'm enjoying Phoebe Bridgers’ I Know The End. Oh, and I quite like the vibe of the new Mogwai single Ritchie Sacramento.
Lyndsey: It hasn’t changed since March last year, this song makes me feel very calm - Tumastin by Mdou Moctar.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Claire: "You don't wanna hurt me, But see how deep the bullet lies, Unaware I'm tearing you asunder, Oh, there is thunder in our hearts". Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill. Pass me a karaoke mic right now . . .
Lyndsey: "When the young people dance, They do not dance forever, It is written in sand, With the softest of feathers, It is not writ in stone, Like the walls of the chapel, And soon it is gone, Like the soft winters at home". The Young People - Lankum. The lyrics in that song are perfect.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Claire: What a nightmare! Rihannon by Stevie Nicks
Lyndsey: NO WAY, you’d end up hating it but Rihannon is a good shout!
Where can people find your music/more information?
All info, links to music and socials can be found at our website.
