Sophie Jamieson

Striking out with her acoustic guitar after leaving university, she has now armed herself with a full band and has carved a happy medium somewhere between dream pop and traditional folk. With layers of electric ambience and soulful songwriting, her latest split single, Stain / Other, released via Luv Luv Luv, is a testament to the awed silences her live shows evoke.

Ahead of the anticipated release and a string of upcoming UK dates, we sat down with Sophie to talk through both the band and her distinctive sound’s evolution.

Hi Sophie, tell us when did you start making music?

I started writing songs when I was about thirteen. I wrote a song on the piano and showed it to my Mum who then gave me her acoustic guitar from her university days. It got pulled out of the attic, dusted off and restrung. She just let me do it and I wrote pretty terrible angsty teen pop for the next five or six years.

What has musically changed since then?

When I got to university I started writing better music. I was at Cambridge and once I got there I discovered more new music. I kept hearing the name Laura Marling come up when I was in my first year and after a while I thought I should probably check this person out. Through that, I started discovering the nu-folk scene. People like Johnny Flynn, Lucy Rose and Daughter and then person-by-person I discovered more original music. I started thinking about songwriting much more carefully. I was more inspired to think about what I was doing, write something with much more of a point and to develop my own sound. I started writing the songs just because it felt right and natural. When I went to university, it became a release and a break from work. When I left university, I just really liked doing it as it made me feel I was where I belonged being at a gig. It gave me confidence that I didn’t really have before. It helped me figure out what sort of person I was.

The project started as just yourself, but you’re now a full band, was that always your plan or did it happen naturally?

No, I never planned anything. Nothing is ever planned! I wanted to keep gigging and booked as many shows in London as I could. After a few months I played a gig promoted by my guitarist Liam’s other band Patch and the Giant. Liam came up to me after I played and asked if I needed an electric guitarist. We started playing together and I started writing music more with him in mind. He then brought his friend Alex along to play bass. It very much evolved one person at a time. I made an EP last year and as we developed it percussion naturally came into the mix as well. Although it was all samples at that stage, I knew around then I really needed a drummer of some sort. It took a while to find the right person and then we met Amos through a friend. He used to play in Fanfarlo so it all developed very naturally.

How do you describe your sound to those who haven’t heard of you?

I usually call it ambient folk or atmospheric folk. I’ve also heard it called dream pop or dark pop bandied about. I quite like that as it gives it a bit of an edge. It’s essentially rooted in folk in terms of melody and the lyrical approach. I take influence though from many aspects of music like electronica or more synthy stuff.

You often get shelved next to Daughter and you mentioned Laura Marling; do you mind being compared with other female folk artists?

I understand why we get compared to Daughter. It’s hard to avoid when we both use reverb and my lyrics can be quite direct in a similar way. I don’t mind being compared to anyone in a way as you got to have people you can be shelved next to. In a way it is flattering.

Are there any particular bands you take influence from?

Nu-folk bands haven’t influenced me for a while now, it’s more bands like Polica. I also really like Lorde. I am getting really into how to use percussion. I’ve been coming up with lyrics first, then getting a drum part and work out what the texture of the song will be. I used to start with a melody and that has changed.

You’ve just released the two part single Stain / Other on Luv Luv Luv, how has the experience of putting it together been?

It’s been great. Luv Luv Luv have been incredibly helpful and they are all really chilled out. It’s all been a big learning curve really. The first label we worked with was called Folkroom Records and they were small but wonderful. It was more of a folk collective and whilst we loved being a part of it, the music we’re making now didn’t fit that circle quite as well. It’s exciting being grouped with a new genre and a new part of the music world.

Are you happy with how the online streams of the singles are being received?

I’m happy with any plays as long as people like it. I was a bit nervous about putting it out there as they are a bit weird. They are quite singular as the lyrics are minimal and the concepts behind them are unusual. They are a statement of what we want to be. I was nervous about putting ‘Stain’ up because it is a song that is quite contained. I wasn’t quite sure the impression people would get from it.

There was a rumour that you wanted to go fully electric, is that true?

Yes, I now have an electric guitar - but I have to go and buy an amp. I have been playing acoustic for 10 years so it feels like another limb. I feel like I need a bit of a change. Hearing all the samples and effects Liam can use, I am thinking of it. I have some sounds in my head I want to recreate and peddles etc can do that. The music will be more intense. I need a bit of distortion. I will use acoustic still though of course.

What does the next few months look like for you?

The next chapter is a bunch of shows in London. Then in the summer there will be a couple of festivals but mainly we are getting our heads down and writing. The next big thing is looking to another EP.​

The Stain/Other single is out now, via Luv Luv Luv Records.