Manuela: "We’ve always liked to do shows out of the ordinary..."

The husband and wife duo, vocalist/songwriter Manuela Gernedel and multi-instrumentalist/producer Nick McCarthy, formerly of Franz Ferdinand, spin deliriously addictive alt. pop yarns that examine the minutae of 21st century life through shimmering filters of wavy lo-fi and stoic optimism. It's sun-speckled and remarkably warm, but it's not perpetual pep - there's darkness at play too.

Gernedel and McCarthy play Munich's Rote Sonne on 13 April, Marvin Festival in Mexico City on 20 May, Scotland's Hidden Door on 26 May-4 June, and London's Field Day on 3 June. Find out more about their live plans.

Check out Manuela's recently released debut album below, and find out a bit more about the outfit below.

What inspires you to create?

Gernedel: A combination of chitter chatter on the bus, some sun rays hitting your forehead, something someone mentioned a couple of years ago, and a horrendous news story.

When are you the most creative? Do you find it more useful to plot and plan or do you work spontaneously?

G: Probably I am most creative when I am supposed to be somewhere else - it’s definitely good to have an idea to start with (and also to go back to if you are getting lost). But in general, I’d say stuff gets best when you are leaving that area of what you imagined, and you don’t even feel responsible anymore!

Can you tell us about the album - how did it come together?

G: It started when we realised that we’d have some time to work on something together. We had written a couple of songs already, and we were writing in a very traditional, simple way, just guitar and singing - I like the fact that all of the songs on the record could be played sitting around a bonfire.

Once we started recording we decided that we would like to invite certain people to play some parts. Primarily people who we knew, and who have a very distinct sound to their playing, such as Jim Dixon on bass (he also plays in Django Django), and William Rees on guitar (Mystery Jets). In other cases we wanted to introduce particular instruments, such as the saxophone (on "March Against It") and later on, cello for "Desolation Angels". In both those cases I was thinking of them as additional voices.

What themes run through the record?

G: Love and decay. Feelings of warmth and tenderness towards the world and people around you, and at the same time getting the sense that we are on a definite downward slope.

It’s been great to get videos made for some of the songs, "Supermarket" in particular. The Californian video artist Shana Moulton made a video for that one, which turned out beautifully. We presented one of her videos at the launch party we held last week.

What was the party like?

Nick McCarthy: It was a warehouse we found in London that reminded us of Glasgow, so we thought 'yep let’s do it there'. We’ve always liked to do shows out of the ordinary and this night was no exception. We decorated the place, made it our own, and got friends to join in and DJ and MC. Martin Creed and Jo Robertson agreed to support us. Hank Schmitt-in-der-Beek was the MC. We light the incense and get into groovy mode, and then the show can start. Our live show is a five-piece with the atmosphere of a hotel bar... a glitter mascara band with velvet seats.

How would you describe the sound of your album?

G: Hazy, dreamy, soft, and velvet, with reggae banners hanging up on the wall and some half-eaten chicken wings lying outside your doorstep.

What was the easiest song to finish? The hardest?

G: The easiest was "Farewell", and the hardest... I really don’t know, all went swimmingly!

Which track is your favourite to perform live? Why?

G: "Silent Dome" - it’s got a good build up!

Where are you looking forward to playing on the upcoming tour?

G: I’m really looking forward to playing as part of Hidden Doors festival in Edinburgh, the venue looks absolutely amazing! And also, of course, Field Day in London, ‘cause we’ll get to hang out with some friends and see Aphex Twin later in the day!

What are you excited about for the summer ahead?

G: Sun, heat, and going places.