POLO debut new cut "Soak" and tell us all about their upcoming EP

The group are following up their spine-tingling "Gold Horizons", the first track from the short-player, with a grounded nugget of streamlined pop bliss. It's got flowing synthery, gorgeously gooey R&B vox, and plenty of soul stuffed between each clicky beat.

POLO have a handful of UK dates this week - they play Newcastle's Think Tank on 22 February, London's The Garage on 24 February, and Leeds' The Lending Room on 26 February.

Check out the new track below and then find out all about the Alice EP after.

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

Kat McHugh: The EP was created whilst we all lived together in Newcastle. There was no planned approach; you could say the EP was mostly written in all of the moments you take no notice of... the creation of a riff as you are waiting for the kettle to boil, or a melody idea that strikes as you’re waiting for the shower to be free. As it happened in such a way, it's almost as if we had never even written it at all, as if it just passed through us.

It's described as largely 'about the female influences' in Kat's life.

K: Most of these influences are people I have been involved with romantically. This could be a long-term relationship, or the people I had I have dated after this came to an end. Incorporating this into the writing of the lyrics was a natural process, because I tend to write about my relationships with people anyway, whether bad, hard, or good. In Alice I have written about my different experiences with love: good and bad. That is why Alice works perfectly, because she represents these girls I’ve met, just as the EP does.

What inspires you to create?

K: I tend to write most honest when I'm either really head over heels for somebody or going through something quite hard and it's incredibly cathartic. So generally people and my relationships with, whether romantic or otherwise, inspire me to. But absolutely everything or anything can inspire me.

Luke Lount: I produce my best work when I’m completely maxed out and at wit's end. I need to be under pressure to create something I’m passionate about. The more pressure, or the harder I’m working, the better the music I create.

Dan Edgell: For me creating is the best way of clearing your head and working through anxieties. Working on a piece of music/art and seeing it develop over time is such a rewarding process, and watching yourself improve as a band over time is what keeps you going. We all take inspiration from obvious sources like other albums and songs we like. But recently movies and visual art have been a major source of inspiration, especially Japanese cinema and anything by Ron Fricke…

What was your first musical memory?

K: It’s weird you ask because we were talking about this in the van on the way to Glasgow..

L: My first favourite song was "Blue" by Eiffel 65. Says it all really.

D: My first musical memory that stands out is when I was about 12 and I listened to the song "Mr. Tambourine Man" for the first time. It felt like something clicked it was pretty clear the main thing that I wanted to do was write songs and make music.

What was it like working with Rich Turvey?

K: He is extremely efficient, and after months of nitpicking over every fine detail it was nice to have someone come in and be able to make those decisions that as a band you sometimes struggle with. He has a good ear for neatening things up, and adding little bits here and there. He took a collection of four songs and made it into an EP. Also, he’s really dry, but he pulls it off.

How did you write and record "Soak"?

L: Kat had begun writing the lyrics as she met this girl, and I wrote around this story as it developed and changed. I followed Kat’s lyrics, and Kat’s lyrics followed the different emotions she was experiencing. I listened to what Kat was trying to say and I tried to replicate that in the music and the production. We hadn’t tried writing that way much before, but it really worked. As always, I recorded and produced everything in my small ‘studio’, before we brought the project over to Rich Turvey.

What's it about?

K: I wrote the "Soak" lyrics when I was in a confusing stage, a sort of a crossover period between liking somebody for such a long time, going through the motions of having strong feelings for that person, and having it come to an end. To me personally the song represents a lesson I taught myself.

What side of POLO does it show off?

K: "Soak" shows our more honest and vulnerable side as musicians. It’s less egocentric, and tells a story that we think everyone can associate with. There are still trace elements of our little trademarks that make us who we are, but they’re toned down a lot.

Has Alice given you a sharper idea of your next steps?

K: The EP, more than anything, has allowed us to create a piece of work that defines who we are and where we were at one particular point. You can’t always do that with just single releases. We have a body of work that has really introduced us, and from here we can really explore. Alice has developed us all as songwriters and has really helped dignify our creative process - the next step is to keep writing and expanding our repertoire.

What excites you about the year ahead?

L: This year is the big one for us. Kat finishes her law degree, and Dan and me finished last year. We’ve achieved so much whilst all three of us have been so busy, and for the first time we’ll be able to focus 100% on the band.