Cool pop songs with half the pedalboard and less self indulgence
Q+A with Andy Power of So, Reverie
“Decaying” is the debut single of So, Reverie, a new band pulled together by former Avalyn lead, Andy Power. You'll find the song in episode 12 of _____ mood. To my ear, there is a subtle hint of Echo and the Bunnymen in “Decaying”... and apparently it’s not just because the two bands hail from Liverpool.
“Echo and the Bunnymen are definitely a massive influence on us,” Andy told me. “I even ask my hairdresser to give me an Ian McCulloch haircut, but people seem to always mistake it for Robert Smith.”
You'll hear the influence of Ride in Andy's music too. No surprise given he's worked with Mark Gardener - more about that below.
Just based on our limited exchange, Andy conveys an admirable sense of determination, indicating a true love for and dedication to songwriting and performing. If you enjoyed Avalyn’s music, you probably appreciate Andy’s gift for crafting big power-pop out of dreamy layers of guitars and emotional vocals. When Avalyn announced its split this year (2023), it was a disappointment to hear, but fortunately Andy forged on to create So, Reverie. Here’s a bit about the new band and what you can expect from So, Reverie in 2024.
Tell us about the new project. How would you characterise the sound? Who is in?
So, Reverie is a new band that I started with my mate Cain Garcia on guitar and drums, with myself on vocals, guitar & keys. Cain used to be in the first iteration of Avalyn but we are back together now making tunes along with El Krauza who is our bassist and whom we met through gigging two years ago. Sonically the band is really influenced by the likes of high school, new dad, The Smiths, New Order & Beach Fossils.
We are really into the idea of getting straight to the point and avoiding excess in how we make, present and perform our music. Even my pedalboard is half the size of what it used to be, which feels like a massive departure from what I was doing in the past. In general, we are really focused on just making cool pop songs which say what they need to say without going on forever and being wrapped up in self indulgence. In the past I would layer and layer and layer and layer an excessive amount of guitar tracks. Less is definitely more in this band, at least for the moment.
What can we expect from So, Reverie in the coming time?
More music and more gigs - a lot more of that to come! We are going to head into the studio in January to record our debut EP. It’s going to be a really fun time and we’ve been working non-stop on these demos so far, so we have a good idea of how things are going to shape up! The focus of this band is for us to get music out there and gig as much as possible and to take a little bit more of a DIY approach to how we do stuff as a new band starting out.
Why opt for a more DIY approach? How are you defining that?
It felt as though in Avalyn we spent too much time and money on each of our releases, which is why we released so little music. We were all working day jobs or using money from student loans to finance everything that would go into the releases because we convinced ourselves everything had to be done in a certain way or it wouldn’t stick. That slowed down the productivity and creativity of the band’s releases. The band had more lineup changes than it released songs, which is pretty embarrassing for me looking back, haha.
With this band we want to find ways of doing things in a way that’s more sustainable so that we can release more music and also be more creative in the process! For instance, most of the photo shoots and video shoots going forward are going to be done by us. Cain will be doing a lot of the photography and videography work on the releases we have coming up. That allows us to be more creative and make it more sustainable going forward - and fun in general! It’s a different approach to anything I’ve been used to in the past, so I’m really looking forward to trying something new. A lot of the bands/artists I really like at the moment do a lot of the stuff on their releases so that is something I’ve been influenced by. We are looking to incorporate some of that into what we are doing!
You’ve worked with Mark Gardener in the past. Has Ride been an influence on your songwriting? Why work with him and what has it been like to work with him?
Mark and Ride have been very influential on my songwriting, especially the more poppy songs like Twisterella and Vapour Trail. Ride always resonated with me the most out of all those groups because of their pop sensibilities. We’re sort of honing in on that aspect as So, Reverie is really a pop band at heart and is definitely a lot more poppy than Avalyn.
We worked with Mark in Avalyn because he was a huge influence on us and we felt like he could offer something great to the tracks, which he did. Hopefully we can keep working with him in So, Reverie either now or into the future. He’s a great guy to work with and really nice to talk to and spend time with. He helped give me the confidence as a vocalist when I was feeling very insecure about my voice earlier on in Avalyn. I was just learning to sing at the time and he gave me that boost I needed. It helped me come a long way.
Is there a story behind the first So, Reverie single “Decaying”?
It’s a song about hoping you’ll get out of a rut, or a way of living that you aren’t satisfied with… and being aware that it needs to change and having the belief that you’ll be able to turn things around. If I’m being completely honest, it’s definitely not my favourite song lyrically, I wrote this song while I was still in Avalyn and it’s definitely a feel-good track for playing live. However, it doesn’t evoke as much emotion or passion in me when I sing it compared to my lyrics in our other songs, which are a lot more melancholic and deal with themes of heartbreak, loss and relationships.
Since Avalyn ended, I’ve become a lot more direct and personal with my lyrics and it’s been a really cathartic process for me, as well as the fact that suits the musical direction of where we are now. “Decaying” was a cool song to start out, so I’m happy it was the first single but I’m even more excited for people to hear the next stuff we have coming up. I feel like what we have planned is just going to hopefully get better and better!
You’re based in Liverpool, is that correct? Can you say anything about any music scene you are part of there?
We are based in Liverpool, correct. Liverpool is my home and always will be, I love the place and the culture that exists here. It’s boss for nights out, great musical history, loads of places to see and visit, great food and most importantly, great people. However, a lot of the bands that are doing really well at the moment based here are very different to the kind of music we are making, so it can be quite difficult trying to make a mark in the music scene when what you’re doing is considered to be a bit against the grain. There are some great bands here, it’s just for other bands like us, I would have to dig deep at the moment. We love our pal Bill Nickson’s music. I know that Cain is a big fan of Eyesore & the jinx. I personally love my friend Mikey’s band called Liminal Project.
Who are some of your favourite bands, albums or songs right now?
My favourite band right now has to be HighSchool, they definitely inspired me to start making the music I wanted to make with this new band. When I was in Avalyn, we played a gig in Paris as one of the support bands for their headline show and it was absolutely brilliant. I watched the set and was hooked immediately; it re-ignited my love for that kind of music and definitely got me back to listening to music and songs which are more sonically sparse sounding. I think I got burnt out listening to Loveless too many times, ahaha.