QR Music Interview - Wyvern Lingo: "I don’t think we were ever afraid. We all find it really quite cathartic."
The Republic is home to a well-established and ever-blossoming sea of musical talent, from hip hop to garage-punk, focused primarily in Dublin. At the centre of this we find Wyvern Lingo. The alternative indie trio from Bray, comprised of multi-instrumentalists Caoimhe, Karen and Saoirse, released their eponymous debut studio album early this year.
Their first release since 2016’s Letters to Willow EP, the album’s conception began with a lot of home demo-ing, before bringing the tracks to Hellfire studios in the Dublin mountains. Penning album opener ‘Out of My Hands’ in the studio, they worked on the guts of the record with producer James Kelly, and recorded the vocals themselves in Donegal. They then spent two weeks in London mixing with Neil Comber (Florence & The Machine, M.I.A). Working together as a band on the arrangements, “The songs are from the perspective of one person lyrically,” says Karen, explaining the palpable connection they each have to the lyrics they sing.
Wyvern Lingo, being ‘friends first, a band second,’ have little reservation sharing so much with each other when bringing songs to the table. “What has always appealed to us as music listeners are artists who write provocative, honest lyrics, so I don’t think we were ever afraid. We all find it really quite cathartic; it comes quite naturally to us,” says Karen. Shaking off apprehensive thought processes when it comes to the personal, one niggle still remains. “It’s not so much the public, it’s my public– you know, ‘What’s my mum gonna say’?” says Caoimhe.
Awash with R&B vocals and hip-hop influenced percussion, both their record and live performances defy genre. “Recapping the bands we’ve supported in Belfast, I was like ‘So, Hozier, James Vincent McMorrow, Marina and the Diamonds, and White Denim… What does that say about us?” jokes Karen about their eclectic support slots, to laughs from her bandmates. Whatever it says about the band, I was at three out of four of those shows. “That makes us feel better,” laughs Karen.
Their own tastes in music are just as much a mixed bag. Listing Ne-Yo, A Tribe Called Quest’s and Solange’s albums as poignant during the writing process, Saoirse adds Jeff Buckley as a key, overarching influence. “God, it’s such a mess,” groans Caoimhe, to the amused agreement of her bandmates. Somehow, though, it works. Their live performances have included stellar if unconventional covers of Hozier, Drake, and the most genius mash-up known to modern music (Alt-J / En Vogue). “It can take us a while to get it to sound like us, to sound comfortable and not like a cover band,” says Saoirse.
Always managing to keep that trademark Wyvern Lingo sound, I wonder whether their live sound is something they keep in mind while writing. “We used to, but we kind of got rid of that way of thinking. I think it holds you back in the studio. You’ve got to just suck it up and deal with it. Cross that bridge when you come to it,” says Karen. “They’re two different beasts, a recording and something you do live,” adds Caoimhe. “You want something different– if you listen to a live performance of an artist that you like, you’re not going to miss the production. You’re going to notice the vibe in the room, the feeling, the emotion… I’m listening to Kanye West’s Live at Abbey Road, it’s class. So beautiful. He does this version of ‘Heard ‘Em Say’, you know the one with Adam Levine? It’s gorgeous, and really simple. I feel like when you’re doing a recording, that’s you immortalising the song. So it should be the best you can do without paying attention to what it’s going to be live,” she concludes.
Wyvern Lingo play a string of gigs this summer, including Reading and Leads Festival. Check out their full tour dates here.
By Addison Paterson