Posted by Genre-bending band The Mysterines are Lia Metcalfe (vocals/guitar) and George Favager (bass). A classic rock-leaning sound with a fearless, punk-ish energy, they’ve toured with Miles Kane, Royal Blood and, most recently, The Amazons. “That was boss. It was a big learning curve, that tour,” Lia says about touring with The Amazons. Watching them play to big crowds was “great” with The Amazons offering “loads of advice” too.
With previous tracks, for example ’Who’s Ur Girl’ and ‘Love’s Not Enough’, they have showcased their grungey, Bluesy sound and they took these songs on the road with them when they toured the UK earlier this year (in February). It was their first headline tour and it sold out. “It was good to play the new stuff and hear what people thought. The feedback was great”.
Their new single, ‘I Win Every Time’, takes them in a heavier direction. Their sound has been described as having elements of Nirvana at their wildest. “I think it reflects more of what the debut album’s going to be in terms of sound and lyrics,” explains Lia. “It’s definitely a new idea for the band. I think it’s just a lot more mature. When we released the earlier stuff, especially the first EP, I was really young when I was writing that.I think (‘I Win Every TIme’) is a bit more developed and thought out and there’s more of a plan ahead with the album and what we want it to sound like so it’s just a clearer vision really”.
Lia, a natural songwriter, has been penning her lyrics since she was “like 8 (years old) or something stupid”. “I’ve always liked writing,” she says. “I’ve always been inspired by lots of things. I couldn’t really pin point it to one thing”. She attributes reading a lot and watching films as helping inspire her songwriting. Matched with her killer vocals, Metcalfe’s lyrics make for a compelling listen.
The Mysterines formed as school friends from Liverpool. “We all just met when we were really young. We’ve been doing it for years,” Lia says. “It all went from there really”. They released their debut EP ‘Take Control’ in summer of last year and are now working on their debut album. “(We’ve) been writing a lot over lockdown. We’ve got a few demos and everything’s working together really well and all the sounds complement each other. All the songs are really strong so I’m looking forward to continuing writing it. Eventually, when it’s done, it should be great”.
Things are looking good for The Mysterines. With a banging new single out and more new music to follow, they’re definitely heading for big things.
– – –
– – –
Words: Narzra Ahmed
Photo Credit: Phoebe Jane Barrett
Join us on the ad-free creative social network Vero, as we get under the skin of global cultural happenings. Follow Clash Magazine as we skip merrily between clubs, concerts, interviews and photo shoots. Get backstage sneak peeks, exclusive content and access to Clash Live events and a true view into our world as the fun and games unfold.