Interview: MEMORIALS
MEMORIALS are one of our favourite new bands, and to coincide with them coming down to Southend to play live in the shop, alongside the release of their great new record, All Clouds Bring Not Rain, our Rosie sat down with Verity and Matthew for a quick Q&A.
Sounding like an unearthed classic, MEMORIALS twist their influences into their own unmistakable sound. Imagine Nico singing with Can produced by David Axelrod and you’re somewhere in the right ballpark. The record draws inspiration from a wide range of music including folk, dub, post punk, experimental tape music, 60s soul, garage rock, 70s spiritual jazz and Canterbury prog.
How did Memorials begin, and what made you want to work together in this way?
Matthew: I was happy to meet Verity when my band at the time started working with the same label as Electrelane - Too Pure. We remained friends since, often playing on each others projects or performing the odd free improv gig but it wasn’t until a few years ago we discussed the idea of working in a more considered way and by chance got the invitation around that time to do a sound track for a brilliant director, Sonia Gonzalez. She was really clear on what she needed and provided the perfect starting place for us to get to straight to work! We didn’t have aspirations to start a traditional band but it’s been a lot of fun following where it leads…
How do songs usually start for you? with sound, structure, or an idea?
Verity: it’s always with a musical idea - a melody, a riff, a chord sequence, or a sound - any of these start us off and then we develop the song from there, following our ears.
How collaborative is the writing process between you both?
Verity: it’s very collaborative and has become even more so over time. We work on the music and lyrics together. Because we live in different places (Brighton and Canterbury) we often come up with initial ideas on our own, and then develop them together, the same with the lyrics. We also spend time together improvising and coming up with new ideas that way. Developing songs together requires an openness and sense of trust so we can say what we think about each other’s ideas without worry, and I think that’s part of why it works with us and is enjoyable at the same time. We’re on the same wavelength musically a lot of the time (obviously, or we wouldn’t be making music together!) but when we’re not, it’s good to be able to discuss it constructively - interesting things often come out of that, from the pull to go in different directions, different musical languages speaking to us at the same time, and trying to find a route through that together.
You’ve both been involved in long-running, influential bands, how would you say these experiences have shaped the way you work now
Matthew: having been involved in a number of bands and made a load of records, it gives you a good insight to how things can be…sometimes great, sometimes nothing much more than despair! It also helps remind you of the fun of doing this… we are quite focused, quite driven and also keen to get things done and move on… I think all of that comes from experience…
When did work on the new album start, and how long did it take to come together?
Matthew: we started writing a few months after completing Memorial Waterslides which was Jan 2024, so by May 2024, we were starting to think about what would form All Clouds & we completed writing for this record around April 2025 and then began recording it! We ended up with around 20 songs & only 14 were recorded..
The title All Clouds Bring Not Rain, where did that come from?
Verity: It’s an English proverb from the Elizabethan era, first recorded in 1584 in “A Short Dictionarie in Latine and English” by the lexicographer John Withals.
Matthew: as soon as Verity mentioned it, while we were coming to the end of working on the songs, it seemed like the title straight away!
Are there themes or ideas on this album that feel new for Memorials?
Matthew: There’s a consistent sense of pushing towards something new between us.. we are often discussing how we could do something different or better in the future! We focused on the writing for this record and then had it all in place before we began recording, which was the first time we worked like this… we’ve discussed since how it has it’s positives and negatives! Esp. as it’s just the two of us, sometimes capturing the initial spark and running with it in whatever state its in, is a less stressful/difficult route to the same end point! But for All Clouds, we had a very conscious idea of what each should be and that meant buying things on eBay, like a harmonium or congas or travelling to studios for a day or two to use instruments we could afford to buy (or house!) like a Wurlitzer, Vibraphone & Harpsichord. We also worked a lot more collaboratively on the lyrics to this album, which was really fun… it’s drawn from a lot of shared experiences and travel and there a repeating themes across the record, often used metaphorically, but the sense of a world it creates I was particularly pleased with!
What do you enjoy most about playing this material live?
Matthew: so far we’ve only played 1 song from All Clouds live - we’ve just started rehearsing for the upcoming touring - it’s great having new things to work on… but I’m more excited about working on album 3!
What are you most excited for on your upcoming tour?
Matthew: apart of the music, I’m particularly excited to get to numerous record shops along the way and searching out the most authentic diners in town when we are in America!
What do you want people coming to the shows to leave with?
Matthew: a sense of purpose! A sense of joy! A sense of being somewhere else!
Finally, three words to describe the upcoming album?
Matthew: this is a tough one! today’s 3 words shall be: yellow, orange, lime
Verity: Temperamental, philosophical, cloudy.
