Looking back, what were some of your earliest entries into music appreciation? And music production?

The first thing that really kicked in was Nirvana, then a few years after that I was a metalhead, and over the years, as home music production has got easier, I appear to have gradually gone away from the guitars and on to the synths.

What inspired you to start making the electronic music that you are now?

I heard synthwave and I realised that there was a way of making huge, atmospheric music without requiring a band to do it. Life gets in the way when it comes to gigs, recording and rehearsals, so finding a way to do things as a duo and keep doing music you wanted to listen to was a revelation. Then Millie and I met over the internet and we wanted to make some kind of sound as each other.

What key pieces of gear/software are you using to define your sound?

Far more basic than you could possibly imagine. I use Logic, Reason, a few plug-ins and a beat-up MIDI keyboard to compose. I find it best not to over-complicate matters rather than have a disorientating array of synths.

Has your arsenal of equipment changed much since you first started?

As you can probably imagine from the above, very, very little. But I started on bass and guitar when I first started making music. And now it’s on to the synths. Only one track on the LP has a guitar on it, so it’s changed a lot in that sense.

Which three albums or artists would you say have influenced your sound in a big way?

Both of us would agree with Depeche Mode. And Chvrches and Purity Ring were obvious gateway bands into 21st century synthpop when we first started out

Any new or upcoming artists on your radar?

Some of them are already established within the synthwave scene itself, but there are plenty that deserve a wider audience. Certainly Femmepop and chroonicv, who both appear on our album. Also, check out Prizm, Vandal Moon, Honey Beard, Wolfclub, among many, many others. There’s a lot out there to uncover when you start digging.

What inspires you outside of music?

I’d love to say something more rock ‘n’ roll, but peace and quiet. It’s incredibly underrated, and only really appreciated when you don’t have it.

What do you want to accomplish with your music?

We have no great expectations – we’re just happy when people say we like our music and love it enough to invest in it. God, that’s a hokey answer but true – it’s pretty special in and of itself.

What, in your opinion would be the perfect genre fusion?

You had us up until the word “fusion”. Most of the time that’s when things start to go very wrong. Just the memory of funk-rock brings me out in hives.

What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or releases in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?

A little time out, exploring things. But I can pretty much guarantee that From Apes to Angels will have a very different sound in the future. We’ll still be working in synthwave and synths I expect, but it’s a pretty broad genre. We’ve made more of a pop record here, and I think things may go a little darker next time.

Famous last words?

Oh bugger.

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