Low Girl Discuss New Album And Learning From Bands On The Road

Toby Furlong

I’m a writer hailing from the distant land of Norfolk. With a deep love for vinyl, currently standing at over 100 in my collection. When it comes to picking a favourite artist, it will always be the sounds of Trish Keenan and Broadcast.

Following the news of debut album ‘Is It Too Late To Freak Out?’ Low Girl chat with us about their growth, touring and evolving sound

Low Girl have been steadily creating reverberations since 2021’s ‘Big Now’ EP. With the announcement of debut album ‘Is It Too Late To Freak Out’, the group are well positioned for the recognition they deserve. Ahead of the release we caught up with the group, who discussed the feelings of a band in the ascendancy.

We took the opportunity to catch up with vocalist Sarah Cosgrove about life on the road, solidarity with other acts, and the evolving sound of a growing band.

Toby: It’s now been around four years since the formation of Low Girl. With a debut album arriving soon, could you point to anything in particular that you think has been achieved since your debut EP ‘Big Now’?

Sarah: We’ve definitely honed in on our sound and tried to build confidence. I’d also say we’ve made a point of worrying less about what we should be doing and focus more on what we want to be doing.

Toby: if you think back to your experiences touring with perhaps more established groups such as Dream Wife, The Murder Capital, When you get the chance to support these bands is there a real sense of camaraderie as you feel part of the ‘rising talent’ category?

Sarah: In those instances, I actually would say I more felt inspired by the level that those bands were operating at and saw them as a few steps above. Their sets showed us the bar we needed to reach and it really eliminated any possibility of complacency.

Toby: Being able to say you’ve played at Leeds fest and SXSW I imagine is a special landmark for the group. Does your approach to a live set change when it comes to playing these festival set as opposed to a more traditional venue?

Sarah: I think in a small venue you can lean into the intimacy. It’s easier to pick up on our emotions, unless you have someone really tall in front of you! When it comes to festivals there’s definitely a need to be more performative and upbeat, which we’ve long found Brad (the bass guitarist) to be very suited for…

Toby: From the beginnings of ‘Big Now’, to ‘Uh-Oh’ then all the way to this week’s release ‘Handbrake’ I can track a real sense of maturing and evolving instrumentation. I’m curious, even in the now early stages of your craft, is the approach to songwriting changing with every release or is there one continuous Low Girl approach?

Sarah: The approach to songwriting has definitely become increasingly collaborative. While it’s still the case that I’ll often initiate a jam with a new song I’m working on, there’s been a lot more instances where Brad, Toby (on the keyboard) and Tom (on the drums) have brought instrumental ideas to the group, in turn sparking a new song. I’ve really enjoyed that because it makes you step out of your comfort zone a bit and avoid falling into predictable patterns. There’s also been a lot more time spent hashing out the songs in a rehearsal room rather than over a laptop, which is quite evident in the album.

Toby: I mentioned your experiences touring with other bands, on a similar level I’m interested whether you’ve become close with any of them on a friendship level?

Sarah: There’s been a handful of bands we’ve been fortunate to get to know really well over the past few years, the first that come to mind being the ones we’ve done lengthier tours with, such as October Drift, Sarpa Salpa and Pom Poko. Our friendship with China Bears and The Itch has been especially important when it comes to this record as we asked for and received some really useful feedback on the songs.

Toby: What was spinning on the Low Girl record player when it came to the recording of this album, did it shape the final sound at all?

Sarah: We actually made a playlist that would kick off every session in the studio! It played a part in shaping the final sound in the sense that having your favourite songs looming over you can often propel you to work much harder. As well as that, ‘Blue Rev‘ by Alvvays solidified our decision to record half the album live. Shoutout to Balance and Composure, Lunar Vacation, whenyoung and Bombay Bicycle Club who all had a warm home in that playlist.

Toby: With the countdown to your debut album ticking down, is there a takeaway that you want to leave people with after a playthrough?

Sarah: I hope they’ll feel the same sense of catharsis we felt in making it. While there’s a lot of ugly emotions in these tracks, the overarching theme is relentlessly hopeful, and I want people to feel that. It’s not about giving up, it’s about starting again.

Toby: This year and beyond, do you have anything special you want to tick off for the band? This could be a venue you’d like to play, a group you’d like to support or have a pint with?

Sarah: We’d love to have the opportunity to play for some of our favourite festivals like Dot to Dot, All Points East, Green Man – that’s been a long held dream. I’m always holding out hope that we’ll get to have a pint with King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, just so Tom and Toby could pester them with questions for hours on end.

Debut album ‘Is It Too Late To Freak Out?’ is out on 24th October via AWAL.