INTERVIEW: Cafe Magrana

County Durham-based musician Joe Whitehill has already been creating genre-hopping albums for years in his bedroom and returns to the DIY scene in June with a fresh cut (his fifth so far), Dispatches. Café Magrana is the moniker of this musical project, inspired by a restaurant in Mallorca, which features a healthy dose of alternative, anti-folk and indie tunes all notable for their double-tracked vocals, quick lyrics, and a noticeable lack of drums.

“It’s a bit more alternative than indie, it’s not alternative enough to be punk, and it’s got a lot of anti-folk. I’m inspired by, of course, The Beatles, Dylan, Daniel Johnston, Martha [and] all the indie bands my dad made me listen to from the age of three upwards. My dad has imparted all of his taste and knowledge on me. We went to gigs a lot with my mum as well.” Self-taught, self-inspired and self-motivated, Joe exists to create and every day consists of him playing and working out ideas. “I fiddle about on guitar for hours every day and that helps me find ideas that I like. I’ll sing five different melodies and five different sets of lyrics and write it down and keep it going like that. I will play something, see what it sounds like and add words onto it.” Surprisingly, Joe has never collaborated with anyone else and takes his inspiration from all of life’s wonderful distractions. “Sometimes I’ve heard a phrase that needs to be a lyric, or sometimes I want to write a political song, other times the weather is a great inspiration.”

It’s more polished compared to everything else I’ve written, it’s more mature and listenable

While Dispatches touches upon many themes it is most of all a slice of Joe’s life. “This album is really a collection of songs that sum up 2024 for me. There are a lot of themes that run through it, there’s a lot of sonic similarities”. He speaks passionately and openly about the process of creating the album, which he says he has done “properly” this time. “Which means I can sit and listen to the tracks and appreciate them a little more. It’s more polished compared to everything else I’ve written, it’s more mature and listenable. I’m proud of making it more approachable.” Joe admits he has been pleasantly surprised by the album’s reception so far and hopes to use that response as a stepping stone confident that his persistence is starting to pay off, and he’s got his sights set on loftier goals. “Maybe the next album will be recorded in a studio with band members. I hope I will get a few gigs on the back of it and get some more people interested in what I’m writing. I’d love to play an outdoor, open air festival on a proper stage. Breaking into Newcastle would be a fantastic step up. And to hear one of my songs on the radio would be amazing…”

Speaking to a musician that is eager to write and create out of necessity, and not for social media jingles, is refreshing. It’s clear that Joe has a love for telling stories through his music and Dispatches proves he’s more than worth listening to.

Café Magrana release Dispatches on 20^th June.