Interview: Labyrinthine Oceans

As we all know here, the North East has an ever-increasing list of incredible bands on the rise. But perhaps one of the fastest rising right now – truly a testament to how hard they work – is Labyrinthine Oceans. The four-piece have been on the cusp of shoegaze greatness for the last 5+ years of their careers, but their new EP, for the flesh and for the machine, might have just hit the nail on the head.

Never a band to shy away from hard-hitting topics, their sophomore EP discusses the increasingly surreal, technological modern world we live in. “I think the main overarching theme is kind of comparing the human experiences that we all go through, and hardships, and then putting that against all of this tech that has come out now, and how completely omnipresent that’s become,” singer and guitarist Julia explains. “Personally it feels like there’s no part of life now that doesn’t have tech in it – which is good for a lot of things, but at the same time it feels like it takes away a bit of that shared experience, because everything’s marketed so specifically towards you.”

The EP was recorded at Blank Studios in Newcastle with regular collaborator Josh Ingledew. “We love Blank Studios. It’s like a second home,” Julia smiles. for the flesh and for the machine was recorded in five consecutive days there, and the quality, as well as the passion behind it, is utterly palpable. “It’s always fun. Josh is amazing and it’s just a great hang as well,” Julia shares. “It’s really cool to find team members you genuinely enjoy being around and who kind of share your vision a bit. And that’s sort of what’s most fun about music, that collaborative development around it.”

And this high production value of Labyrinthine Oceans’ new record is something that carries across to everything else they do. From the incredible visuals that frontwoman Julia crafts to their electric live shows, it’s not difficult to see why they’ve had such an astronomical rise in the past few years, inviting more and more fans into their world and onto their most recent headline tour. “It’s been really, really fun seeing new faces on the road. We’ve been playing our biggest shows so far.”

Amongst these big shows is the band’s upcoming hometown show – and I’m warned it’s their last for a long while, as they head into a summer of writing and gathering inspiration. Labyrinthine Oceans head to The Grove in Byker on Sunday 31st May, accompanied by supports Idle Hands and Park View. “We’re very, very excited. The grove is so, so fun to play – and there’s good pizza.”

Get your fix of power and pedal boards on Sunday, while you can still catch the shoegaze outfit in a venue as small as The Grove.

Labyrinthine Oceans play The Grove, Newcastle on Sunday 31^st May.