INTERVIEW: lots of hands

Genre-defying musical innovators lots of hands are gearing up to release their highly anticipated debut album, into a pretty room (lower case intentional throughout!). Drawing inspiration from the likes of Alex G, Eliot Smith and The Microphones, into a pretty room is a touching and heartfelt rumination of grief, loss, growing up and letting go. 

While the Newcastle-based duo now comprises of both Billy Woodhouse and Elliott Dryden, lots of hands began as Billy’s experimental ambient DIY rock solo project. “In the past couple of years, after meeting Elliott at Newcastle College, I got him involved and we’ve been writing songs together,” Billy remarks, “but this is our first official collaborative album.” 

Their upcoming LP is a 14-track cross-hatch of ambient slacker rock and rock-peppered country that includes a mix of both collaborative and completely solo work from both members. While Billy draws inspiration from a variety of ambient sounds, DIY artists and slowcore bands, Elliott favours more “old-timey” country and folk influences. When combined on the album, a very unique and eclectic soundscape is formed, which Billy describes as an “ambient take on that folky, slacker rock sound from the 90s, blending slowcore sounds with folk and country sounds into some crazy weirdness.” 

it’s about moving forward from one era to the next, reflecting a sense of grief

While conceived across painful moments of growth and grief, into a pretty room is a decidedly hopeful effort. “We’ve gone very retrospective on this album,” Billy admits, “so it’s about moving forward from one era to the next, reflecting a sense of grief.” Elliott adds: “It was writing about moving forward and trying to be hopeful about it.”

The pair are self-proclaimed music enthusiasts, which is clearly evident in their devotion and talent. Between them they have a genuine curiosity of their chosen art form, writing with a fine-tuned finesse. “The main thing we’re interested in is music,” Elliott states, “we’re interested in the process and the different ways you can write and the different sounds you can make.” 

Billy also notes that the pair create music as a form of escapism. “At the end of the day, we’re just some lads from Newcastle, so it’s good to have a form of escapism and just an outlet where you can talk about the shit show that we’re in at the moment.”

Newly relocated from Leeds to their current Newcastle base, lots of hands is anchored by the duo’s friendship, which emanates across the album. Whether it be conceiving ideas over long distance, or establishing themselves in a different city, the duo have proven themselves to be an unstoppable force. “We’re at a point where it doesn’t really matter where we are, we just kind of get our heads down and release music,” Billy affirms.

With a tour on the horizon, the duo also have some exciting solo projects in the mix. “I’ve got a solo project that I’ve just started called Uncle Red that’s a lot more ambient and acoustic,” Billy reveals, “and Elliott has got a kind of folky country album in the works. lots of hands is the centrepiece but hopefully we can branch out and do little things on the side and just experiment with music. It’s an exciting little time.”

lots of hands release into a pretty room on 17^th January via Fire Talk Records.