What comes after a successful debut album? For four-member indie ‘sad core’ band Bleach Lab, the answer lies in heartfelt songwriting and maintaining the essential elements that fuel their creativity.
“Above all, we’re four great friends,” says drummer Kieran Weston. “We genuinely enjoy each other's presence and love making music together.”
“Having a creative outlet is incredibly important,” adds lead vocalist Jenna Kyle. “Without the band, I honestly don’t know what I would do! We truly enjoy almost all aspects of touring, writing, and recording,” she continues.
The songwriting that Kyle refers to has produced a new EP, ‘Close to the Flame’, set to be released in July. The themes explored on the upcoming record—such as the challenges of love, the complexities of relationships, and grappling with self-doubt, regret, and fear—are deeply personal, and might be tough to express as a collective.
Nevertheless, Bleach Lab has developed a collaborative and democratic approach that brings these themes to life, necessitating mutual trust among all band members.
“I think trust is a significant foundation for us,” Kyle shares. “It reflects in our music, too. From day one, we've committed to splitting everything equally, which applies to everything we do. This unity fosters our writing and processes, requiring a high level of trust. We don’t struggle with that, really.”
Kyle and bassist Josh Longman have a long-standing history of collaborative writing.
“We share many similar experiences, like past relationships that didn’t work out and emotionally taxing connections… We draw on each other’s perspectives,” Kyle explains. “Our songs are always quite personal. ‘Violet Light’ was written about [Longman’s] father’s passing, and I’ve written about issues such as sexual harassment. It serves as an outlet for those experiences.”
On the other hand, Weston and guitarist Louis Takoree (who joined the band in X to replace Frank Wates) typically focus on crafting the instrumentals for the band's songs, creating demos before Kyle or Longman contribute lyrics. Within that process, Weston can sense when a song is going to be special.
“I always recognize a moment when it arrives,” he reveals. “When they share the lyrics… It’s like hearing the song for the first time, and I can discern a story from it. Jenna's ability to write deeply personal lyrics allows me to have that magical moment of discovery, making it easy to identify a great song.”
The upcoming record marks Bleach Lab's first self-produced effort, where they utilized their debut album experiences to carefully consider their next steps.
“We were aware of Louis joining as a new member, and while we aimed to evolve, we didn’t want to diverge too drastically from our core sound,” Weston states. “We spent significantly more time at the demo stage than ever before; our writing process was notably elongated this time around.”
“There was also the post-album trepidation, as returning after an album release can be intimidating. We felt a bit cautious and wanted to ensure we took our time to achieve our desired outcome,” Kyle adds.
The band still cherishes their debut album, ‘Lost in a Rush of Emptiness’. Produced by Catherine Marks, they recognize the challenge of following up such a successful project. However, they are content to invest time in getting it right.
“We’re all eager for the second album; it’s about finding the appropriate way to proceed,” Weston explains. “I’m thankful we had this time to regroup – we’re genuinely in the best place we've ever been as a band.”
Meanwhile, there’s a new EP to promote and a tour planned for November. For a band that has said they “owe a lot to the pandemic,” performing live remains a crucial motivator, though the nerves before shows haven’t completely faded.
“I no longer experience stage fright, but pre-show nerves persist because every performance is unique and unpredictable,” Kyle shares. “That said, we’re now better equipped for live shows, putting in extra effort into our production and exploring new ideas, such as more thoughtful stage designs or acoustic segments – aiming to enhance that aspect of our performances.”
Weston reveals that the band used to be “ridiculously superstitious,” always playing a lucky song during tour journeys. Although they’ve abandoned that practice, observant audience members might notice the band at the side of the stage humorously channeling Jack Black’s faux-motivational “Let’s rock today” line from School of Rock.
“We always do it slightly off – everyone finishes at different moments and no one has the same hand movements,” Kyle laughs. “Regarding green room energy, we’ve been told we’re quite low on energy before a show. It’s more about channeling nervous energy rather than nerves, and we all need a bit of time before stepping on stage.”
Kyle’s insight captures the essence of Bleach Lab and what unites them as a cohesive band. Their strong sense of camar
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What comes next after a highly praised debut album? For the four-member indie ‘sad core’ band Bleach Lab, the response lies in concentrating on heartfelt songwriting.