In Conversation with Modern Woman
IN CONVERSATION WITH MODERN WOMAN INTERVIEW By Caitlin Taylor 14 June 2026 The first time we caught Modern Woman was at The Lexington in a show packed to the absolute brim, full of heavy guitars and thundering vocals, despite frontwoman Sophie Harris confessing she was exhausted after travelling down from Manchester. A band on the rise, fresh off the release of their debut album Johnny’s Dreamworld and soon to be embarking on their first headline tour, we took our chance to ask them about their work so far as well as what’s to come. Your performances are full of energy, how does playing live make you feel? Do you prefer being on stage when compared to being in the studio? We love playing live. I think playing live is the best bit for all of us, especially when you play a new song to an audience. It feels nice to read a room. I like being in the studio a lot too, though, but it’s different. We’re almost ready to go into the studio to record the next one soon. When we recorded Johnny’s Dreamworld we tried to replicate the live setting as much as possible in the studio, I know Joel Burton the producer really wanted to capture that. So they intertwine in a lot of ways. What’s your favourite song to play live? I always enjoy playing Dashboard Mary, we always play it at the end of the show, it feels like it wraps the set up well. Do you have a favourite venue to play or visit? There are lots of venues we have loved playing – we always enjoy playing in Scotland and Ireland. We played a really fun show in Dublin and I love how much the crowd moves in Glasgow. Recently, we played at the Cabaret Sauvage in Paris with Ezra Furman – that was like an indoor circus tent – one of our favourite shows yet. You’ve said some of the songs on the record started as solo work, how did it feel to move into working with a band? It was how the songs were always meant to be played, I think, I started playing some of them solo because I hadn’t met the band yet, so it was a way to play and meet new people. But I always imagined and wanted most of them to have a full-band backing. When we started working as a band, it felt very natural, they all brought their own essential parts to the record, that’s how I knew I had met the right people to work with. Photo by Sal Redpath This album took over two years to record. Talk to us a bit about your songwriting and recording process, are you very collaborative in your approach? I usually write on guitar, bass or keys at home, just because that’s what I was used to doing – so when Modern Woman formed I had these songs I wanted to translate to a full band. The later song, Johnny’s Dreamworld, developed slightly differently though. The groove Juan and Adam formed under the chorus/ verse parts went on to become a key part of the song, and something we ended up changing the song structure to accommodate. I would say it’s the most important element of the song. Then David brings really essential atmospheric bits through tape, keys and strings. I would say everybody in the band is a very essential member and their input is necessary for Modern Woman to be what it is, they elevate the songs in a crucial way. As for recording, Joel Burton sort of joined in that mix as producer and saw the songs from the outside. He translated them really well from the live to the recorded, he is very talented. We did as much as we could live in the room, with as little overdubs as possible. Your album/single covers for Johnny’s Dreamworld have been really interesting. What was the thought process/story behind them? Thank you! The cover art was inspired by Justine Kurland. Sandra Ebert, the photographer, she’s very talented, captured it really well. We wanted to present the moment like a still from a film, and surreal/ almost dreamlike. I’ve always been interested in impulses that lie under my own life and others’ – that push/ pull – and I’ve always made a concerted effort to allow that to come to the surface through songwriting, live performance, and even the cover. As a literature graduate, did any books or authors have a direct influence on Johnny’s Dreamworld? Or are novels something that inspires your music generally? I don’t know if they had a direct influence, because in the moment I just wrote about what I was interested in. But I do think reading has always been very important to me, so I’d hope I’ve absorbed a lot through that, and that comes out when I do write. There are many writers I love, I know that Alice Oswald, Octavia E Butler, Cal Flyn, Sharon Olds were significant to me in different ways when writing lyrics. What’s a song everyone should have on their playlist? Nature Boy – Ella Fitzgerald, written by Eden Ahbez, but I love her performance. Are there any smaller or underground artists you think more people should be listening to? Prewn and Nina Winder-Lind. What’s coming up this year that you’re excited about? We’re really looking forward to playing Green Man again, and End of the Road, we love playing festivals. We’re doing a mini-tour at the end of this year in the UK – and it’s the first one we’ve done as a headline! You Might Also Like Recent Posts
Modern Woman Recommends
← Back Artist Playlist,TNAM.UK Playlist MODERN WOMAN A playlist featuring artists chosen tracks and our TNAM staff picks from band on the rise Modern Woman. Photo by Sal Redpath. Alternative,Rock {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
“The Only Person You Should Be Trying To Impress Is Yourself” – In Conversation with Flooding
“THE ONLY PERSON YOU SHOULD BE TRYING TO IMPRESS IS YOURSELF” – IN CONVERSATION WITH FLOODING INTERVIEW By Eli Callingham 11 June 2026 Arriving in Brighton for The Great Escape as part of their first UK and European tour, Flooding delivered one of the festival’s most absorbing sets. Packing out the upstairs of The Prince Albert, the Kansas City trio moved effortlessly between moments of delicate restraint and glorious onslaught. Showcasing the dynamic songwriting that has quickly made them one of the most exciting names emerging from the American underground. Fresh from completing the UK and European leg of the tour before heading onwards to Canada and beyond, frontwoman, guitarist and songwriter Rose Brown took some time out to speak with us about artistic growth, musical envy, finding confidence on stage, and artists and experiences that continue to shape Flooding’s output. What has been inspiring you lately lyrically, emotionally, or even texturally? I get inspired by characters, fictional and real. I like to experiment with retelling stories of people who parts of me identify with. It brings out emotions you didn’t think existed inside of you and you can really surprise yourself. Looking back at the earliest version of Flooding, what parts of the band’s evolution would surprise you most? My stage presence now would shock 20 year old me. I used to wear ill-fitting boyish clothes to fit in with the poorly dressed men who dominate the music scene and had my guitar hitched up so high it was practically in my armpit to replicate how it feels to play guitar hunched over alone in my bedroom. And I could barely move out of the fear of playing the wrong note. Now I trust myself a lot more on stage, and I’ve found that wearing dresses and high heels makes me feel more like myself and in turn more confident (and playing my guitar strapped low as hell does too). Your output displays a real command over contrast and intensity, what’s a song/project/band that completely changed your understanding of dynamics? When we first started the band, I was a bit naive to the whole 90s quiet-loud thing. Our dynamics came from my bandmates giving me a fuzz and overdrive pedal and showing me exactly how to use them, not anything intentional on my part. But soon after we established our dynamics, I dove really deep into PJ Harvey who I saw myself in a lot and am very inspired by as an overall artist. You’ve spoken a lot about the Lawrence/Kansas City scene and how it feels to be a part of it. What do you think makes a local scene feel alive instead of just aesthetically or sonically cohesive? I think musical envy is a big creative driver. If you get jealous of your friends’ music and it pushes you creatively, that’s actually a good thing and you should be grateful that you’re involved in a scene with inspiring output. A lot of music scenes (local or not) don’t have that. What’s a genre or scene we’d be surprised you’d be into? Reggae As you’re currently touring the EU/UK are there any spaces you’ve played, will play or have visited that you love? Our favorite place on our EU/UK tour was Amsterdam. We stepped out of Amsterdam Central station and it felt like spawning in The Commons in Wizard 101. We would be very grateful if we were able to visit that city again. Similarly, are there any EU or UK artists you’ve seen or heard of that you’re excited about? After our UK tour together, we have come to the conclusion that Tummyache is the best band in the entire country, and massively underrated. Another case of musical envy that got me really excited about writing music again. What’s something you’ve learned through making music that you wish you understood earlier? The only person you should be trying to impress is yourself. {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
Flooding Recommends
← Back Artist Playlist,TNAM.UK Playlist FLOODING A playlist featuring artists chosen tracks and our TNAM staff picks from the American rock band Flooding. Alternative,Rock {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
Video Interview: Chatting Music with MORN
Video Interview: Chatting Music with MORN Alternative,Punk,Rock While at The Great Escape, we sat down with Oli and Noah from MORN to ask them about their favourite tracks. They provided a long list of recommendations from established artists who influenced their sound like Battles, to contemporaries such as The Scuttlers or Tooth. Watch the interview then listen to everything they mentioned on Spotify here. You Might Also Like Recent Posts
MORN Recommends
← Back Artist Playlist,TNAM.UK Playlist MORN A playlist featuring music made or selected by the band MORN. Alternative,Punk,Rock {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
“A new chapter” – In Conversation with Dustbunny
“A NEW CHAPTER” – IN CONVERSATION WITH DUSTBUNNY INTERVIEW By Caitlin Taylor 26 April 2026 Dustbunny were a band from Portland. Their excellent second album ‘Offerings for Weary Dogs’ will be the last output of the band as they’ve existed for the past couple years due to frontwoman Chloe Flores’s move to Minneapolis. “It has been a huge shift”, she told us over email. During a break from unpacking boxes, she spoke to us about who Dustbunny were, are, and will be going forward. Why the name Dustbunny? I came up with the band name Dustbunny in the shower; where I assume most like-minded individuals also do their best thinking. This was during a time where my music endeavors were entirely solo but I had hopes of bringing a full band into fruition. How did you guys come together to form a band? I had been making music solo for a while, releasing songs under a different name. I had recorded all of those songs on my iPhone’s GarageBand app and later, Logic and an audio interface. After doing that in Portland for my first few years living there, I met Shanea while we were both working for Sofar Sounds. Shanea would come to be bassist on the first two albums (Machinery and Offerings for Weary Dogs). But first I asked them to play bass for me on the first single I released under the new name. After that worked out, I did what any other 26 year old would do and posted on Instagram to gauge interest. Delaney (Walatka) was the only one to respond. And thank god she did because she filled the spot of lead guitar. Finally, a mutual friend put me in touch with Evan (Mason-White) who was enough of an early appreciator of the music I was releasing solo to play drums. Dan (Peterson) later came aboard to play second lead and he is present on the second album. It feels like a lot of thought goes into your visual art style, can you talk a little about your cover art and the thoughts behind it? The cover art is mostly just inspired by individual artists’ styles, if that makes sense. I never really have gone into an album with a clear vision of what specific imagery I want. The Machinery cover was done by Lydia Slocum of the band Feeble Little Horse. She used to have an art page (@the_asheley_catacombs) that I really liked and I reached out to her to do the cover as a commission. I gave her a few examples of what pieces she had done that I liked most and she gave me a few different iterations until we came to one that worked. Similarly, for Offerings for Weary Dogs, I had my friend Anthony Clementi (@anthony__clementi) brainstorm after hearing the album title. He listened to some of the unreleased songs for inspiration and painted the piece that would come to be the album art. The actual painting is massive and now hangs in my home. I prefer to give the visual artists mostly free reign, it’s cool to see what people come up with to coincide with the music. Photos by KC Jonze (@thelonius_punk) Was there a story you wanted to tell with Offerings for Weary Dogs? Did you go into the album with a particular intention? The intention behind Offerings was primarily to release one more album in Portland with the same band lineup. Dan (2nd lead guitarist) is my partner and we had decided the previous year that we would move to Minneapolis in early 2026. With that in mind and a bunch of songs in my back-pocket, it just made sense that we would try and get one more out together. Bryan Olson (@realmseeker) recorded both albums in his home studio and we had such a good time working with him for Machinery too, so it really was like a last hoorah and an accomplishment I really wanted to make with the band before starting a new chapter. How was crafting this album different from your first album Machinery? Is there anything you learned that you’ll take with you for future releases? I think we learned a lot in between Machinery and Offerings, both as a live band and in the studio. Bryan had not yet recorded any other bands in his studio when we did Machinery and we had only been playing shows for about 8 months, so it was a learning process for all of us. By the time we came back for round two, we were way more confident but also had bigger ideas and a pretty strict timeline. I think I’d have the same thought process going into a future release, which is to really just do it for the love of the game and to have fun, but I think I’d allow myself some more space so as to not feel rushed and really just take my time. As someone who lives miles away and has never been, describe the Portland music scene. How do you feel you fit into it? The Portland music scene is incredibly welcoming and supportive and fun. Or at least that was my experience with it. I am sad to leave it but find comfort in knowing the space where Dustbunny was will be filled and that my friends will still be at all the shows. When Dustbunny started, I was totally new on the scene and inexperienced and I only have fond memories of the acceptance that was shown to us. Of course, there are many different niches there, some of which I likely never witnessed. But our corner of the world was totally lush with opportunities and friendship. It was awesome. What’s a song you wish you’d written? I am going to forgo the super niche answer and go with the obvious which is that I wish I’d written Farewell Transmission. There was undeniable magic in that room when they recorded this song.
Dustbunny Recommends
Artist Playlist : Dustbunny A playlist featuring music made or selected by the band Dustbunny, plus some related suggestions from the TNAM team. TNAM.UK Playlist {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
Artist Playlist: hey, nothing
Artist Playlist : hey, nothing Folk,Folk Pop,Indie,Indie Pop,Rock Music from/selected by/inspired by hey, nothing – with help from the TNAM team. Find our original interview from Pitchfork festival over on our Instagram! TNAM.UK Playlist {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }} {{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }} {{ options.labels.newReviewButton }} {{ userData.canReview.message }} You Might Also Like Recent Posts
So Wide Awake’s Off… Where Should You Go Instead?
So Wide Awake’s Off… Where Should You Go Instead? Our fave London festivals having a break in 2026, hopefully these others fill that hole in your heart By Caitlin Taylor 8 March 2026 So Wide Awake is officially not happening… Luckily it’s just a one off for 2026, but it still leaves a gaping hole in the UK market. The festival, founded and curated by Keith Miller and LNZRT, is THE London day event for alternative, underground music. Since 2021, they’ve provided stages for some of our favourites; The New Eves, The Itch, Shygirl, Mary in the Junkyard, Hannah Diamond, Jasmine.4.T, Acopia, and many, many more. It will be sorely missed this summer, but here’s a selection of other events that can maybe help you stave off the WA cravings. RALLY We’ve been big fans of RALLY since its inception. A decently new entry to the scene, the 2025 installment was one of our favourite festivals of that year with captivating performances from Moin, MIKE and Bassvictim, all while managing to have a decent Guinness on tap in the middle of Southwark park. This year, the lineup has been curated by Dev Hynes (Blood Orange himself) leading to some incredibly fun bookings. Top Picks – YHWH Nailgun, spirit blue and Smerz View this post on Instagram A post shared by RALLY (@rally.rally.rally) DOT TO DOT Hitting 2026 with a killer lineup is Dot to Dot (or D2D), a festival with a strong focus on new music. Whether you’re in Bristol or Nottingham, you’ll have the chance to catch some of the best rising artists. Top Picks – Fcukers, Lucia & the Best Boys, Middleman and Sarah Meth View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dot To Dot Festival (@d2dfest) END OF THE ROAD An institution of the British festival scene, this year’s lineup features some Wide Awake alumni including CMAT, Fat Dog and Working Men’s Club. It’s a nature focused event, located in Dorset full of great music and is more family focused than others on this list. Many of their standout bookings likely would’ve been on the WA lineup this year if it wasn’t off. Top Picks – RIP Magic, Prewn, Silver Gore and Little Grandad View this post on Instagram A post shared by End Of The Road (@endoftheroad) LIDO Kicking things off last year, LIDO joined the London scene as the younger sibling of the very well established All Points East. In 2026, the standout day to us is Friday June 12th with everyone’s favourite new popstar CMAT as the headliner. Even more artists are soon to be announced. Top Picks – Katy J Pearson, Getdown Services and Junior Brother View this post on Instagram A post shared by cmat (@cmatbaby) CROSS THE TRACKS If you go to Wide Awake for the atmosphere as much as the music, then its sister festival Cross The Tracks is a must-visit. With more of a focus on genres like jazz, funk and soul, it’s lineups are always impressive and this year is no different. Top Picks – Joy Crookes, Bel Cobain, Obongjayar, and Lizzie Berchie View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cross The Tracks (@xthetracks) Find our review of the previous Wide Awake here