Little Daylight [Q and A]

BY CHARLOTTE LOUISE LONG
TUESDAY, 26TH NOVEMBER 2013

Where are you right now?

Sitting in our studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Was it difficult all agreeing on a name for your group? Where did the name come from and who thought of it?

It wasn't really that difficult. During our first few weeks together as a band at a lake house upstate, we would talk about possible band names while eating. We were reading a lot of old stories and fairy tales during that week, and when we came across one by George MacDonald (calledLittle Daylight), it was clear to us that we found the perfect name for the band. The story echoed the dichotomy that already existed in the first few songs (lightness and darkness).

You recently supported Bastille on their U.S tour, how did you find that?

We did a few dates with them this summer on the west coast (since we're on the same label). The shows went great and we all got along really well, so they asked us to come out with them again this fall. It was an amazing tour. Those guys are the best!

What kind of music did you grow up to? Has that influenced you at all in your music today?

We all grew up listening to different kinds of music, but the common denominator for all of us was the song. We all have very early memories of our dad's playing Paul Simon's Graceland and late 80s Talking Heads and Fleetwood Mac stuff on the stereo. That type of classic songwriting definitely made its way into our brains and informs the music we make.

Who are your favourite bands at the moment?

In terms of recent stuff, Cashmere Cat, Disclosure, Jon Hopkins, Haerts, St. Lucia, Coin, Lovelife… the list goes on. We're exposed to so much amazing music being on tour and doing festivals. We're really fortunate to be living in such a creative time now, musically speaking.

Where do you create your music? Do you have any special requirements like locking yourself in a room with no Internet or communication with the outside world to avoid any distraction?

We spent the summer doing just that, to an extent. We rented a "country house" in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and spent every day there writing. We cooked our meals, drank a ton of coffee. It was the perfect setting for us to get our ideas out and begin the process of making our album. Now we're in a more traditional studio in Greenpoint. But we're still pretty insulated. Writing and recording for Little Daylight is all about the 3 of us alone in a room. That's the way we like it.

Which musician, other than yourself, have you ever wanted to be and why?

It'd be fun to be Guns 'n' Roses (circa 1987) for a few weeks.

What have you got planned for the coming year? Any plans to come to the U.K?

We're finishing our album this fall and then 2014 will be all about touring. We'll definitely come to the UK and Europe.

If you could have either Miley Cyrus or Sinead O’Connor as an additional member in your band, who would you pick?

If we choose Sinead O'Connor, do we get Prince to write songs with us? If so, then definitely Sinead.