Words by Art Jefferson
Photography by Margaux Ract, Emilie Bailey, Rob Clayton
Good music should also be fun music – and nothing spells fun like the French-bred, London-based trio We Were Evergreen. Comprised of Fabienne Débarre, Michael Liot and William Serfas, their sound incorporates pop, indie, folk, electro and things in between, but not limited to any of those titles. It’s just well…brilliant music. In fact, their charming quirk adds to the band’s appeal, allowing them to weave through an array of musical styles, making full use of their talent as multi-instrumentalists. Their chemistry and energy projected as a band instantly pulls you into a sort of wonderland of joy.
Formed In 2008 in Paris, We Were Evergreen’s creative 2009 song “Penguins & Moonboots”, captured a child-like playfulness in sound that couldn’t help but make one smile gleefully. Following up with releases such as “Baby Blue” and “Leeway”, together with their amazing live performances and highly creative videos, WWE built an organic following that all wanted to ride this feel-good wave of enchantment.
Having played loads of shows throughout last year, well into 2014, We Were Evergreen are set to release their highly anticipated debut album “TOWARDS” on the 5th of May on Mi7/Island Records. The lead single “Daughters” reflects the band’s constant musical progression as a dreamy soundscape meshes with upbeat drums and an utterly funky bass line. This record firmly ties all of the knots to their experimentation of sound that ultimately forms a pure pleasurable pop experience. Witty, refreshing and imaginative, We Were Evergreen are ready to make people feel good again with music, and we’re all eager for the experience.
Art Jefferson-I read that you all met while studying in Paris. Had each of you already played in bands before you formed We Were Evergreen?
WWE-Yes, Will had formed two bands already (Hybride, Cashmere) and a solo project called Hyperfan, while Michael was briefly involved in a rock cover band in high school.
Art Jefferson-Originally the name of the band was simply Evergreen. When did you decide to change the name and why?
WWE-“We Were Evergreen” appealed to us because it contained its own contradiction: the past tense conflicting with the eternal present represented by the word “evergreen”. Its three words also marked our passage from a duo to a threesome, with its single vowel flowing through like a binding thread.
Art Jefferson-There are many great elements to your sound, and while you all are living in London now, there seems to be a bit of French flair remaining in the music. Is that something that you consciously wanted to incorporate or was it just a natural occurrence?
WWE-We are naturally influenced by the sounds we grew up with in France and remain aware of what comes from there. Perhaps what’s most continually French about us is the playfulness of our music and a certain habit of dressing up somber lyrics in lighter costumes.
Art Jefferson-There is also the genuine fun aspect to your music. Is that part of the dynamic between the three of you as friends? I would imagine that even on the road you must have loads of fun.
WWE-Fun is definitely something we can’t live without. Even in the terms of “playing” music, it makes sense to keep some freshness within our live sets, and humor, or distance helps a lot. Also our crew is very good at telling really bad/funny jokes.
Art Jefferson-I’m personally excited about your forthcoming album “TOWARDS”. How long did it take to record the album and how would you compare it to your past EPs?
WWE-The album was recorded throughout 2013. We wanted it to be more a stand on the present rather than a collection of old songs: the title itself represents our own evolution as a band as well as the album’s themes of direction and movement. We also spent more time honing the textures of our sound and tried to capture a more ‘live’ feel as opposed to our previous EPs.
Art Jefferson-Has living in London influenced you in terms of sound at all?
WWE-We definitely embraced a certain roughness that is probably more London-like as opposed to Paris’ glossy charm. Moreover, recording with an incredible producer such as Charlie Andrew was obviously central in defining the sound of the album, which was mostly written here and recorded in Brixton.
Art Jefferson-When brainstorming ideas for songs, what’s your creative process? Do you all individually write something and then present it to the other members, or do you tend to write simultaneously together?
WWE-We don’t really believe in writing all together at the same time, but what we do is jam as much as we can. Michael generally writes the lyrics and creates basic structures upon which we build the songs together. However, we allow ourselves some rehearsal time to just improvise, and go as far as we can. From this, some rhythms or patterns can emerge which can then lead to actual songs (eg: Fabienne’s xylophone loop on Daughters, or Will’s vocal loop on Leeway or Quicksand).
Art Jefferson-I must add that you all also have a great sense of style. Is fashion something that is highly important to the band?
WWE-Do we? To be honest, fashion isn’t that important to us. We are curious about current trends and interesting new designers but we see it more as a game. We try to wear what we like individually without being too serious about it.
Art Jefferson-Having played tons of shows, which one would you say is the most memorable?
WWE-We’ve had a lot of great times, but perhaps playing in Beirut might be one of the best ones. We had the most amazing welcome there, and the moment when we had to play unplugged in the middle of the crowd due to an electricity cut halfway through the show remains one of our favourites.
Art Jefferson-Finally, if you weren’t performing music, what do you think each of you would be doing as a career?
WWE-Whatever would happen, music would always catch up with us.
http://www.wewereevergreen.com/
https://www.facebook.com/wewereevergreen
http://soundcloud.com/wewereevergreen
https://twitter.com/wewereevergreen
http://www.youtube.com/user/WeWereEvergreen
http://www.musicwwe.com/live/
https://myspace.com/evergreenfr