Spotlight On... Sarah/Shaun

Sarah/Shaun, aka husband and wife duo Sarah and Shaun McLachlan, are nearing the end of a three-EP run via Hobbes Music with In Silence Love Speaks Loudest getting its full release on Friday 30 January. Its four dreamy tracks tackle topics like human resilience, love, relationship breakdowns and the state of the world via crisp electronics, hazy synths and intoxicatingly woozy vocals that all add up to something David Lynch would probably have booked for a show at the Roadhouse. Ahead of the EP’s release, we catch up with Sarah, Shaun and bandmate Ali Chisholm to find out more.

You've been making music together as Sarah/Shaun for quite a while now. As a husband/wife duo, what's the working relationship like and how did it all come about in the first place?
Shaun: I had released a solo record initially as an outlet for my writing while I was still in a previous band (Delta Mainline). I've always been writing and, after that release, started recording with my old bandmate, Ali Chisholm (aka Jaguar Eyes). This has always felt really natural, which is a great way for a creative partnership to be; this writing process was with Sarah in mind taking the lead, vocally.

Sarah: I had always loved singing and I’d been in various choirs. Shaun had started sharing some of his songs with me and then we developed some of them together and that was really how Sarah/Shaun came about.

Ali: It's the great thing about working from MacBooks, I would just go up to Shaun and Sarah's house on a Thursday and record these incredible songs Shaun was sitting on, and with a very basic set up of a mic, an audio interface and some of Shaun's vintage keyboards. Sarah would be there too and we very quickly found a great dynamic between the three of us. Sarah is such a talent with her vocals, violin and writing, which has also developed working with Shaun.

Musically, you have a very strong identity that suggests you're perhaps on the same page in terms of influences and what inspires you; I'd love to know about some of the artists that have helped influence your sound as Sarah/Shaun?
Sarah: There are so many different types of music and artists which we listen to… there’s not one style or band that influences us the most. I personally really admire strong female frontwomen throughout the decades: Debbie Harry, Karen-O, Victoria Legrand – all unique in their own way. We are big fans of 60s girl groups as well, especially the Phil Spector era.

Shaun: Music is obviously an influence but I have a love for cinema and visuals. It could be a moment in a film that inspires you – that moment that makes you shake and then inspires you to write… David Lynch, John Carpenter (especially Starman) and then, for the actual scores, Hans Zimmer, Max Richter etc... [Also], working with Ali is a massive influence.

Ali: I'm quite into techno, electro and ambient music so would bring these influences into the production that balanced with Shaun's drive for organic elements. Our shared love of dream pop and vintage synths created a great blend of influences. Flaming Lips, Beach House, M83 and Boards of Canada are strong synergies for us musically but there's so much more….

Shaun: Spiritualized also deserves a mention and we’ve managed to get Tony ‘Doggen’ Foster on this new record, which has been an honour.

You're just about to fully release In Silence Love Speaks the Loudest. Can you tell me a little bit more about some of the themes covered on the record, and what would you say connects these four songs?
Shaun: Love, hope, sadness, dreams and belief. The ups and downs of life, basically.

The EP is the third and final release in a triptych; is there a narrative that runs through the three?
Shaun: Not really to be honest, we didn’t have any plan, really. The whole thing has just developed very naturally. There is an old school rock'n'roll element to this too…

Sarah: But the writing process has been continuous.

Shaun: It’s been unconscious throughout but I did have the idea when we got to the third to give it the vibe of a book or film series, a bit like Spielberg, George Lucas or Tolkien. A trilogy will always remain as a coherent sequence, a family of ideas that sit together. It’s maybe a nostalgic idea from a collector’s perspective.

Ali: There's a musical coherence that comes from them all being made by the same core people and with the same approach and equipment. Working with Neon Waltz drummer Darren Coghill and mix engineer David McCauley has given some consistency across the piece too and lifted everything to the next level – these guys are incredible musically.

The same weekend of this EP release, you're playing the Cowgate Block Party – for anyone that's not seen you live before, what can people expect from a live Sarah/Shaun show?
Sarah: Capes flying, big smiles, a musical/visual extravaganza!

Ali: There is a bigger energy live. The records are more synths up front. Having live guitars gives it a raw dynamic. This alongside our band members Ryan Marinello (drums) and Cameron Gilles (bass, bass synth).

Shaun: When you plug into a wall and play in a room full of paying people, you want them to go away with a dent in their heart and leave your own on the floor (in a good way)... This is the hope anyway. We usually have pre-recorded visuals as well (but not this Saturday).

Finally, what does the rest of the year have in store for Sarah/Shaun? We hear work has begun on your debut album…
Shaun: Aye, We begin recording in February. Exciting times.

Sarah: Our first UK tour. We have loads of amazing dates booked in (details below). Come and say hello.

---

In Silence Love Speaks the Loudest is released on 30 Jan via Hobbes Music

Sarah/Shaun play Cowgate Block Party, Edinburgh, 31 Jan; The Hug & Pint, Glasgow, 25 Feb; People's Leisure Club, Edinburgh, 7 Mar; Leith Depot, Edinburgh, 13 Mar; The Lamplighter, Northampton, 3 Apr; Mist Rolling Inn, Nottingham, 4 Apr; The Waiting Room, London, 8 Apr; The Eagle Inn, Salford, 10 Apr; The Golden Lion, Todmorden, 25 Apr; Queen's Park Weekender, Glasgow, 2 May; The Flying Duck, Glasgo, 9 May; Haddstock, Edinburgh, 30 May + more TBA

Follow Sarah/Shaun on Instagram @SarahShaunofficial