Over the past year or so, you would have been hard pushed to read any of the New Eves’ interviews without feeling at least a little intrigued by what the Brighton quartet are reportedly up to. Said features usually discuss their onstage theatricality – there is talk of improvised dance and indeed “experimental ballet”, and of fake blood and their all-white homemade costumes, equal parts cottagecore and Midsommar. There are indications that the music the band make is merely part of a broader artistic practice that also involves painting, writing, photography and “traditional female crafts”, among them knitting.
Then there’s mention of their curious instrumentation, in which violin, cello and flute have as much role to play as guitar, bass and drums. And there’s a frequent suggestion that the band are sonically sui generis: “We weren’t consciously inspired by any other musicians … it was like we created a new universe of paradise without even realising that’s what we were doing”; “The Velvet Underground are the only band I can compare us to – there’s a similar spirit there, but the New Eves aren’t about genre”.
