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VIDEO: Sophie Flynn "U.S.I"
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Don’t be fooled by the cutesy video that accompanies this killer track, Cornwall based singer/songwr...Don’t be fooled by the cutesy video that accompanies this killer track, Cornwall based singer/songwriter has far more bite than the standard girl next door. The whimsical love song oozes girly adoration yet manages to fuse into the mix Lily Allen’s lyrical capabilities, Polly Scattergood’s kookiness and Kate Nash’s attitude. “U.S.I” is just a taster of Flynn’s debut EP and here at The Kaje we are gripped and excited to see what arrives next. Bang on brilliant.
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Sophie Flynn Debut EP Review
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Sophie Flynn is an unsigned singer/songwriter, originally from Birmingham. Her debut E.P. was releas...Sophie Flynn is an unsigned singer/songwriter, originally from Birmingham. Her debut E.P. was released on May 2nd 2012 and features her own lyrics and vocals, and well as Patch Dennis (drums) and Tallis Brooks (guitar, bass) who also produced the E.P. It is free to download from her website, as well as various other places, and features 4 tracks.
Her music is a mixture of many styles, but can best be described as a combination of folk and pop. No matter what genre you would class it as, there is such variety on each track that becoming bored listening to it is just not a possibility. However, it must be noted that there is little distinction between each song. The tracks in themselves are varied, the E.P., however, is not.
‘U.S.I’ is the stand out song, and it’s stop motion animation video can be found, and enjoyed, on YouTube. The visual seems to match the sound perfectly, with the simple, D.I.Y. video, complementing Sophie’s natural talent and sound. The style initially appears very unique, and close to, if not, slightly risky. As the song progresses it becomes clear that no risk has really been taken, this song could not fail to impress. It’s upbeat, catchy, and everything a pop song should be, while retaining a slightly folk-influenced edge to it which is truly unique. It’s the kind of song that will wear out your repeat button from day one.
Aside from this, ‘The Butcher & The Baker’ is definitely worth a listen, with it’s clever lyrics, it is practically exploding with various nursery rhyme fantasies, which makes it a very interesting listen. It’s fair to say that the lyrical quality almost overshadows the vocals completely, with what she is singing being the focus, rather than how she is singing. That is not to say that the vocals are not full of skill and natural talent, because they are – just that her singing talent is not the primary focus, at least on a first listen.
The two other tracks ‘Paper Shredder’ and ‘Cliches’ are similar in style and sound, but are definitely worth having a listen to, after all, the download is free! This is a young artist with a huge amount of talent, and an impressive E.P. already under her belt. Her musical future could be very exciting indeed.
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Meet Sophie Flynn
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Sophie Flynn has just to released her debut EP to the world even though she has only been making mus...Sophie Flynn has just to released her debut EP to the world even though she has only been making music for two years. At the end of her third year of university, Flynn is busy and seems pushed for time when she sits down to talk. It’s a windy day and as she rushes inside the small side street café straight from a lecture she seems bright and cheerful. She fixes her shoulder length brunette hair in place and takes a seat, she wears summer clothes but with a jacket to keep out the windy chill.
Flynn is a music student at Dartington College of Arts, she has been learning a lot about making music in a short space of time.
Sophie Flynn
“I’ve only been seriously making music for probably about two years. I started teaching myself guitar in first year, and then didn’t really have any confidence until second year; everyone at uni kind of terrified me because they were much more advanced. During second year I started writing much more of my own stuff and then this year I geared everything up, I’m doing it properly now I think for the first time really.”
Although she only got serious with her music at university, Flynn has been singing since she was young.
“I don’t really remember when I started singing. I started getting lessons when I was about 15 but I think I only did it because my sister did it. My sister was three years older than me and I think I just basically copied everything she did. She used to sing when we were younger so I got interested in it, but she doesn’t have any interest in it now because she’s terrified of being on stage.”
Flynn is fortunate to be blessed with a beautiful singing voice that is light and cheerful to listen to and it becomes clear over the duration of the EP where she has taken inspiration from those she admires.
“I love Laura Marling she’s around my age so that always terrifies me, she’s on her third album and she’s 22, I haven’t even started yet and I’m like how did you get that far? I liked the way she did it as well you could tell she hadn’t done it for money. I love Regina Spektor as well, I adore her, I just think she’s amazing. I’m quite obsessed with women in music, people say I don’t really like very many men, I do, I just think I relate more to the women. I think there’s some really great women in music.”
Although Flynn seems to be establishing herself as a fantastic new talent in folk-pop music, it isn’t what she originally intended to do, she made a life changing decision on an impulse.
“I don’t know why I’m studying music because I always do theatre. I just wanted to do theatre and then I suddenly decided that I really didn’t want to. Everyone told me not to do music because I didn’t have music GCSE or A Level, so I just went and did grades outside of school and then just applied everywhere.
I just decided I wanted to do it and surprised everyone a little bit, I wanted to do it and I did it.”
A third of the way through her course, Dartington merged with University College Falmouth and all of the students had to make the move down to Cornwall with it.
“It took me ages to work out how to write a song”
“I did know we were coming but I didn’t really think about it. It was a partial choice; I knew I’d be here (Falmouth) eventually. Stupidly, when I applied to Dartington and they said ‘oh you know you’re only going to be there for a year and then you’ll go to Falmouth’, we were like ‘yeah, yeah that’s fine’ but no one actually looked at Falmouth and that’s like the main portion of our degree. We all just went to Dartington, it was stupid really.”
University has been a learning curve for Flynn in many ways as she adapted to a new way of life and struggled with the egos of her fellow musicians.
“I think when I started a lot of musicians liked to talk a lot about what they did and they’re very kind of … you get a lot of egos. If you don’t have a big ego to start with you’ll get lost very quickly, which I think I did a lot until I went to New York half
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INTRODUCING: Sophie Flynn
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Sophie Flynn, that’s a good strong name. Who is your favourite Flynn and why? We like Johnny Flynn.
...Sophie Flynn, that’s a good strong name. Who is your favourite Flynn and why? We like Johnny Flynn.
I love Johnny Flynn! I’m hoping he’s my secret long lost brother. Are there any other Flynns? Oh there’s Error Flynn, he was pretty good. I’m going to go with Johnny, or my Mum, she’s a good Flynn.
You’re in good company with musicians in the South West – Ben Howard etc. Who do you rate most?
Definitely Ben Howard he’s amazing, I went to Dartington which was next to the town he is from (Totnes) so we all had a bit of an obsession with him in our first year of Uni, one of my friends even has his lyrics tattooed on his ribs.
When did you start writing and performing and why?
I started writing awful lyrics when I was about 16, I was just obsessed with lyrics but mine always turned out like soppy love poems. I think they only got better when I started listening to better music and realising that lyrics can be so much more interesting when they aren’t just about love, or really obvious. I started performing quite late really, not until I was about 19 – and I came to uni, where everyone was performing all the time – it took me ages to get the confidence to get up and give it a go, but I loved it once I got the nerve up, so I just kept doing it.
Your new video’s pretty cool – how do you approach making music videos? And why do you think it’s important?
Thank you! I love music videos, especially now there’s so many ways to make an awesome video without having any money, which is exactly what we did. I was lucky enough to know a wonderful artist and animator, Tom Dales, who shot the video. I think videos are so important now because people are so into Youtube as way of listening to music, and it’s an amazing way to have a visual representation of what you’re trying to say with your music. We already have some cool ideas for the next video, which I will actually be in this time. I think it’s good for people to be able to put a face to the music as well!
What’s your favourite lyric?
That’s a really hard question. There are so many amazing lyrics, I might have to give a few. I love all the lyrics in ‘Celebrity Skin’ by Hole, but especially ‘Honeysuckle, she’s full of poison, she obliterated everything she kissed, now she’s fading, somewhere in Hollywood, I’m glad I came here with your pound of flesh’. Amanda Palmer writes amazing lyrics, and Regina Spektor, oh and CocoRosie, their song ‘Werewolf’ has some of the best lyrics ever – ‘Weeping willow won’t you wallow louder’ – I love that.
Why do you think so many musicians are drawn to Cornwall?
I think the pace of life down here that probably appeals to musicians, no-one’s really in a rush to be anywhere. There’s a lot of freedom to do whatever you want to, especially in Falmouth – it’s so full of art students now that you could run through the high street playing a banjo naked and people probably wouldn’t be that surprised, which is pretty cool, or weird, depending on your view point.
What’s been your favourite gig to date and why?
I was in New York for a while last year and got the chance to see Laura Marling perform at Webster Hall, which was just incredible. I was right up at the front, actually sat on top of a speaker, level with the stage and I could just see everything, I’m so short I usually just get to watch people’s backs at gigs. She was amazing – I’d wanted to see her for years so that was really special for me. I saw Ben Howard last summer in Birmingham just before he got really big, it was a really nice gig, we were literally sat right in front of him and it was just really chilled and nice. And his band is incredible; at one point his drummer was playing bass with one hand, drums with another and singing backing vocals all at the same time. They are insane.
If you could sum up your sound in one sentence, what would it be?
Slightly bizarre, unusual pop music; not what you will be expecting.
More information on Sophie Flynn at www.sophieflynn.com/
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Sophie Flynn
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Who’s Sophie Flynn? How you got started in the music scene?
Well, I was at Dartington College of ...Who’s Sophie Flynn? How you got started in the music scene?
Well, I was at Dartington College of Arts (now University college Falmouth) studying music, so I’ve been really lucky to have three years to try a lot of different stuff out musically, but I’ve just finished my degree (this week actually!) and I feel like I’ve found my style now, and after recording the E.P I’m ready to really get out there and start making an actual career out of music, as opposed to something I’ve just been doing for fun.
What are your method at the time of writing a song?
I write differently every time, ‘Paper Shredder’ was written actually as part of a game I was playing with my guitarist at the time, where we just played and played and would shout out things for me to sing about, and somehow him shouting paper shredder formed a whole song. I usually start with lyrics though, I love lyrics I write them all the time.
What are your music influences?
I really like music that is a bit different, especially female musicians, I love Florence and the Machine, Laura Marling, my new favourite is Lucy Rose. I really like Jamie T for his lyrics. I’m influenced by a lot of different music, I listen to pretty much everything.
How was it to be featured on BBC introducing?
It was really great, I was really excited about it, I think it’s one of the best ways for an unsigned artist to begin getting their name out, so I was really happy they chose me.
So talk to us more about your recent new EP. How was the recording and writing process?
I didn’t write the music as the E.P, I just had a load of songs I wanted to record from the last two years so I just chose my favourites and recorded them. The recording process was really fun, it was mostly just me and my friend Tallis Brooks who was recording and producing everything, in his bedroom with one mic recording into his mac. We only did drums in the studio and luckily my drummer, Patch Dennis, is the easiest person to record ever he does everything in one take. I am not quite as quick! But yeah we had a lot of fun doing it, I’m very lucky that I have very talented friends who can help me out, I don’t think it would have been quiet as much fun if I’d had to be in a professional studio with all that pressure on me.
Are there any more plans for the near future?
Over summer I’ll be playing quiet a lot of local gigs in Warwickshire, we’re making another video this time for ‘Paper Shredder’ which I’m excited about.
What has been the funniest moment you have been or took part while touring?
We were rehearsing the other day, me and three of the boys who were playing for me,and a huge white crab spider crawled over my shoulder, but I thought it was fluff so I picked it up by its enormous bum and then screamed my head off when I realised what it was. But the best bit was that none of the boys would pick it up, so it eventually got wheeled out on a chair and left outside. Very manly of all of us.
Do you feel you are moving on the right direction?
Yeah definitely, I mean I’m trying to build this up from the very bottom, everything been done on a non existent budget between me and my friends, so I’m really excited that people have responded so well to something thats been mostly based in our bedrooms!
Check out more at: www.sophieflynn.com and download her new album for free here: http://sophieflynn.bandcamp.com
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Interview: Sophie Flynn
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Talking of American’s lack of understanding of the word “selotape” and looking forward to some down-...Talking of American’s lack of understanding of the word “selotape” and looking forward to some down-time, Sophie Flynn has worked hard and seen a lot already. This songstress has a very English approach to writing lyrics and her gorgeous debut EP shows she’s more than another Lily Allen or Kate Nash.
Being played BBC Introducing must have been exciting, are there any other upcoming projects that you are looking forward to?
I was very excited to be played on BBC Introducing it was awesome. I’ve got some local festivals lined up. I’ll be playing Folk On The Water, which is a week- long festival along the river where loads of cool people play so that’s exciting. We’re also going to be making the video to ‘Paper Shredder’ over summer, I love making videos.
We love your video for ‘U.S.I’ at New Reviews, what was the idea around it and why stop motion?
Thank you very much. We wanted to create something that would tell the story of the song, without being really cheesy and obvious, and leave enough room for people to decide what they think the song is about. The artist, Tom Dales, had never actually done a stop motion video before but we wanted to do something with a DIY feel that was fun but deceivingly cute. If you listen to the lyrics, the story behind the song is a bit weird so we wanted the video to reflect that.
Your lyrics reference normal life and experiences yet your artwork is like something out of Narnia. Is escapism important in your music?
I write quiet a lot of different lyrics, on this EP the songs are very literal, apart from The Butcher &The Baker that’s a bit more fairy tale. But I do like the artwork to be a bit strange and I definitely like the escapism. I love storytelling because it allows you to write about experiences that you haven’t actually had.
You have an interesting tone to your voice, are there any artists that inspire you vocally?
I love Regina Spektor, Amanda Palmer and CocoRosie because vocally their voices have so many little quirks that make them individual and interesting. I think most people expect you as a female singer-songwriter to just have a ‘pretty’ voice and write ‘pretty music,’ so I love it when people go against this.
You did some shows in New York last year. Did audiences understand your references to British life and your down to earth lyrics?
I think mostly they cheered just because I was English [Laughs]. There’s a line in “U.S.I” that goes ‘Selotape me together and pritstick me to your heart’ and someone came up to me once and asked, ‘What is s-e-l-o-t-a-p-e?’ I tried to explain it and they said, ‘Oh that’s so clever!’
Will you be focusing on your music more now that you’re done with university?
Definitely! I have so much time to work on new songs, get out touring and hopefully do some more recording. But I am pretty sad because my favourite people to work with musically are all down here, I’m not sure what I’m going to do without Tallis Brooks, who recorded the EP for me, he helps me so much!
What are you planning to do to celebrate finishing your degree?
I want to go have lots of beach BBQs but it’s been raining ever since I finished, but we have a festival up there next week so I will be sticking around Cornwall for that to see lots of music and theatre stuff and hopefully sit on the lawns all day drinking cider.
Watch the video for U.S.I below and click here to download Sophie’s EP for free!
Anastasia Aboim
