FFO: Pop, Folk, Rock
Finding, let alone maintaining a sense of purpose during the new reality, can be problematic for many. One way to carry on, whether under stay at home restrictions or not, is by touching the lives of others. Even from afar, the same holds true. Perhaps that was what Sunflower Thieves had in mind when the duo recorded their latest single, “Hide And Seek,” now available.
Graceful and refined, sensitive yet accessible, for many listeners it is important to feel good after hearing a song and Sunflower Thieves does just that with “Hide And Seek.” Released May 29, 2020, the 3:15 track can be described as having rich harmonies and a beautiful melody. Borrowing a phrase from the band’s Facebook page, Sunflower Thieves “Soulful Sisterhood” is actually Leeds-based musicians Amy Illingworth and Lily Sturt-Bolshaw. Musicinterviewmagazine discussed “Hide And Seek” with Sunflower Thieves.
An Interview With Sunflower Thieves’ Amy Illingworth
With all the stress in the world, “Hide And Seek” returns to a nostalgic place. What influenced Sunflower Thieves to write and record the song?”
Amy Illingworth: “Hide and Seek” was written during a little trip we took to Norfolk, just the two of us, in January this year. We stayed in a little beach-side house, with a log fire and set ourselves up to write and demo over the four days we were there. The song is about yearning for childhood and the ignorant bliss of being taken care of, but also growing up and realising that you were naive then. We all wish we could go back to simpler times sometimes, when life gets tough. I think lots of people have taken comfort from listening to the song amongst all the noise and uncertainty in the world right now. We loved the song so much, we just had to get it recorded and released and lock-down has given us the time to do just that.
How have you been holding up during the Coronavirus?
It’s been challenging, certainly. But we know we’ve had it relatively easy compared to a lot of others and are grateful for the time we’ve had at home with loved ones, and the concentrated time we’ve been able to spend on music. We’ve really benefited creativity-wise during lock-down; we’ve been writing more than ever, individually, together and with our friends Tom and Sam, of Leeds band Heir and sharing snippets of the songs we’ve been making on our Instagram. We’ve also made a Patreon account, where followers can get access to exclusive and extra content for as little as a pound per month. The support across all of our social platforms has motivated us massively and kept us working hard.
Is that an organ during “Hide And Seek?” Does one of you play the organ or someone else?
There isn’t any organ on this track. We have bass courtesy of Lily’s dad, Dave Sturt; strings courtesy of our wonderful friend Jed Holland; and guitar thanks to lovely Chris Milnes. We also used a pad in there which may be what you’re thinking sounds like an organ. We’re super fortunate to be surrounded by talented, supportive people and Lily self-produces all of our releases.
Have you performed live with the personnel on “Hide And Seek?”
We haven’t actually performed “Hide and Seek” with our band yet and only managed to get in a couple of acoustic performances of it before lock-down, just the two of us and an acoustic guitar. We’re excited to get back into a rehearsal room with our new songs. We’ll definitely be revamping the set up a bit.
Will “Hide And Seek” eventually be part of an album?
We’re not thinking of an album at the moment. We have another single coming out later this year which we’re really excited about. There will be more news about that soon on our social media. We’ve discussed the idea of an EP next year, but for now we just want to keep moving forward and creating as we’re loving the way things are going.
We have to ask, what type and brand of guitar is played during “Hide And Seek?”
That’s Lily’s Baby Taylor. We use it at all of our live shows.
Considering social distancing restrictions, do you have any live shows planned?
We had a lot of festivals booked from about May and onwards, which have mostly been postponed to next year, but we do have Live at Leeds in November, alongside a couple of other shows we aren’t able to announce yet. But in short, yes. We’ll definitely be gigging again as soon as we feel it’s safe and appropriate. We miss it.
What is next for Sunflower Thieves?
Next, we’ll be focusing on our next release, which will be happening later this year. We’ll have exciting news to share regarding that soon. We’re also about to release a limited edition line of ethical, handmade Sunflower Thieves tees, hand painted by The Adorned Duo, which we’re really excited about.
See the review of “Hide And Seek” here.
For more about Sunflower Thieves please visit:
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Paul Wolfle, the publisher of musicinterviewmagazine.com, is a web-based journalist who has written for several popular sites. Paul has a passion for connecting with a diversity of musicians who are looking to grow a positive presence on the World Wide Web.
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