Blue Violet are a North London alt-indie band with Sam McGrigor and Sarah Gotley at the helm. They talk with Music Editor Barry Fenton about their upcoming LP Faux Animaux
It’s a sunnier-than-usual Wednesday and I’ve managed to sneak off on my lunch break from work to find a quiet room. With three minutes to one, I frantically set my things up - a little nervous, but very excited. Blue Violet are a North London alt-indie band with Sam McGrigor and Sarah Gotley at the helm. We’re supposed to be talking about their second L.P Faux Animaux but the first five minutes is dominated by talk of Ireland and their recent trip to see The Pogues in the 3 Arena.
“It was so good, and the energy in that room and the audience, you know, it's kind of similar to a Scottish audience; - that kind of thirst for music.”
I can already tell we’ll get along.
The opening track ‘Sweet Success’ looks at the dizzying humdrum of seeking out achievement in a cut-throat commercial world.
Faux Animaux is the second L.P by the group, and touches on the dichotomy between our primal nature and modern day ambition. Don’t get it twisted, the duo are deeply grounded in the reality of the world we live in. They explain how the opening track ‘Sweet Success’ looks at the dizzying humdrum of seeking out achievement in a cut-throat commercial world.
“The “sess, sess, sess” sample at the beginning was programmed to sound robotic to give the feel that we’re all mindlessly following the same goal without stopping to question why we want it so badly, and the assumption that, once we achieve it, it will make us happy.”
It speaks to anyone who may be on the precipice of entering the “real world” - a college student for example who is thinking about their future career. Personally, I found it particularly fitting for my morning commute into the rat-race of a law internship. Sarah explains that the song is more a ‘reminder’ than a ‘warning’. It reminds us how far we have departed from the simplicity that life used to offer.
They hail The Gaslight Anthem, St. Vincent and Bowie as their major influences. There are also hints of Tame Impala, MGMT and even The National on tracks like “The Librarian”.
The duo had a very busy 2024. They began in March with the one-off single ‘Human After All’ during the week that they shared the stage with The Gaslight Anthem for a number of shows at the Roundhouse in London. Sarah points out how honoured they felt; especially Sam as a long time fan of the band’s work.
A schizophrenic dispatch from the edges of a Parisian riot
In April, they shared the forthcoming album’s lead single ‘Boogie Shoes’, a grainy glam stomp aimed midway between Queens Of The Stone Age and St Vincent. This was followed by ‘Imagine Me’ – amid dark 80s electro-rock tones akin to a more seductive Depeche Mode, the track portrays a lustful temptress (groupie, cougar, stalker or lovelorn loner) frustrated that the sexual encounter she so meticulously plots is over in a flash.
Swaying from sizzling space disco to poignant yet hard hitting alt-rock, the record is also infused with dynamic tracks such as ‘Barefoot On The Seine’ which they describe as “a schizophrenic dispatch from the edges of a Parisian riot”, its verses lost in graceful Gallic romance and its choruses erupt in grunge rock palpitations.
Songs such as “Fire” have a more retro feel, calling one back to early 2000’s alt-rock while also calling to mind the current indie sleaze wave that is seeing a comeback today with artists like The Dare. When discussing this track, Sam explains it was his favourite to write, “It just always kind of poked me up in the studio, you know, when you're having a long day, and you put a certain song on, it does a lot.”
On discussing the killer bassline added by producer TJ Allen, Sam highlights, “He took that in a direction that we had probably never been in before as a band, we've never really written a song like that, and I think it's the baseline that made it stand out from the other tracks.”
A personal favourite was ‘The Librarian’ - an honest and personal account textured by the careful layering of the duo’s vocals:
“This life is giving me everything
I keep turning lemonade to lemons again”
We’re struck with the realities of growing up. By reversing the timeless cliché of turning lemons into lemonade, the writer seems to be showcasing the difficulties and complexities of later life; the texturing harmony of both female and male voices highlighting how universal this experience is. It’s an incredibly touching track - and aided greatly by the delicate production of TJ Allen and mixing by Bat For Lashes and Hannah Peel.
“I bought a house and filled it with dreams
and paid a professional to tell me what it means
to be scared of the future my past has created for me”
Wrapping up, it’s clear Blue Violet aren’t just crafting songs—they’re creating experiences that evolve with each listen. Faux Animaux is a testament to their depth and vision, a record that lingers long after it’s played. Much like meeting Sam and Sarah, it’s an encounter worth returning to again and again.