Spotlight: PROJECTOR
☆ By Henry Ager ☆
Photos by Henry Ager
BRIGHTON BASED GROUP PROJECTOR HAS AN INTELLIGENT EDGE TO THEIR SOUND - it’s loud with a strong melody, creating an abstract sound. Consisting of founding members Lucy Sheehan (vocals and bass) and Edward Ensbury (vocals and guitar) and newcomer Callum Marinho (drums), the alt-rock group has honed in a unique sound they can call their own. Their style has developed over releases from their original alt-rock grunge pop EP, How Does It feel?, to their current writing which has more electronic influences and they describe as more controlled. The big sonic leaps in their sound have come from breaks in-between recording where they have had the time to develop and experiment with their sound.
Their first EP How Does It feel? has a big live energy and naivety that producer Ben Hampson wanted to capture to give the EP character. Oiginally sounding more like a grunge band, their sound was filled with guitars playing through a wall of amps and massive sounding choruses. A perfect example of this is “I Am Shamed”; The song’s verses have Ensbury’s smooth sounding vocals over the bass and drum with the occasional guitar infills, this then explodes into the chorus where the sound erupts and Ensbury’s shouts the lyrics, with a guitar solo squeezed in after every chorus.
Recently finishing their second EP, PROJECTOR comment on the “big sonic leap” between How Does It Feel? and their new material. Two years have now passed since the release of How Does It Feel? , which has given the band a lot of time to find new interests and develop their musical style. Sheehan has been producing a lot of electronic music during this time and started using Logic, influencing their new writing, and altering how she thought they could write music. This has inspired the band to experiment more in this EP, using synths and other techniques they have not used before. Altering their sound has allowed for producer, Hampson, to try to capture them in different ways. Hampson has been a constant support and friend to PROJECTOR throughout their career. Their desire to work with Hampson stemmed from his work on Repressed Semantics by Tigercub, which is one of the band’s favorite pieces of music.
Adoring the sound Hampson got out of Tigercub, once he began recording for PROJECTOR they found he was able to do the same with them, “he was the first person to get a good recording of us” Sheehan shared. PROJECTOR says his constructive criticism and experimental nature with building the sound work really well for them, and joke he is the fourth member of PROJECTOR, as he even played synth on their latest EP.
Due to their high turnover of drummers, writing their music has been a different and sometimes a difficult process for PROJECTOR. It would often involve Sheehan and Ensbury bringing material they have created to a rehearsal, where it would be fleshed out, rather than the music being born from a jam. The band agree that jamming is the most rewarding way of writing with Sheehan’s favourite track from their upcoming EP being born from a jam. The ability to write like this will hopefully become a staple for PROJECTOR now they have Marinho on board.
Both vocalists Sheehan and Ensbury are taking the lead in different songs, a different process than in previous material as they very rarely crossed over. This dynamic is changing in the new EP, with both their vocals over every song. This was a conscious effort from the band to have more continuity with their sound. The band feels that their songwriting styles complement each other as they both focus on different aspects, so when brought together they don’t step on each other’s toes.
Even though he did not have much chance to write with Sheehan and Ensbury, Marinho was to able to be very involved with the recording process. “Cal’s style has informed the overall style of this EP” Sheehan shared. They both made a point of playing in a way which would enhance Marinho’s break-beat drumming style making the EP more “angular and attacky”.
PROJECTOR have received funding from PRS to assist releasing their second EP. The band notes this is the big push for them, so they want to give it everything they have got and use the funds to get the best out of the EP. They feel their music is really good, but have struggled with reaching their audiences as it can be difficult to self-promote. However, the funds received from PRS can help lift this financial barrier and go towards visually representing their music. Sheehan explains, “for the songs that sound quite drum and bassy, I want lots of strobe and a really intense kinetic performance.” Ensbury expands on the importance of visuals with their music, “it makes it feel like more of an experience”, Lucy goes on to say “I want my music to be like entering a world and it’s like a stylised film”. The photos and music videos for their new releases will enhance the listening experience and add another dimension.
PROJECTOR’s new EP will be released during 2021, and it’s a very exciting prospect. A band with a lot of potential and creativity, this project represents their growth as artists and increasing presence in the industry.
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