In the haze of Colchester’s music scene, She’s In Parties are emerging as a beacon of modern shoegaze and dreampop. Taking inspiration from icons like Slowdive and Cocteau Twins, this young quartet makes music that drips with emotional vigour and gorgeous melodies.
Their latest single, ‘Puppet Show’, is a powerful commentary on societal expectations and the pressures of maintaining an online presence, especially for musical folk. As they gear up for the release of their second EP, Puppet Show, on 25th October via Submarine Cat Records, we sat down with the band to discuss their travels thus far, their maturing sound, and their future plans.
Interview with Katie Dillon, Herbie Wiseman, Matt Carman, and Charlie Johnson of She’s In Parties
whynow: How did She’s In Parties come together?
Katie: So it all began with a dream I had… no, scrap that. I was writing music and doing solo work before I realised I didn’t enjoy doing it all alone and wanted musicians around me to work with on music. I knew Herbie (the guitarist) from school. When I got to college, which is when I formed the band, I auditioned Charlie (the bassist) and brought them both together to form the beginnings of what was at that time Velvet Teen, until another band with the same name told us off for copying them.
We then came up with our current name, She’s In Parties. (We do get some people to come up to us after gigs and mention how they thought they were coming to see a Bauhaus tribute band, which will always be somewhat awkward for us until they say, “no, but you guys were great” and then we are relieved.) Matt (the drummer) was a friend of a friend in the Colchester skateboarding community, so she recommended him to me, and the rest is history.
whynow: Could you tell us about the creative process behind the ‘Puppet Show’ music video?
Katie: We were going back and forth with Eli on visualising the song’s meaning, but he helped us finalise the concept. The idea of having us dress up as puppets in the music video was a no-brainer because of the song’s title. But the actual meaning behind that in the music video is that when we are not performing as a band, all of the other stuff we have to do, such as daily chores and making content for TikTok (because that seems to be the only way a band can make it these days) feels like we are being forced or ‘puppeteer-ed’ to do it. Content creation, we know, is a great way to promote yourself, but the things I see some bands do on TikTok are just so soulless, so when we have to make a video, I cringe so much.
Basically, we feel like real puppets are controlled by the pressures of the new way society ingests music. Still, when we dress up as puppets and perform, there are no strings attached because we absolutely love to do the fundamental things as musicians, which is performing the music we write.
whynow: How did the concept for the song ‘Puppet Show’ come about?
Katie: The song all began with a dream I had about my teeth falling out, a classic dream that most people have, usually anxiety-induced. In this dream, I had to go on stage and perform with all my teeth missing. This led to the writing process of ‘Puppet Show’, which eventually became more about the pressure the music industry puts on musicians to create content nowadays rather than just writing music and performing it. Nowadays, it’s more about how you present yourself online, how much of a cult following you can create, and how well you can maintain that. The lyrics at the song’s beginning, “Mmm, all you want from me are these naive eyes,” make a notion of that.
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So, this upcoming EP has more themes of anxiety with general life, such as social media and the pressures that have on me personally, and how I view myself and compare myself to those who may be more “successful” or “better looking” than me, the struggle I would argue everyone has nowadays. Whilst also touching on themes of war and how helpless I feel towards the people struggling in war-torn countries. I’m not a very politically active person, but the state of the world right now is something you cannot and should not ignore. I feel distraught and extremely helpless and wish I could do more to help, but it is a complex matter.
whynow: Your music has evolved from shoegaze to a more pop/indie rock sound. How did this transition happen?
Katie: We initially started writing shoegaze and dream pop music that was heavily inspired by bands like Cocteau Twins and Slowdive, but as time progressed, we as people have grown up, and our influences have changed. I know my influences have changed, and I prefer bands like Paramore and Wolf Alice, as do the other members. Bands with that rock genre as a baseline but also have catchy riffs and vocal melodies that I would argue could be more pop. So when I write songs, I focus mainly on how I can write a catchy vocal melody, whilst Herbie would write a super catchy guitar riff or even solo, which are elements of music that aren’t as common in shoegaze. So, our sound is evolving into a more pop/indie rock sound, which is something we’ve always been into but are only now honing our talents to make that kind of music to the best of our ability.
whynow: Do you feel pressure to maintain a social media presence as a band?
Katie: I feel a lot of pressure, yes, but I am slowly working through getting to grips with editing small TikTok videos and just putting myself in front of the camera more, even if I don’t particularly like looking at myself. I have always struggled with self-image, but I have started to accept myself more. It has taken a lot of years and also a lot of self-help podcasts, but I feel like I am ready to take on the new wave.
whynow: You’ve played some exciting shows recently. What has been your favourite gig so far?
Katie: Ah yes, we love Bleach Lab and had a blast supporting them on tour last November! However, we recently played our first abroad shows in France, one in Rennes and one at Supersonic in Paris, and these are probably some of my favourite shows yet. The guys and I were quite surprised with the turnout for both venues, especially since it was our first time overseas as a band. I think now we have new music to play, which is also super upbeat and fun. We have more fun on stage as a band, so playing gigs has been even more exciting recently!
In the early days, during the pandemic, I would say we have all grown into our own. A lot has changed from where we started to where we are now. For most of us, being in our late teens to early twenties was a time of figuring ourselves out, and we are still doing that. Still, when it comes to confidence with writing and performing, we have developed in that area massively, and we can’t wait to see how we develop our style and sound in the next five years.
whynow: How does the songwriting process usually work for you?
Katie: Typically, I will have some demos made for the guys to listen to, and we go from there, but sometimes Charlie may also have demos or bass lines, and we end up writing songs from that. It really depends on how we are feeling. Sometimes, at band practice, someone will start playing around with a riff, and then Matt will start a really cool drumming pattern, and then Herbie goes ham on the guitar. That way is also very natural and can be successful. But overall, we all write our own parts. Everyone in this band is incredibly talented, so it’s usually a very fun process when it comes to songwriting and seeing how quickly a song can progress. I have to say, though, that Charlie’s Korg Minilogue Synth has now unleashed a whole new writing style. I feel like we can finally explore our love for 80s music.
whynow: Where do you see She’s In Parties heading in the future?
Katie: She’s In Parties will become that 80s rock/pop/grunge band we always saw ourselves as. From writing film scores and soundtracks to playing main stage at Glastonbury, we have a lot of dreams and aspirations for this band, but for now, let’s see where it goes…
whynow: If you weren’t in a band, what would you be doing?
Katie: Personally, I can’t see myself in any career other than music, but if I couldn’t be in a band, I would LOVE to be a music producer.
Matt: I think Charlie and I would be pro gamers. We’d be couch potato gamers, and we’d ultimately be terrible at it. So I’d probably end up in some standard trade job to make ends meet.
Charlie: Yeah, that…or I’d work in a zoo, and everyone could come and visit me and my sloth brethren.
Herbie: I saw a film once called Riding Giants telling the tales of so-called “beach bums” who live in the dunes under their boards, surfing in the day and living
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