Marine’s music pushes the listener into a dreamy state of consciousness with a blend of anarchically melodic instrumental arrangements and a female chorus of trill, tuneful vocals.
The London-based quartet conjure the raw extremes of despair and desire on their debut album ‘Fable Electric’, which was recorded with producer Rob Ellis and released towards the end of last month. Marine’s aesthetic could easily be likened to Kate Bush or Florence and the Machine, projecting a strong sense of romanticism, activism and self-actualization.
The band - guitarists and vocalists Cara Sebastian and Ruby Jack, bassist Beth Dariti and drummer Kaja Magsam - first met after expressing interest in each other’s projects, with their music born of mutual appreciation.
Live, each band member surrenders to their all-consuming sound, moving majestically to the march of their individual instruments. Listening to Marine’s music can be a revelatory experience as it explores mythology and fables, comparing the underworld, demons, mighty Krakens, werewolves, witches and Gods to their own shared experiences of love, lust and loss.
How long was ‘Fable Electric’ in the works?
Beth: We recorded the album in 2016, but it has essentially been in the making since the beginning of Marine. Some of the songs on the record are the very first ones we wrote. They have evolved into entirely new creatures as the band grew and expanded, as well as incorporating Rob’s ideas.
You recorded the album at Grand Chapel Studios - how long did you work there? How did the space affect the way you arranged and performed the music?
Ruby: We've actually recorded all of our work to date at the Chapel. We've made some demos there as well as our first two EPs. In lots of ways the Chapel is as much a part of Marine as our instruments are. We had about two weeks at the Chapel to make the record. As for how the Chapel itself changed our sound, we are so used to hearing our songs bouncing off the walls it would have been weird to have recorded this anywhere other than there. The acoustics for drums are incredible and singing in that space is a true privilege.
What happened in your first meeting with Rob and why did you decide to work with him on this project?
Ruby: Rob came to a show of ours at Birthdays in London. Our then manager was clever enough to persuade him to come along and we pretty much all clicked straight off the bat. He asked a few key questions about how we wanted to transfer what we did live on to a record.
I remember one point that we clicked on really strongly was the fact that it's so hard to recreate the electricity, the anonymous frequencies and the spontaneous interference that makes its way in to a live show...so often for the better!
So many recordings that I have personally made have lacked that electric spark. ‘Fable Electric’ has that and I think in huge part that's thanks to Rob's sensitivity and understanding about what we were hoping to achieve: an honest representation of what we do live, but with an extra thrill and a twist.
How did his influence shape the aesthetic of the LP beyond what you had previously imagined?
Ruby: For starters he added instruments to the record that none of us play, at least while we're in Marine. There's some synth in there and some lines on the grand piano. The biggest influence he had on us from a nerdy point of view was probably his tape machine. He had this battered delay unit that had a physical piece of really old tape running around it.
We plugged Cara's guitar in to that and it was basically the answer to the spontaneous electricity I so feared we would miss out on from not playing live. I think it lasted for about three songs and then died halfway through a take of Sirens. Once the record was done, Cara went straight out and bought a pedal version.
How does the artwork reflect the mood of the album?
Cara: I love abstract expressionism, so for the album cover I made the painting quite big so I could move my limbs a lot, using layers of acrylic, oil, watercolour, pastels and inks. I tried to paint what we sound like, so busy fluid brushstrokes with quiet areas, movement and contrast, and dark undertones.
I wanted it to have that swampy psychedelic quality. Anyway, after photographing it I realised the ‘electric’ element was missing. I flipped the colours and added filters to add a luminosity. We are making music with those long chiming electric tones so it seemed right for it to have that glow.
You have been touring across Europe and the UK, does life on the road or in the studio suit you better as a band?
Beth: Both are very different experiences. Touring has been great, and playing live is something very special for Marine - the energy and sparks between us and the audience is something that cannot be captured in the studio, where we are more deliberate with our playing and execution, where we spend time trying out each other’s pedals.
How have you all experienced the music industry as female artists - have your interactions with labels and managers been positive, equal and balanced, or have you felt less powerful than you would have preferred?
Beth: We like to think of ourselves as a band of like-minded people, who happen to be female. We have felt strong in being female and have not felt less powerful by it.
‘Fable Electric’ is out now on The Vinyl Factory. Marine play The Alternative Escape in Brighton in May.
Marine Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Fri April 6 2018 - LONDON Aces and Eights
Wed June 6 2018 - LONDON Paper Dress Vintage
Thu June 14 2018 - LONDON Brixton Windmill
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