They exploded onto the air at the start of this year but already electronic rock band, The Atlantic Mirrors, are making waves as far away as Guatemala.

Chloe Glover caught up with the group to find out more about how the internet has helped spark their growing fanbase, despite/after only playing their first gig last month.

Electronic signals have been the key for The Atlantic Mirrors, not just for their sound but for helping the creaiton of the band.

They got together just over one year ago via social media, after all became individually frustrated at having no one to perform their own musical experiments with.

It was the start of an relationship , which they have used to establish fan bases thousands of miles away in tropical Central America, a place worlds apart from their up-bringing in West Yorkshire, and to put out their first EP on iTunes in February.

Bassist, Graham Lees, said: We collectively had various songs kicking about but no suitable band to play them with. The band formed quite organically, with some help from social media.

“Weirdly, due to our internet presence, we now have established an (albeit small) fanbase in Guatemala and we hear it’s a fun night out, so maybe we could be tempted out there in the future.”

Keen to experiment with different sounds and ideas, they began making music that reflected their diverse musical backgrounds.

Their self-titled EP straddles rock, dance and pop through synth riffs, whirling guitar effects, crunching bass, distorted loops and punchy, precise drums, with smoking and sometimes distorted vocals which bring to mind Karen O and NYPC front woman, Tahita Bulmer.

“Collectively our influences probably take in the entire range of popular music, from rock and metal to mainstream dance and pop because we all come from different musical backgrounds so we all contribute something unique.

“Electronic rock is a genre of convenience really - the idea of using synths, loops and lots of processing alongside a standard bass, drums, guitar line up just seems like the logical way to express 60 years of popular music.

“It definitely makes for some interesting rehearsals.”

Graham says it is reflective of the music scene in Huddersfield in general, which embraces different genres with equal enthusiasm.

“Huddersfield is a vibrant place musically, with a lot of different people doing a lot of very different and interesting things. It’s a great deal more creative than getting lost in a ‘city scene’ where most bands are trying to ride the coattails of whoever got signed last.

“An example of how diverse Huddersfield is to look at two bands we are playing with - Rhombus being a gothic rock act and Stems being a post rock act with a string section.

“There are some very talented folk in Huddersfield and hopefully we will bring yet another set of ideas to the table.”

They are currently working on their next EP whilst juggling jobs around band commitments.

“We have an extremely DIY ethic, no-one is throwing cash at us, so we all work. I don’t think any of us are fascinated by the starving artist lifestyle-we all quite like our food and home comforts.

“The first EP was entirely self produced and released, which works well for us as we can write, record and release songs worldwide at our leisure without worrying too much about wasting vast sums of money and not worrying about trying to appease people we owe that money to.

“The different social media channels now available have helped make it available to a global audience. Some of us remember the times of selling cassette tapes by mail and we know what we prefer.

“It was also a digital only release because we aren’t so keen on having lots of CD’s littering the place, as they just become expensive coasters eventually. However, some of us have started spending time in record shops again, like Huddersfield’s own excellent Vinyl Tap, so a vinyl release might well be something we explore in the future.

“Our next EP will have a slightly darker, more sparse feel to it. We’ve learnt from recording the debut that less is more and that each element needs room to breathe.”

Graham says that they are equally excited about starting their foray into live performance, which they embarked upon earlier this month with a debut gig at the Parish, supporting Rhombus.

“We are looking forward to gigging a lot as you only really get to know the songs as you gig them. The live sound is different to the recorded stuff, so we look forward to people hearing that side of us as well.

“We’ve also got some other exciting developments, which we will announce coming up to the release of the next EP.”

To find out more and find links to The Atlantic Mirrors music, go to: www.theatlanticmirrors.co.uk

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