Hot Press meets Low Sea

Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, make music together. The age-old formula has worked (‘erm sort of) for Johnny and June, Ike and Tina, Sonny and Cher. Thus far things are likewise playing out just peachy for Bobby D and Billie, aka expat synth duo Low Sea.

Bobby is Liverpudlian, Billie from Bosnia. They met in America and now call Dunmore East, Co Waterford home. As you do.
“I was playing drums in a couple of bands over there and she joined on backing vocals,” Bobby tells me. “We knew that we wanted to work on music together pretty much straight away.”
They decided to come to Ireland and have been writing together ever since. New album Remote Viewing follows 2010 debut Las Olas and recent EP The Light.
“On Las Olas we were finding our feet. The new album is a departure. I wanted to make the songs more direct and shorter. Dare I say it, more pop-like.”
The band are difficult to pin down. Purity Ring, The Horrors and Genesis are among the comparisons touted.
“It’s mad,” laughs Bobby. “A lot of stuff, I can often see where they’re coming from. Genesis has thrown me totally. People have found it hard to classify us, which I’m happy with.”
Some of those pop sensibilities on Remote Viewing can be credited to producer Stephen Hague, who famously worked with New Order and the Pet Shop Boys.
“Initially we were going to do just the one song with him. He ended up doing three, which was brilliant.”
Following a brief stint with American label Lefse, Low Sea signed to UK imprint Dell’Orso Records. Did any Irish record companies make an offer?
“No. It’s hard even gigging in Ireland. It’s strange because there’s not really much of a scene. There aren’t many towns and venues to pick from. We toured mainland Europe in November. It was a totally different ball game. Unless you’re very ‘pigeonhole-able’ you’re going to come unstuck in Ireland.”
Why come here at all?
“Billie decided. She lived in Dublin before getting her US citizenship. I’d never even stepped foot in the country.”
There can’t be too many Liverpudlians who’ve never been to Ireland!
“My mum’s family are all Irish,” he laughs. “I always thought that Ireland was going to be the same as England. It’s not. It’s completely different. I couldn’t live in England again.”

Remote Viewing is out now. Low Sea play JJ Smyth’s on May 5 as part of the Camden Crawl.