Pinhole - On Our Radar Q&A: "That’s part of our sound – that slight roughness and feralness"

Your upcoming album Sweet Spot has faced a lot of challenges. How does it feel to be finally sharing it with the world?

CIARA: It’s a relief! Covid did us no favours, in that we had an album that was due to be launched two weeks after the start of lockdown. So in the end, we just pulled it – I think, in a way, that might not have been a bad thing. We revisited what we’d written and wrote new material. I’m delighted, it’s like the completion of a creative arc, so it’s great to follow the whole process through.

Was it hard not to over-edit with such a wait?

MARK: Some of the recordings are not overly polished, and that’s part of our sound - that slight roughness and feralness, and not being over-produced.

CIARA: I always find it’s a bit like Father Ted with the hammer and the car, you know? You have to stop at some point.

Who would be some of your artistic influences?

MARK: I love Fontaines, Murder Capital, and some CMAT. Kojaque’s doing interesting stuff too. It goes way back as well, with Beth Gibbons and Portishead. You can go on and on, so I guess it’s a whole range.

CIARA: What’s happening in Irish folk music at the minute is so brilliant and fun, and I also like listening to older stuff like Stump – really experimental, fun, punky bands.

What’s it like to be performing these songs finally?

CIARA: It feels absolutely wonderful to perform these songs in front of people and get the energy back. I remember lying awake at night listening to the mastered tracks when they came through. I was just bursting with the desire to share them, so to be able to do it live is an extra special pleasure.

• Sweet Spot is out on October 11. Ahead of the release of Pinhole's new single 'Pinhole' on Thursday, listen to 'I Want Desire' below.