Sephine Llo is apparently bonkers, so maybe that was what caught the ear of her new audio home at Tape Club Records.

Her ethereal, ghostly sounds have drawn quick comparisons to Florence Welch and Kate Bush and we’re delighted to premiere the brand new track ‘I, Your Moon‘, which follows on from the debut ‘Home‘. She will play a headline show at Dalston’s Servant Jazz Quarters on March 18th in support of releasing her debut EP ‘Flame’.

Where did it all begin with you? What made you want to follow the path into a career in music?

As a child I sang at just about every moment I could. Then I picked up the violin when I was 8 years old and quickly fell in love with expressing myself through music and began writing my own pieces. I remember my first compositions were little scribbled scores about different birds in the garden. I went through the classical training and grades for violin, singing and piano and I enjoy a lot of classical music, but really my passion was always with song. I used to steal my dad’s guitar and mess around with it, making up my own chords and lyrics. In my teens I borrowed a broken 8-track recorder and started making CDs for friends and family. I went to study the Tonmeister Course at Surrey University so that I could improve my recording skills, that way I could keep control of my own sound and lock myself away in my parent’s basement working on my songs with no time or money constraints.

What were your main inspirations as a teen and how do they compare to the music you surround yourself with nowadays?

My first and lasting band obsession was/is The Beatles. I used to go through my parents’ record collection and dance around and sing along to 60s pop. I would still count them as amongst my favourites, as well as solo singer songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Jeff Buckley etc. Having sung a lot in choirs over the years, I would say that choral music is also a big inspiration for me, along with other classical music such as John Tavener and Arvo Pärt.

Dream collaboration? If you could work with anyone who would be the first choice?

This changes from day to day depending on what I’m listening to, but right now I’d love to collaborate with James Blake, and perhaps Thomas Feiner and Bon Iver would also be on the (very long) shortlist.

Ever met anyone that’s made you completely starstruck yet?

I’m generally most in awe of a musician when I know them as a friend and love and respect their work, but having said that, I was pretty excited to work as an assistant engineer on a session with Robert Wyatt once – hearing him improvise in the same room as me was pretty special.

What’s the goal for you? What would you have liked to have achieved in the next 12 months?

In the next 12 months I would have liked to have finished recording my debut album and performed at some great festivals and concerts.

Tell us more about the track ‘I. Your Moon’?

This track is really about the uncontrollable pull of attraction towards someone you have a strong connection with, and how intense that draw can be. I originally wrote this sitting at a harpsichord in the middle of the night, but later translated it onto an SH101 synth, a hulusi (Chinese gourd flute), strings, baritone guitar, and I used various found sounds as percussion e.g. a typewriter, the birds outside my window, guitar feedback, skin sounds etc.

Words: Shane Hawkins

The post NEW NOISE: SEPHINE LLO appeared first on Wonderland.