Description

Tallies navigate an unfamiliar world on their confident self-titled debut album, which blends elements of shoegaze, dream pop, and surf rock into a fresh sound that's all their own. The band was founded by singer and rhythm guitarist Sarah Cogan and lead guitarist Dylan Frankland, a couple who met in a sound engineering class while attending Algonquin College. Tallies' sound was fully realised with the addition of Frankland's friend from childhood rock camp, drummer Cian O'Neill, and bassist Stephen Pitman. In a year since relocating to Toronto, the quartet have played shows with bands like Mudhoney, Hatchie, Sloan and fellow Toronto band Weaves.

Sarah started music lessons at a young age, learning simple piano melodies and guitar chords that she could sing and write lyrics over. Frankland has also been immersed in music for most of his life, growing up with a music-obsessed father who introduced him to greats like The Smiths, The Sundays, Aztec Camera and Cocteau Twins. He subconsciously carried these influences into Tallies, which is evident in the Johnny Marr stylings of his guitar riffs and the Robin Guthrie-tinged shoegaze textures of his production. 'While writing this album, we were listening to The Sundays Reading, Writing and Arithmetic a lot,' says Frankland, adding, 'Harriet Wheeler's soft-spokenly sweet melodies has a major influence on where Sarah sometimes takes her writing to.'

Despite lyrics that confront the anxieties and uncertainties of growing up, DIY Mag noted their style is more carefree, calling it 'woozy, surf-pop nodding gold that wouldn't sound out of place blaring out of a busted cadillac cruising past Venice Beach'. Opening track Trouble is a song about naivety and being unable to foresee potential forthcoming danger. 'This innocence, for women especially, is impossible to maintain as you grow older,' notes Cogan. On their infectious and charging lead single Beat The Heart, Cogan laments 'the lack of empathy that exists so strongly today'. Mother touches on the transition from an adolescent, dependent relationship with your parents to a mature, independent one. Cogan questions what parental advice to take and what to leave behind, knowing she'll learn from it either way ('My mother taught me to ask questions / She said that boyfriend will not do / I talked yet still I never listened / Somehow she always still rings true'). Album closer Easy Enough meditates on the lasting impact we have on each other and a realisation of 'how difficult it is to move past changing relationships,' Cogan says, while Giving Up addresses environmental concerns, namely global warming.

The album was co-produced by Frankland and Josh Korody at Toronto's Candle Recordings, a hot spot where locals like Metz, Dilly Dally, Austra and Weaves have made indie classics. It's also where Frankland works as an engineer/producer. With upbeat percussion, melodic bass riffs, and magnetic guitar leads, Tallies puts one-of-a-kind melodies to the universal impact of adulthood hitting you square in the face. It's the band's soundtrack for adjustment and their outlet for making sense of the lessons they've learned throughout a year of change: 'This year was very eye opening to how some people have made me feel new and uneasy emotions, and others have been so generous with kindness,' says Cogan. 'I find it so interesting how people are so individual and different when we're all built the same. I've grown from these interactions by recognising them more and more everyday Learning how to adapt and understand what people's intentions really are and what my sensitive mind is contorting.'

'This quartet hit a melancholy sweet spot between The Sundays, Sarah Records and Slowdive' Q

Description

Located on Oldham Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Gullivers is an iconic, lively and bustling bar with a long history dating all the way back to 1865.
Gullivers has had many different guises over the years. It was originally a Wilson’s house called The Albert Hotel, then The Grenadier before J.W. Lees brewery bought the pub in the 1970s. They renamed it Gullivers and it has existed in its current form to this day.
But there’s much more to Gullivers than just the busy bar; it also houses two distinct yet complementary live music and performance spaces; the upstairs Ballroom – a 100 capacity gig venue with a raised stage and the downstairs Lounge – an intimate, 40 capacity space ideal for acoustic or low-key performances.
As well as working with established and longstanding promoters from Manchester and beyond, Gullivers prides itself on being a welcoming, supportive space and a creative hub for the city’s grassroots artistic communities; with many now successful bands, artists, performers and promoters cutting their teeth within its walls.
This rare combination of space, location and ethos allows Gullivers to boast a busy calendar of live music, spoken word, comedy, theatre, film screenings, exhibitions and much more on almost every night of the week.

109 Oldham Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

England,

M4 1LW.

0161 839 4064