With their magical mix of nostalgia and humanity mixed with the fantastical and the surreal, We Were Evergreen have already created an intoxicating vision.
The French trio, consisting of Michael Liot, Fabienne Debarre and William Serfass, deliver joyful, eclectic arrangements that marry the organic, electric and electronic with ukuleles, xylophones and disco beats; a fusion of English folk and pop and disco and the storytelling traditions of their native France, with a kleptomaniacal approach to world music too.
The band have recently released ‘Leeway’, on February 25th, and caught up with Fortitude Magazine to discuss a bit more about what lies next in store for We Were Evergreen.
How are all today?
[Fabienne] We’re very good thanks!
Do you mind explaining how We Were Evergreen came to form?
[Michael] We started in 2008 and, originally, it was Fabienne and Me. We started something really simple, kind of natural way, funky stuff. Then, William came to join the band.
We transformed it into something a little more upbeat, with more rhythm, and now all three of us have made it into a blend of indie, electronica and folk.
So, what inspired the band name?
[Michael] Well, I think we all like the idea that We Were Evergreen is a paradox. Evergreen meaning something that it lives forever and always young, then using the element of “We were” adds an element of the past clashing with the present.
We like the idea of that. It’s also in our music.
I read somewhere that you have all moved to London now, how do you feel that transition has supported your development?
[Fabienne] It has made us evolve quite a lot. It made us look differently at what we were doing before and gave us a lot of inspiration to develop our sound. This is through people that we’ve met, whether that be bands that we’ve played with or producers.
It has opened us up to a new music scene, so it was really good for us to do that and for our sound. I don’t know. It has helped us do something different and although we liked what we were doing before, you know as a band that you have to continuously evolve.
Your tracks all feature English lyrics rather than your native French. Why did you opt to write in that particular method?
[Fabienne] This is one for Michael.
[Michael] Well, we took a lot of inspiration from UK, and American, acts. So, it came more naturally. It’s also good to play around with a language that isn’t our own. It’s more interesting as you can have another approach, as you’re a “foreigner”, in comparison to writing in your own language, as you have your own culture. It’s nice indulging into other cultures.
Talking about your music, how does that writing process work for yourselves? Does one of you write or is it a group collaboration?
[Fabienne] For the lyrics, it’s solely Michael. He, also, comes up with the skeleton of the music, then we have a jam and collectively all come together to implement our own touches.
It’s not like we find something and then don’t change it. There are songs that we still play now, when we first started, that we’ve changed a lot over months and years. So, I’d say it is more of a collaborative process.
Last year saw your UK invasion, with performances at LoveBox, Great Escape and Secret Garden Party and many more; are you surprised at how well you’ve been received by the UK audiences?
[William] That was a great surprise! As there are so many bands, from the UK, already performing there and no-one came for us.
So when we arrived and finished, it was a nice surprise to see everyone clapping for our set. It was crazy at how supported we were. I think that gave us the warmth of staying here and doing what we do for real for as long as possible.
You’ve, recently, released your EP ‘Leeway’; how was the response been for that?
[Michael] It has been great. We did a video for it to before and that received a lot of good feedback. We’re just right in the middle of the recording of our album, so it was released at the right time, whilst we prepare for the album release at the end of the year.
You mentioned the album there, has the recording of that already taken place or do you have recording dates pencilled in?
[Fabienne] No, we actually started the recording process of that in February …
[William] Yep, February.
[Fabienne] We did that for two weeks. Then we’re going to continue where we left off in April and finish it in May. So, right now, we’re right in the middle of it.
In April, you embark on a 11-date UK tour; what are people missing out on by not witnessing a We Were Evergreen show?
[William] Apart from the alcohol? [Laughs]
[Michael] The new songs on the album, we’re definitely going to be playing a lot of the new songs.
[Fabienne] Ermm …
[Michael] … maybe, we’ll take them on a cool musical journey? Anyway, if they can’t make these dates, for whatever reason, they’ll have the chance to see us at Great Escape Festival and Hop Farm in July.
So, it looks like another busy year for you with festival dates this summer?
[Michael] Oh yes!
[Fabienne] We just love festivals. They’re just always brilliant moments.
Other than yourselves, who would you advise that us and our readers should be checking out?
[Michael] Similar sounding to us?
It doesn’t have to be, who’re you playing on your stereo at the moment?
[Michael] Well, there’s this François & the Atlas Mountains, they’re a band who’re between France and England as well.
[William] If you don’t know them, you should check them out!
[Fabienne] They are brilliant.
Thanks for doing the interview and it was a pleasure speaking to you all!
[All] You too Lewis.
Why not check out their awkwardly-clever video for ‘Leeway’ underneath?