Q&A: Pedalo
In this weeks Artist of the Week Q&A, pedalo dive into the inspirations and emotions behind their EP Migration, exploring themes of transition, vulnerability, and self-discovery. From the shoegaze-infused "Mystery" to the raw honesty of "Lighter," they share how personal experiences and bold experimentation shaped their sound. Plus, the band reflects on their live performances, unexpected influences, and what's next on their creative journey.
Check out our Q&A below:
1. The title Migration feels so vivid and layered—was it chosen to reflect a specific point in your lives, or does it speak to a bigger, ongoing story for the band?
Steel: After finishing the writing for the EP, we were kind of reflecting on the themes we had explored in search of a title that summed up the ideas we had written about. We found that most of the songs on Migration were concerned with common issues arising from the transition into adulthood that comes from leaving home and deciding what sort of person you want to be. So the title is kind of reflecting the idea of a major life change, whilst also tying into our recurring symbol of the swan.
2. Mystery was the first track you shared from Migration. Looking back, why did you feel it was the right introduction to the EP? Did it shape how you approached the rest of the project?
Geddes: We feel like 'Mystery' marked a new direction for us in terms of genre and process for writing our songs, which is fitting, as the song's lyrics outline a growing realisation that situations constantly change from what they used to be. This was us dipping our toes into our love for shoegaze and atmospheric music, and the results gave us reassurance that this was where we wanted to take the EP. From there, we wanted to use elements we loved from Mystery and drop them in throughout Migration, like the arpeggiated synthesizer, warm layering of vocal harmonies and overlapping of different intricate rhythmic parts in the guitars and drums.
3. Lighter is such a vulnerable track, touching on body image and perfectionism. Was it cathartic to write, or did confronting something so personal in your music feel more challenging than freeing?
Charlotte: A bit of both really! I never really know what I’m going to write about before I start putting words on a page, so once the first draft of lyrics were down, the emotions became very real and I was like “oh yeah, this is what i’ve been feeling”. I was hyper aware that this was going to be a song that literally anyone can hear, forever, which was honestly a bit scary when it’s such a personal topic. But then the reaction to it has been really touching - I’ve had a fair few people say to me how much they relate to Lighter. Now I’d say it’s the song that I’m the most proud of.
4. Interlude takes a bold turn with its art rock sound and classical influences. Did exploring this direction change how you see yourselves as a band, or was it just a natural part of your evolution?
Beth: Surprisingly, the creation of Interlude felt very natural and cathartic, re-connecting us with our earlier influences and individual backgrounds. It was exciting allowing ourselves to be more eccentric and explore extended instrumentation. It felt like a natural stepping stone within our recent writings, deserving its place within the EP.
5. When you stepped onto the stage at Stereo to play these tracks live, did it change the way you connected with the songs—or how you think about Migration as a whole?
Steel: With the Stereo show, we decided to end the gig by performing the EP tracks in order and without any breaks to kind of give the audience the full EP experience in a live setting. We had performed all of the songs live before, but most of them had undergone quite a bit of development since their last live outing, so it was cool to see how our crowd reacted to the new arrangements!
6. Your sound has drawn comparisons to Beach House and Slowdive, but influences often come from unexpected places. Is there an artist or band that’s shaped your music in a way fans might not expect?
Nick: We actually all have very different influences and musical backgrounds! This means it took a while for us to find a common ground and really figure out what we wanted pedalo to sound like. Charlotte comes from a classical vocal background, Geddes has produced a hyperpop EP, Beth specialises in world percussion, Steel tries his hardest to be jazz guitarist and I like far too much punk for the type of band we are! This means that we often have differing reference points, especially as writing is such a collaborative process for us.
7. With Migration now out in the world and the Stereo show behind you, how are you feeling? Is this a moment to pause and take it all in, or are you already thinking about what’s next?
Steel: We think it’s been a mix of both! There’s definitely a strong sense of accomplishment with having released our first larger body of work, and it’s been nice to reflect on the year up to this point and appreciate how far we’ve come. At the same time however, the incredible response that the EP has had has definitely served as a strong source of motivation to keep up the momentum going into 2025. We’ve already got a couple of super exciting gigs on the cards, as well as some big plans for recording and releasing more music, so watch this space!
pedalo.’s next gig will be supporting Waverley at Sneaky Pete’s, in collaboration with BBC Introducing on the 4th of February.