Winter Gardens - Tapestry — AliveandGigging

Winter Gardens are a four piece hailing from the South Coast of England, they are Ananda Howard (vocals/synths/percussion), Jamie Windless (guitar/ bass/synths/piano), Matt Squires (bass) and Alex Robinson (drums).

Taking influence from 80's post-punk, 4AD and Creation era bands, Winter Gardens have quickly and confidently developed their own sound, combining ethereal, hazy dream-pop with the raw energy of punk.

Living fifteen minutes away from luscious open landscapes, gleaming cliffs and peaceful nature reserves, these serene surroundings have played no small part in influencing the band’s ethereal soundscaping.

Winter Gardens’ guitarist Jamie Windless says:

I grew up on a pretty rough council estate in a small market town with little money and limited resources, that certainly shaped my appreciation of music and writing, giving me time to sit and teach myself to play. It's important to realise how privileged we are in the West though, too. I’m sincerely lucky and grateful to live in a safe, beautiful part of the country, I have the South Downs on my doorstep.

Indeed, band members Windless and Matt Squires have been best friends since they were four years old, and grew up together in the area and Windass says:

We both always had a mutual love for music but had played in different bands in contrasting genres, this project was the perfect opportunity to work together. Matt had been in a band with Alex (Robinson, drums) many moons ago and we had played shows together, and I was playing bass in a function band with Ananda (Howard, vocals) at the time and sent her some demos I had been working on. I like to think the four of us are down to earth and bring no egos to the table, it's a pleasant family of four who play with passion and enthusiasm!

Vocalist Ananda Howard adds:

When writing these songs I took a lot of influence from what I see in the world, I like to think I’m pretty clued up on what’s going on around me and I’m very passionate about politics and social justice. I try not to be too blatant when writing so listeners can still have their own interpretation on what the song may be about, and if people connect to it in different ways that’s great. The lyrics are romantic but very real at the same time.

The band started their own label, Austerity Records, in order to release the EP, a socially conscious independent record label owned by Windless and friend Garry Saunders, the label also raises and donates money to various charities at their live events.

Produced by Luke Marsden and Windless, their debut EP Tapestry was mixed by Luke Marsden and engineered by Alex Gordon and Luke Marsden and was released on Friday 25 September.

The band released the EP’s lead single and title track earlier this summer to a rush of early support from BBC Introducing, UPSET Magazine, For The Rabbits, Breaking More Waves, Get In Her Ears, Backseat Mafia and When The Horn Blows.

The EP opens with Tapestry and it’s dreamy vocals and floating instrumentation, that are gradually joined by pianos and synths as the track builds up before it tails off back to its floaty dreamy melody. It is really a patchwork of sounds, a Tapestry indeed.

This is followed by Zigzanny which is a real piece of fun, it’s melancholic punk pop, it’s got an energetic engaging melody and a hauntingly ethereal vocal which makes it a joy on the ears.

Next up is Laminar Flow Pt.1 and this showcases the confidence and experimental side of Winter Gardens, who show real bravery in including an instrumental track on their debut EP. The track plays through various depths of sounds which could be used in all sorts of genre of movies.

And the final track Wonders Bleak is the perfect end to the EP, once again showing an experimental side to the band, it’s a sweeping track that flows through a variety of soundscapes, starting with heavy bass, energetic drumming and guitar riffs before it evolves into a majestic blend of beating synths and pianos.

Tapestry is an exciting blend of adventurous tracks from a band who are not afraid to take risks and the four songs highlight this to perfection, which when blended together really do create a wonderful introduction to the soundscapes that Winter Gardens can deliver. This is a band that deserve a lot of attention and have a great future ahead of them.

Tracklist