Channelling the art pop of St Vincent with a grungy twist, congratulations might just be your new favourite band.

As we embark on this engaging Q&A session with congratulations, we delve deep into the intricacies of their music-making process. We seek to uncover the magic behind their songwriting, a collaborative endeavor where each member, particularly Greg and Jamie, serves as a principal architect. It's a process where disparate ideas converge and synergise.

Could you tell us more about the songwriting process within the band? How do the contributions of each member, particularly Greg and Jamie as the principal songwriters, come together to create the final product?

Greg and I will bring something to the table -  for example we’re setting about writing our album, and we’ve whittled all our various ideas and song scraps to six favourites from each to work on. Greg will usually have the entire backing track, guitars, bass and drums written perfectly but often needs restructuring and vocal melodies plus lyrics popped over it. Whereas I’ll normally bring a fully realised fragment of song, e.g. a verse and chorus already with lyrics and a vocal line, but needs extending out into a full song run time, which somehow always feels like more work! James has said I’m notorious for inventing drum parts that are physically impossible for a drummer to play, as I’m not a drummer and write by cutting up loops and sticking them together, which always means James has his work cut out for him learning the drums - but he always modifies them in a really interesting and musical way, and totally makes his own. Leah is totally involved in all aspects of writing the top lines, we usually sit together with about ten cups of tea and hum and screech until we settle on something. There’s a total honesty, we try every idea and if there’s something one of us doesn’t like, we don’t hesitate to tell the other and we just bin it and move on. I think where each of us is so in charge of our individual parts within the songs Greg and I bring, the combination of our four styles makes something with a uniqueness and a certain idiosyncrasy.  

congratulations' music is known for its energetic and dynamic live performances. How do you capture the same energy and translate it into your recordings?

It might sound strange but when we record our parts, we do ‘perform’ them, as in we’re not just sitting in a chair with a straight face, we get in the zone as if we were playing to people. Also we try and record as much as we can together, like we’re playing live! We’ve been playing these songs live for just under two years which has helped us figure out a lot of small details and inflections which definitely give the songs more life!  

congratulations have made their EU debut at in Finland and next in Valencia. How does it feel to expand your fanbase and perform in new territories? Are there any particular expectations or excitement surrounding upcoming shows?

Playing in Finland was the most surreal experience, and most gratifying- we’re playing music that we initially wrote for fun in our houses on our laptops and its given us a platform to play in different countries- it’s not something we take for granted. The reception we got was fantastic, and has only made us hungrier to get back on a plane and go again.

As a Brighton-based band, how does the city's vibrant music scene influence your creativity and overall sound? Are there any local artists or venues that have had a significant impact on your musical journey?

The Brighton scene has simply exploded post pandemic and we’re really proud to be a part of it. There are so many bands full of great people, making really exceptional and different music. There are almost too many to name, but Lambrini Girls, ICEBEING, CLT DRP and ARXX are some notable mentions not just for their amazing output, but their exceptional work ethic. It’s really tough being in a band sometimes, people underestimate how many things you have to be good at which have nothing to do with writing and performing music, and you simply don’t get paid enough for the amount of work you have to put in, but every single one of these bands work tirelessly. Honourable mentions from Hastings which is super close to us are Hot Wax and Snayx who are consistently smashing it. It’s inspiring and motivating to see your friends do well! 

The EP title, Woo Hoo exudes a sense of enthusiasm and celebration. Can you discuss the underlying themes or messages that run through the EP and how they tie into the overall concept?

Hilariously the name came from the EP cover, which is of our close friend Josh, (who’s made a bunch of our music videos) crying his eyes out at his work leaving do - if you look closely the balloon he’s holding says ‘Woo Hoo, congratulations’ on it. We thought the juxtaposition of his crying with the balloon was just hilarious and we asked him if he’d do us the honour of having his face be the face of our EP! He accepted. It’s so nice because the single covers have been other close friends doing the same thing - in a situation where they should be conventionally happy, but somehow they’re not! It’s a lot like life, you can get everything you want, but you still might not be happy. I definitely can feel like that playing in a band, and people looking in from the outside will say “wow you must be living the dream” and the reality sometimes couldn’t be further away - thankless job you don’t get paid enough for! I do love it I promise, and I know many many people will feel similar in different situations. 

How does the EP represent your growth and evolution as a band since your previous releases? Are there any specific lessons or experiences that have influenced your creative approach on this record?

Previously we did everything on the releases- recorded, engineered, mixed, mastered and self released everything. But this time we had some really sound advice from Simon, the head of our label Bella Union, to get another pair on ears on the mixes and we had our close friend Luke from ICEBEING do another mix for us. It was amazing hearing the mixes we had initially thought were finished sound so puny in comparison to what he ended up doing. He gave the tracks space and beefed them up simultaneously. We experimented a lot more with recording techniques, especially recording drums - on ‘Stay Out’ we took the heads off the toms for the middle breakdown, and went full Phil Collins on the Tarzan soundtrack. James said he’s never overthought a drum part more! In terms of lessons we learned, we were lucky to be able to record this EP over a long period of time, and keep going back to it, we could try new things and approach it differently with perspective. 

What role do visuals and aesthetics play in the presentation of congratulations' music? How do you incorporate visual elements into your live performances and music videos?

We’ve always been really conscious of aesthetic, when we were a 3-piece just starting out, we chose to wear the primary colours and have a dedicated colour each. We kept that going when Leah joined and completed the line up, she chose green. People like Jack White have always really understood aesthetics really well, and use of colour, such as the red and white in The White Stripes, gold in The Raconteurs, and blue in his solo stuff, and it’s just such a simple but effective way of presenting yourself. We had some matching custom jumpsuits made in our individual colours to perform in, almost like a uniform, and putting it on always helps get us in the spirit to perform. It’s all a little silly too, which is good, it’s another juxtaposition, like the EP and band name with the music. The music videos fall into this, they’re meant to be fun and something different, but mostly something enjoyable.

What do you love right now?

Fizzy fish, the ultimate corner shop sweet. They’re vegan!

What do you hate right now?

Not getting proper soundchecks. So upsetting, and start the gig on the back foot.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?

We’ve discovered we all love the Keane album ‘Hopes And Fears’, it always goes on in the car on the way to gigs. It’s hard for us to find one album we all agree on, usually there’s one person left out, but not now. I think they’re touring that album next year, band outing planned. Just full of really good melodies, and his voice was great. 

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations and goals for the future of Congratulations? Are there any particular milestones or dreams you hope to achieve?

We’re looking ahead to future festival seasons, Reading and Leeds has always been a boyhood dream, but getting to Europe and exploring some new countries would be amazing. Before that we’re going to dig in and get writing our album, I just know the recording process is going be a ride!