tummyache is the alias of Texas based Soren Bryce. We caught up with the artist and got to learn more about what goes into her craft.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and where you grew up? 

My name is Soren Bryce and I was born and raised in Amarillo, Texas until my teens. 

What encouraged you to start your own band?

I was going through a minor existential crisis on the backend of my time living in New York, and wanted to place this expressionism through a new channel. Having the scope of other players to write parts for expanded the way I thought about music and how it’s created. 

What doe Tummyache mean, how did you came up with the name? 

I liked the name tummyache as I feel it is quite a silly name for something that can be serious. I have struggled a lot with physical anxiety in the past so I felt that tummyache could sum up a dichotomy I found within myself; that of childlike playfulness that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that inner shadow we all have to come to terms with. 

If you were to describe your sound to someone who’d never heard you before, what would you say?

I’d say maybe listen to it and see what you think! It’s hard to quantify any sort of genre now I think. I am influenced by a lot of different things that aren’t just types of music; lots of reading and observing. 

Can you explain a bit more about the concept and idea behind the cover for your new album of SOAK? 

It wasn’t anything that was planned, it was just an ‘aha' moment when it was taken that it would make a good cover for the album. The photo was snapped in the first week I lived in London, so in a way it’s a bridge between the era of creating soak and the era of beginning to let it live and breathe in the world. 

And sex sells as they say. *intense sarcasm*. :)

What music styles do you listen to? 

I listen to a variety of things. I don’t particularly care too much about the actual musical content, because I care so much about whether or not the person behind the music seems genuine in what they are saying. For this I love bands like of Montreal, Patti Smith, Pavement, Smog, Blur, Bikini Kill, Viv Albertine.. 

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

I wasn’t exposed to much music that wasn’t outside of my own parents collection until I was a teenager. It wasn’t a big collection and consisted of Nickelback and Staind. The first record where I felt that “fuck, this is special, I want to listen to this every day” was Radiohead’s In Rainbows which will probably come as no surprise to anyone. I have branched out since then but it was nice to know there was other music that existed out there that resonated with things I wanted to be doing. 

If you had to pick a personal favourite track from your released album “SOAK” what track would that be?

I think 'Managing Expectations' is my favorite for shock value. I had never tried screaming before and it was a very freeing experience. I had so much leftover anger from my previous relationship ending and I was happy I finally had somewhere to put it. Other than that probably 'Knee Jerk’ because lyrically while it is quite simple I find it therapeutic to play every time. 

What was your favourite & least favourite part of making the album “SOAK”?

I think my favorite and least favorite part of making the album was doing the big chunk of it alone. In a way I learned so much and gained so much confidence as a producer and engineer through the process. Having just started work on the next tummyache album in a proper studio with other people playing the parts I feel happy I don’t have to sit in certain feelings or decisions for too long; there’s more accountability. 

Could you tell us a bit about what the music scene in London is like and how life in London influences your creative process? 

The music scene in London is very open and accepting. There don’t seem to be any major ‘clubs’ or ‘cliques’, everyone is open to everyone and gets to know everyone’s projects. I find living in London quite overwhelming and overstimulating and I prefer to create outside of London or in my own flat without seeing many people. That’s just me though, I really enjoy the live music scene and that is a completely different beast to the act of creating and recording music. 

What advice would you give for anyone trying to achieve a similar sound to your music?

I would say stop what you’re doing and try to create what you think is best without any outside influence. The rock scene is already too homogenized and I really have to challenge myself to think outside of certain parameters. Easier said than done though. 

Can you tell us more about how you produce your music?

I tend to write and record in tandem, though each record I’ve made has been a slightly different process. Usually music comes first.There isn’t much I have planned, I like to experiment in the moment because I feel songs are truly just a capture of where you were at that point in time. It can be easy to agonize over every little bit (which I have done my fair share of) but at the end of the day there is no wrong idea or bad idea, just what shapes the sound for that moment and you’re happy with. I try with production to not let the act of it interfere with the actual creation of something.

Are you writing new music at the moment?

Yes! Currently finishing up the next record and it’s been a very cathartic experience.

Is there any new music from 2022 you have been enjoying?

I have really been enjoying the new stuff from ‘Momma’. 

What was the best gig you guys ever played and why?

Probably our most recent headline which was at the Sebright Arms for our record release show. It was just so fun because everything leading up to the actual show was going so wrong. Our drummer was in traffic four hours late and by the time we got on stage I just thought ‘ fuck it ‘ and had the most fun, energetic show I’ve had so far. The audience was so much part of that too, as I get so much from the energy they’re putting out. 

Where do you see your band one year from now?  

We are all one year older, outside of that there is not much that I can predict as life seems to just keep changing it up on me (usually in a good way). Ideally I’d love to be able to focus more on the band and have it be the main focus but that also sounds quite boring in a way. It’s nice to have a life outside of music, it lends itself so much to my music in the end anyway. 

What do you love right now? 

Hummus on toast with walnuts and sweet chili jam. 

What do you hate right now? 

Basic human rights being denied due to general misogynistic, phallocentric and racist societal structuring.