If you haven’t heard of Sorry, you’re missing out. This delightful indie group from the UK consists of Asha Lorenz, Louis O’Bryen, Lincoln Barrett, Campbell Baum and Marco Pini. Their second studio album, Anywhere But Here, was released in late 2022, and let me tell you- this is a special one. Forging an artistic path that pays tribute to the classic songsmiths of the 1970s, like Carly Simon and Randy Newman, this unique amalgamation is further heightened by the unconventional rhythms reminiscent of Kanye and Capital Steez.
What truly sets Sorry apart is their distinctive brand of Diazepam dream pop, which, at times, takes on surprising angular and acerbic dimensions. In the world of music, Sorry is a rare and captivating species worth discovering. I had the utmost pleasure of speaking with Louis in anticipation of their debut Australian headline tour and their highly anticipated set at Yours and Owls Festival in Wollongong this month.
Give our readers an introduction to Sorry- how did you guys form?
Me and Asha met at school when we were like 12, and then we started playing music together, like a couple of years later. We were kind of learning guitar at the same time, so we kind of learned guitar together. And then it kind of fizzled out that for a bit, and then we kind of came back to it when he was like 17, 16 I think and decided to start a band. And then Lincoln, who’s our drummer, used to live on Ashes Road. So that’s how we met Lincoln. And then Campbell, who’s our bassist, we met at a, we used to have a different bassist, basis, but then met Campbell at a gig at the Wimbledon in South London. And then Marcos, who joined a bit later, was just an old friend of ours, who also played music at the time. So it’s been a decade, which is crazy.
You guys have a really interesting sound; what are you most influenced by?
Yeah, we listened to an array of things, like quite a lot of old songwritery stuff, like Randy Newman and the new album, stuff like that. But then we also like love like Frank Ocean and kind of new electronic stuff. Alex G is the main one for us. But it’s hard to say. I don’t know how much they influence the music, because, I mean, they obviously do, but it’s not like a conscious effort to write a specific song. I think we just take kind of inspiration from all those different things and kind of meld it together a bit.
Our first album, was like a bit more collage-y. It was kind of like, it was written over the five years that we were… Not on purpose, but it had started being written when we started the band. Probably only one song went on it that we were first playing. It was written over a long time and I think we kind of wanted to make like a kind of collage-y thing. But like picked from different genres and stuff a bit.
So for the second one we kind of wanted to make something that was a bit more succinct, like kind of one thing. We were just really focused on the songwriting of it and wanted to make it just kind of be like one entity kind of. I feel like it’s a bit like somber and a bit more mature.
Absolutely! We were chatting before about you guys coming to Aus, it’s your first time as a band, what are you most looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to coming to Melbourne. I went there once and it’s just a really cool city I found. So that should be fun. We’re staying for like five days in Sydney, and then a headline show. And then also going to a festival, Yours and Owls, in Wollongong. I really want to go to that funfair in Melbourne, the one with the big face, you know the one?
Luna Park! St. Kilda is beautiful, you should definitely check it out if you get a chance.
Yeah I thought Melbourne, it kind of felt like, kind of like Hollywood or something, especially that place- St Kilda.
You mentioned Yours and Owls- I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to really look at the lineup but you’re playing alongside some amazing acts. There’s Descendants, Flight Facilities, Golden Features, Ocean Alley to name a few. Is there anyone you’re hoping to see while you’re there?
Hopefully we’ll be able to see Earl Sweatshirt. That would be cool, we used to listen to him when we were younger. We met him once in New York and he’s a really lovely guy, so maybe we’ll try and see him!
Awesome! It’s a great festival, in a beautiful location, and you guys are actually closing out the second day on the LA LA LA stage, so I’m sure the vibe will be wonderful! How are you feeling about it? Do you think you know what to expect when it comes to your Aussie fans and how the crowd will be?
We’re looking forward to it, for sure. It’s kind of hard to know. It just feels like kind of, although Australia and the UK are quite similar in a lot of ways- I think just because it’s so far away, it’s like we kind of don’t know what to expect with it…I think that Australia’s had loads of good feedback. I think that Triple J play us a lot, which is really nice of them. And do you know Karen Leng? I once had a really long conversation with her about Ween. So hopefully I will see her again and we will continue that conversation.
Amazing! What’s next for you guys after the tour?
So after Australia, we just get home and sleep for like a week And then we’re doing this show with strings in London Like kind of a string orchestra not orchestra, but so we’re gonna work on that a bit and then start recording our third album. We’ve sort of written it but have a lot more work to do, so that will be fun.
You can catch Sorry on their debut Australian headline tour, and at Wollongong-based festival Yours and Owls, THIS month! Grab your tickets and keep up to date with the band HERE.
Check out the rest of the Yours and Owls lineup and grab your tickets HERE.
