Getting To Know... Jon & Abbie

After introducing themselves late last year with their much-loved dual debut singles '44 Days' and 'Road Bike', Oxford-based duo Jon & Abbie now return with their latest uplifting release 'Still Life'.

Lifted from their forthcoming debut EP, which is expected soon, 'Still Life' sees the pair deliver a wonderfully shimmering return. With nods to the likes of Alt-J and Everything Everything, this new offering is jam-packed with sweeping production and an enigmatic direction that highlights their own distinctive qualities.

So with the new single available now, we sat down with them to find out more about their background and what has inspired them most over the years.

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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?

Abbie: Drake’s cherry red Strat from Drake and Josh.

Jon: The piano. I started with the Postman Pat theme tune and it was all downhill from there. Nowadays, I love a good synth. The synthesizer is like the piano of the future. I can’t wait to find out what the synthesiser of the future is.

Abbie: Something Daft Punk has kept hidden in a chest somewhere.

What kind of music did you love as a teenager?

Jon: I actually listened to a lot of classical guitar and orchestral music, actually. You know, like those albums with really shitty stock footage of the foggy countryside as the album artwork. I especially listened to a lot of Vaughn Williams (the composer) and John Williams (the guitarist).

Abbie: I was a bit of an emo kid, but I also loved Kate Bush, Dolly Parton... Black Sabbath. I had a bit of a Bob Dylan phase where I wore my dad’s jacket and tried to dress like him at sixth form… Still have a harmonica that I don’t know how to play.

What was the first album you remember owning?

Abbie: Avril Lavigne. I remember going on holiday and buying it at a services and it was the only thing I listened to because it was all we had. We were on a boat on the Norfolk broads, so I was stuck with Avril.

Jon: I had a copy of Metallica by Metallica. I don’t even remember listening to it. It was mainly so that when people asked me what I listened to, I could say ‘Metallica’.

Abbie: I remember the first song I learnt on bass was Enter Sandman.

Jon: ...

What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?


Jon: Happy Birthday, for the royalties.

Abbie: Anything by Leonard Cohen. Maybe Chelsea Hotel #2.

Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?

Jon: I tend to starve myself of music - not really intentionally, but it just happens - and that tends to help it come from somewhere original. I also often work in the dead of night. I really like capturing those weird ‘outside-the-box’ thoughts that you can get when you’re lying in bed and you can’t sleep.

Abbie: Lyrics first, or guitar first, maybe a traumatic event, or a mundane thought that turns into something. I sometimes like to use a line from a poem as a prompt to spark something if I am stuck. I turned to a lot of T.S. Eliot when writing some of these songs. I sometimes go back and delete the line later, but it acts like a prompt. Also, I feel like you can always find a great idea from a good jamming session. Or writing on the tube, I love that.

Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?

Jon: The Weather Station!

Abbie: King Hannah have blown my mind with their debut EP. I really love them. And yeah, The Weather Station, I wish I wrote ‘Robber’ actually.

If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?

Jon: Father John Misty. Then I’d slip in a l’il trumpet solo into with the mariachi band in ‘Chateau Lobby #4’ during FJM’s set.

Abbie: Warpaint or Courtney Barnett.

What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?

Jon: I like having somewhere to channel my thoughts that isn’t talking to people about things. I mean, I’m pretty much an open book, but a lot of the time I love lyrics and music as a way to express things that I probably wouldn’t usually be able to put into words.

Abbie: The free pints (if the venue is nice). I also find it cathartic, obviously gigging and playing live is a great high and release, but I've found with ‘Jon & Abbie’, the process of writing has been so rewarding. It’s scary, revealing parts of yourself like this, but also really freeing and exhilarating. Like flashing a lorry driver on a motorway or something.

And what is the most frustrating part?

Abbie: Waiting for Jon to do his little tweaks. Also, not being able to sing, but also not really, because it means I collaborate with people more often and that is actually quite exciting.

Jon: Sometimes it’s really hard to find the motivation. I have dozens and dozens of songs that are pretty much there, but during the working week, it’s pretty difficult to drag yourself out and into a more creative mindset. I dream of spending a week in an isolated studio somewhere out in the countryside, with nothing else to think about except for the grand piano that I’m draped across.

Abbie: I also think sometimes, it’s feeling overwhelmed, there’s so much out there and It can be hard to make your mark, however big or small. I think there is more pressure on musicians to be different or unique now to keep up. Also, not being able to play live right now.

And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?

Abbie: No one has really given me any advice, I taught myself guitar. I guess if I had to give myself some advice it would be to learn your scales. Or buy a new guitar (which I just did...)

Jon: My piano teacher, Nova, always used to try and get me to play through mistakes. Everyone will forget about them if the next thing you do is amazing. This isn’t just a good bit of musical advice, but it’s a great bit of life advice too.

Abbie: Be nice to other bands! Don't sneak out for a cig, watch their sets and support local music - especially right now.

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Jon & Abbie's new single 'Still Life' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.