Ex- Brighton Girl Editor Anna and partner Dennis combine their writing and musical talents to create Germany Bases, Sloe Noon. Their latest EP, ‘Embassy Court’ is an ethereal mix of tracks. Anna has an amazing voice with a slightly jazzy feel over the dreamy, hallucinogenic styled music which are brought together brilliantly. 

This is even more of an accomplishment when you bear in mind the songs were written by Anna in Brighton, prior to the band being formed.  The 7 songs arranged chronologically trace Anna’s experiences from writer’s block to a full EP, during the overwhelming time of moving to Brighton for University – all written in the titular Embassy Court. 

It’s a relatable story for many listeners of moving to a new place completely out of your comfort zone and, as per the lyric in ‘https://home’ “feeling weird in your own skin” as you try to adapt to a new place. 

The standout track for me is ‘Oscar Was Right.’ It’s a punchy track, leaning more to alternative rock than dream pop.

I caught up with Anna to discuss the journey to creating this EP, her Brighton-Girl experience and what things will be like when Sloe Noon can play live. 

How did Sloe Noon come together?

Anna: It actually started as a solo project, just me with my guitar January last year so before the whole debacle of covid happened. 

I actually always wanted a band, but I was kind of a bit too shy or I hadn’t found the people I wanted to do it with. 

I then decided with my partner Dennis that were going to do it together. I think I was kind of hesitant at first, when you’re in a relationship and then say we’re going to do this together, it’s a bit scary. I’m really glad that we did that because I couldn’t do this sound by myself. 

So far it’s just me writing the songs with the guitar. Dennis plays drums, keys, bass and guitar.  We kind of go and work out the rest of the song. 

In the future, we might write songs completely together.  He can come up with chords and I’ll sing something over it – I don’t know.

“I always described it as alternative, dream pop with a pinch of noise” – Anna, Sloe Noon

How would you describe your sound?

Anna: I always described it as alternative, dream pop with a pinch of noise but I think we’re very much still in the phase of finding our sound.

We kind of just try everything out, do the ‘Wolf Alice’ thing of do everything we want and throw it in together and hope that people like it. 

What inspires your writing?

Anna: I’ve never really been someone who sits down to write a song. I always have a notebook with me, so even the songs on this EP I’ve used the lines that I wrote when I was like 14 or 15. I always write stuff down when I can. 

If I have a chord progression and I want to write a song with it, I just go to that notebook and kind of puzzle everything together. I think I’m just inspired by little intricacies of everyday life and emotions. It’s usually when I’m on the bus.

As an Ex-Editor for City Girl, even though it’s a totally different style of writing, have any of your skills been transferred?

Anna: What I’ve found that the whole Brighton Girl, editing experience really helped me with is the whole promotions side of this. It was so helpful to have been on the receiving end of all these press releases. 

It was already overwhelming to write your own press release but having received a tonne of them already, it really helped me to have an idea of what they need to look like and what they have to contain.

“They were the songs that got me out of that weird phase” – Anna, Sloe Noon

Your new EP ‘Embassy Court’, How would you describe the tracks and overall feel?

Anna: The overall theme is just kind of the confusions and growing pains of being a young adult and the genres are so kind of different. Each song is kind of dipping into something else. I think it’s quite dreamy. 

The making of this EP was actually all over the place. All the songs on the EP were actually written by me before I made the Sloe Noon project. They’re in the order they were written in as well.

I’ve been writing songs since I was about 13. In the meantime, I went through a really long phase of being kind of blocked. Wanting to make music, but not really being able to. You put these limitations on yourself and you compare yourself.

We made a demo of ‘Plane Station’ about 2 years ago and I think that was the moment I came out of that creative block. We actually started making another EP and I just thought, I have these songs that I wrote in Brighton, in this building, and they just mean a lot to me. 

They were the songs that got me out of that weird phase. That’s when the EP came together. I want to release them as this memory.

As you said the tracks were written in Brighton, in Embassy Court, how much has Brighton influenced your music?

“It’s very connected to Brighton and that time of my life.” – Anna, Sloe Noon

Anna: It’s very much about the experience and the phase of life that I went through when I was living at that place.

I moved abroad when I was 19 to Brighton cause I’m from Germany. I was very overwhelmed with all these new ways of living. I had a phase of being very overwhelmed and anxious, it’s just about that really.

The name, it’s very personal cause that place means a lot to me. It’s very connected to Brighton and that time of my life. I just kind of wanted to let it go by releasing this EP.

As you started the project just before lockdown, have you had a chance to perform live yet and what are you looking forward to when you can?

Anna: We really haven’t played live much yet. I think we’ve had like two gigs the past year, during those few months where it was semi allowed. Because of restrictions, so it was very intimate which is nice too.

It’s just the two of us still so what I’m looking forward to is getting a band and playing our first proper show and playing the songs the way they are on the EP. We haven’t ever done that before. 

That was what I wanted to do from the start; I wanted a band and to make music. That will be the best day when we get to rehearsal space with other people

“I’m just excited about playing it live soon.” – Anna, Sloe Noon

What are you excited for the future of Sloe Noon?

Anna: Everything’s a bit uncertain. We already have another EP on the go, so were going to be working on that soon.

We’re going to have a vinyl edition of the Embassy Court EP, which we’re working on. It’ll be a while until that’s done. I think there will be a cassette release as well and I’m just excited about playing it live soon.

I loved finding the story behind the EP when talking to Anna and relistening to feel the journey through these tracks. If you’re a Wolf Alice fan, you need to give Sloe Noon a listen. 

’Embassy Court’ is available on Spotify and Apple Music, with their latest music video available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InMpE8uhFvE 

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Written by Lauren Waugh

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