Words: Renita Patterson, Aram Sawyer Moses, Lara Tedesco, and Robbie Zlatkov*

Featured image: Aram Sawyer Moses

LDN magazine cover stars Goat Girl had one mighty 2024, releasing new record Below The Waste and bowing out with a headline performance at EartH, Hackney. Ten years on from their debut, songwriters Lottie Pendlebury (she/her) and Ruby Kyriakides (they/him) reflect on expanding their live sound, their ever-growing artistic world, and why they’re relishing every moment.

How are you guys feeling since the release of the new album? 

Lottie: Tired! We’ve been playing a lot of shows promoting the album. For me, the most fun part of playing live with a new album is figuring out how you’re going to play it live. When we recorded the album (2024’s Below The Waste), we didn’t think about that, so it was quite difficult to then have to learn. There were hundreds of stems that we had put into these projects. The record started with three core instrumentalists; drums, guitar, and bass, and then we built from there and didn’t stop for ages! We went to Ruby’s barn at their parents’ house and recorded vocals. But now we’re at the stage where we’re like, ‘Okay, we’ve got to play this, and we’ve only got so many hands!’

What is your live setup looking like now? 

Lottie: Well, we’ve invested in this instrument called a mellotron…do you want to describe what a mellotron is? 

Ruby: Mellotron is this keyboard instrument that plays samples of loads of different orchestral instruments, originally made in the mid-60s and played on reel-to-reel tapes. They’ve since made a digital version but with original samples like bassoon, violin, accordion, and cello. It’s quite a unique sound and we’ve been using that loads in our live setup but recently for our headline London show we had live instruments as well. Luckily, my dad plays the violin. So, we roped him in, and then we had someone on bass clarinet, and banjo, and harp.  

What made you decide to develop that sound? 

Ruby: It’s hard to recreate the timbre of acoustic instruments. We use synthesizers to try and build the textures of the music, but you can’t really beat an acoustic instrument in a space.  

Lottie: We’ve always liked to put a lot of effort into live shows. For a while, we had a very simple setup and we’ve gone through the stages experiencing almost opposite ends of the spectrum. This recent show (EartH, Hackney, 28.11.24) almost felt like a theater production. It’s nice to feel like you’re a performer, welcoming the audience into your world. 

Ruby: You can really dig into the music. You can accentuate certain parts, like the bass clarinet was doubled what the bass guitar was doing but then that meant that your ear was going more to the bassline.  

More onto world-building, what’s the significance of your artwork? 

Lottie: We work closely with our artists. One of them is my boyfriend, he and I come up with the concepts a lot of time. I’ll always be around him drawing. It’s almost this subconscious feedback loop of his drawings that inspires visuals in my head, and then my lyrics inspire things that he’s drawing. It’s a constantly growing artistic world that we have together that then when it comes to the album, we’re ready to express.  

From your self-titled debut in 2018 to last year’s return, Goat Girl’s sound has instrumentally progressed, how’d it get there? 

Ruby: Well, I only joined in 2021, so I wasn’t around for the first album. I studied classical music so it’s funny coming into a situation with a band where you’re playing together, and you have your parts and you’re not just a solo instrumentalist. But there’s been a clear and distinct storyline behind the development of the musical style.  

Lottie: It’s also a reflection of personal development [because] your art resembles moments in your life. The beginning of the band was a time when we were trying things out. We were really good friends trying to spend time together, not going out and drinking, just doing something that we love. I grew up in a classical world as well. My dad’s a classical musician, and I would go to these concerts where you had to clap at certain times. I was really confused. So, then going into this live music world, I can express myself. I can be gross and let loose. That’s why [Goat Girl] has got that really, raw energy that’s quite free. It’s not trying too hard to be something.  

Can you tell us a little bit about forming the band?  

Lottie: We met through a real connection, loving the same music, and became good friends very quickly, and started playing open mics including one in Hammersmith which was a fundraising event for the promoter’s dog. It was a strange vibe, raising money for surgery on its paw. 

That was our first experience of playing live and then when we pushed to form a name for ourselves, we said “Let’s be called Goat Girl, and let’s now record some of these tracks!” Naima’s [Bock, original member, now a solo artist] dad had a little setup in his house, so we recorded there and put it on SoundCloud. It happened quite organically in an innocent sort of way. 

Is it sometimes challenging to work with friends? 

Ruby: Goat Girl has been together for 10 years and that’s testament to the fact that we can work together and get over those differences. When you’re working with people creatively, you have different creative voices and different opinions about where the music should go but you find a way to collaborate.  

Lottie: If you start projects primarily as friends, things are going to be quite successful because, from the beginning, we made this subconscious agreement to be in each other’s lives hopefully forever. It’s primarily a friendship, secondly, it’s an expression of yourself.  

Reflecting back on your ten years as a band, what would you say to 2015 Goat Girl? 

Lottie: Enjoy every moment. In the beginning, things happened quite fast. We got into a bit of a cycle of taking things for granted. Also, take space if you need to. It’s a high-pressure industry and environment, and you’re only human.  

Below The Waste is out now via Rough Trade Records, or find Goat Girl’s upcoming live shows here.

*This interview was part of the Creative Web Design module 2024 at BIMM University London.