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Let Rosa Walton make something immediately clear about her and her bandmate, Jenny Hollingworth: Were not dating.
I love how you feel the need to specify that, Jenny interjects.
(Usually, theyre mistaken for twins.)
That kinship founded the tight collaboration across their first two albums as a two-person band named aftera grammar gag.
Things that kids do.
JH:It wasnt really intended to become what its become.
We were really quite atrocious at first.
Weve always had ideas, but have sometimes lacked in execution.
Weve become slicker as a band.
We were just writing for ourselves.
Even in one line of lyric, it could be really collaborative.
Bits would be done individually, but it would be things to bring to the table.
RW:And wed jam.
There can be some quite good accidental, interesting combinations of notes.
You cant do that by yourself.
Then at one point the two of you drifted apart JH:[Coughs.
]Sorry, Im not [Both laugh.]
No, Im just choking on my feelings.
JH:Its not like we stopped talking.
Emotionally we were going through different things and struggling to process.
We just couldnt really get into the other persons head as we used to do.
RW:The whole point of the songAvawas that you cant always help people or fix something.
That could apply to our relationship sometimes youve just got to accept that different things happen to people.
You have to live with that.
RW:At the beginning, I didnt think that I could write a song by myself.
Then I thought that it wasnt a bad thing to be trying this new way of writing.
RW:But what we have brought to each others songs is great.
JH:Same with Watching You Go.
Rosa did a lot of guitar on that song at the end.
We know what the other persons good at.
Do you ever feel nervous to tell the other person if you think somethings not working?
JH:Sometimes difficult.
Some of the songs felt quite hard-hitting to hear the first time.
We definitely had to talk through a lot of them.
JH:We dont write songs about people we dont care about.
JH:We both just had a lot that was unexpressed towards each other.
Songwriting was and is both our ways of doing that.
RW:Its really useful for making some sense and meaning out of your life.
Being able to say things in a way that sometimes words and conversations cant.
JH:Happy New Yearfeels significant in terms of our relationship.
RW:Theyre songs that are at least partly about each of us.
Two Ribbons is probablythe saddest songon the record; Happy New Year is emotional but in a different way.
Its more like, We got through this.
Itsthe nostalgiain that song that makes it sad.
On Two Ribbons, I say, These places, they stay, but were changing.
And then you talk about all the places on Happy New Year.
And just finding it very sad that things do change.
JH:Oh, thats very sweet.
For me, its your passion.
It makes you really, really dedicated to learning the ins and outs of things.
And youve also got a fearlessness.
When we were starting the band, Id always be really nervous, and still am with certain things.
Rosa throws herself in headfirst.
RW:Thats so nice.
And then the flip side of this is RW:[Laughs.]
Are you going to ask what we hate most about each other?
Whats something that gets on your nerves about the other person?JH:You know whats weird?
My immediate reaction to that was thinking of things that would probably get on Rosas nerves about me.
RW:When Jenny drinks the last of my oat milk.
JH:I dont really know, to be honest.
Im going to say one about me.
I think I can be very indecisive, and sometimes not communicate things as clearly as I should probably.
RW:I think I can be pretty indecisive, too!
I probably cant communicate anything either.
JH:Its interesting, when we were talking about stuff we like about each other …
I think I particularly value your creative fearlessness because sometimes I feel like its something I often lack.
RW:I feel the same for the things that I said about you.
I think Ive noticed them more because theyre things that I would aspire to for myself.
Thats the good thing about friends.
They can push you in different directions.
JH:Which is why we work together.
I value how you push me.
Not push as in, Youve got to do this, but inspire.
If wed never been in a band together, I dont think I would finish things.
RW:Sometimes Ill even do a mannerism or say something and Ill think that I sound like Jenny.
But there was obviously this feeling of being connected.
Sometimes we go to the pub and end up just sitting there, drinking a pint.
JH:It makes me think about how grief works as well.
Death has a lot to teach us about living.
This is interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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