Synth pop five-piece Express Office Portico are the latest craze to come out of Nottingham as they attempt to blur the lines between mental and physical health.
Debuting their new single ‘I Like It Weird’, members Tara Freeman (Lead Vocal and Keys), Billy Townsend (Lead Vocal and Keys), Reuben Tobolewski (Guitar), Ben Phipps (Bass), Olly Walton (Drums), get funky with a infectious shoegaze sheen.
Taking the Express Office Portico name from the entrance of an old newspaper distribution office, the band have been building up a huge catalogue of songs in the bank as lockdown restricted the ability to play in front of an audience.
But they haven’t let a pandemic, or a COVID outbreak within the band stop them from releasing their first single ‘I Like It Weird’. Written about Billy’s struggle with the mental health condition OCD combined with emotions of love and jealousy about previous lovers.
The band commented: “Once Billy was able to realise that OCD massively exaggerates events, which in most cases may not have even happened, he was able to detach the OCD and the intrusive thoughts that came with that from his emotions, resulting in the inspiration for the song.”
The male and female vocal combo from Billy and Tara is harmonious as they aim to draw focus to mental wellbeing in a way that others can relate to. The band’s opening guitar riffs are stunning and they get progressively cooler with the assistance of some dreamy synths.
Express Office Portico sound like veteran musicians with real pedigree. ‘I Like It Weird’ delivers the perfect start to what can be an exciting career ahead for the quintet.
