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CHVRCHES’ Lauren Mayberry Was Interviewed by Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker

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XXXX performs on stage at Splendour In the Grass 2014 on July 27, 2014 in Byron Bay, Australia.

Following the release of their sophomore album, Every Open Eye, Glasgow’s premiere synth-pop purveyors CHVRCHES were given Interview Magazine’s inquisition by Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker. The singer/guitarist asked Lauren Mayberry about a variety of things, including what her relationship with creativity, songwriting process, and opinions about misogyny. Head on over to Interview to read the whole thing, find the choicest tidbits below, and read SPIN‘s own interview with CHVRCHES.

  • On what she’s currently reading: “At the moment, I’m reading a lot of non-fiction. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve been traveling a lot — it’s easier to pick up and put down non-fiction stuff. I’ve been re-reading the Jessica Valenti book, Full Frontal Feminism. I’ve been reading Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates; I saw him on The Daily Show talking about it and immediately after that I had to order that book. Then The Daily Show ended, and I was very sad. I felt like I was weeping for a week.”
  • On the U.K. versus the U.S.: “Culturally, the States and U.K. are very similar, but there are certain things where it’s such a massive disconnect. My partner is American so we’re doing a cultural exchange — I feel like I’m always learning. Occasionally he adopts some Glasgow slang and it doesn’t sound right, but I like that he does it.”
  • On going into politics: “Oh god. For me, I enjoy working with people. That seems simplistic, but whenever I’m distressed, angry, and want to feel like something can be done about something, it feels better when you surround yourself with people. I think I’d rather work with a grassroots organization than in politics. I’m not sure I’d be the best politician because I don’t think I’m good about tactfully tiptoeing around questions in the right way.”
  • On being asked by a journalist how she would balance touring with having children: “I didn’t want to scream on the phone at him. In my head, I was like, ‘I’ll find a polite way of getting out of it.’ I figured if I was like, ‘Dude that’s incredibly rude, condescending, and offensive,’ then I’m going to get tired of [being] that person who does that all the time. It’s inevitable that people are going to find out about my natural, god-given feminist rage. People are like, ‘Why are you angry all the time?’ It’s like, I’m not angry. I’d like to think I’m a reasonably nice person, but unfortunately when those conversations come up, it does make me angry.”
  • On her relationship with the internet: “A part of me thinks that Twitter and message boards are worse because of the anonymity factor. I have a personal Twitter for band purposes, but I don’t use social media a lot. I fall in a weird age gap. I was on band message boards when I was 16, but I was on the early curve of Facebook. I did it for work when I worked in media, and I did it for the band, but I can’t relate to the idea that you live your life online. Part of me feels like I don’t really get drawn into a negative way of thinking about it. For us, the Internet has been really amazing, and I think it’s a place of great passion, creativity, and knowledge.”