BLOUSE formed when Charlie Hilton met Patrick Adams at art school. They were soon spending nights at a local warehouse recording with Jacob Portrait. After posting two demo tracks to Bandcamp, the group were picked up by Captured Tracks and released their debut single back in March. Six months later and they have just released a rather good debut (read our review here).

Bowlegs caught up with singer Charlie Hilton for the lowdown on all things BLOUSE:

Bowlegs: Things are moving fast – from the debut single in March to the debut album in November – has it been a hectic 2011?
Charlie: Definitely. But life seems hectic no matter what you’re doing. We’re happy it’s hectic with music. We were barely a band a year ago. It feels like the gods have been kind to us.

Bowlegs: How did Captured Tracks pick up on the band?
Charlie: One of their friends had seen us on a blog and forwarded our Bandcamp page. Having been fans of the label, we were pretty excited to hear from them.

Bowlegs: The press release says that: “Blouse is based out of a warehouse in Portland.” Is that the studio, your home, your getaway?
Charlie: We just practice and record there. Pat thought of moving in, but there’s no shower.

Bowlegs: Do you write as a three-piece or as individuals?
Charlie: I write most of the songs with simple guitar, and then we build them up together as a band. The sound of Blouse is definitely a collaboration. We’ve written a few together too.

Bowlegs: What music influences Blouse?
Charlie: All kinds. We listen to a lot of music from different decades. We never really set out to make 80s inspired music, it kind of happened by accident. When we made the record, we were listening to bands like Suicide, Galaxy 500, Love and Rockets, Nico, OMD, My Bloody Valentine, the Modern Lovers – but I’m not sure how heavily they influenced the music.

Bowlegs: Name an album that you all agree is a great record?
Charlie: The Dream Syndicate’s The Days of Wine and Roses.

Bowlegs: What’s been your favourite record of 2011 so far?
Charlie: We don’t really have a favourite, but we like Gayngs’ Relayted, the new Soft Moon album, and the new Twin Shadow record.

Bowlegs: How does the music translate to the live stage?
Charlie: We play as a four-piece: drums, bass, guitar, synth. Right now, we’re working on elaborating what’s on the record to make the live experience surprising.

Bowlegs: Who came up with the band name?
Charlie: Jake. He saw it on a dry cleaner’s window while we were recording.

Bowlegs: Is there a discernable difference between a blouse and a shirt?
Charlie: Yes! A blouse has buttons and is usually loose fitting. It can be either a man or woman’s shirt, but probably a woman’s.

Bowlegs: What’s planned for the rest of 2011?
Charlie: Well, the record comes out Nov 1. We’ll be practicing a lot, getting ready for a tour early next year. Maybe we’ll play a few more surprise shows.