From Nottingham, England, Express Office Portico are fresh off the release their anticipated debut EP Incommunicado, a concise sonic effort that is catchy, easy, and probably best listened to on these upcoming summer nights. Produced by Joshua Rumble, whose also worked with Bastille and Anteros, it’s a flavor of indie pop not too distant from their compatriots The Last Dinner Party or the aforementioned Anteros themselves. Fronted by co-leads Tara Freeman and Billy Townsend, the quintet pulled inspiration from American poet Sylvia Path for the title: “The phrase ‘Incommunicado’ was taken from a poem written by Sylvia Plath. In simple terms, it means the inability or lack of wanting to communicate with others.” But with a brand new batch of tunes and year in front of them, look for the group to take their live show to fans across the UK this spring.
Words by Andy Gorel
Photos by Alice Ashley
“‘Incommunicado’ similarly displays not only an exposing set of lyrics written about topics such as childhood trauma, substance abuse, and unstable relationships, but also includes the overarching theme of an inability to communicate with and fully understand the world we live in due to this.”
“The phrase ‘Incommunicado’ was taken from a poem written by Sylvia Plath. In simple terms, it means the inability or lack of wanting to communicate with others. Sylvia’s writings often are deeply confessional and painfully personal, revealing a sense of honesty and vulnerability that is not often found in a modern world of social media and keeping up appearances. ‘Incommunicado’ similarly displays not only an exposing set of lyrics written about topics such as childhood trauma, substance abuse, and unstable relationships, but also includes the overarching theme of an inability to communicate with and fully understand the world we live in due to this.
While the EP holds this rather solemn theme of seclusion throughout, the lyrics inside each track attempt to challenge this sense of hopelessness to the world, and bittersweetly chips away at the idea that self-isolation and preservation is the solution to overcoming deeply held pain.”
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