The Orchids

One of the flagship bands of the influential indie pop label Sarah Records, Scottish combo the Orchids proved to be survivors who followed up an initial rush of brilliant, breathless singles and EPs with a string of increasingly mature and musically advanced albums that juxtaposed bracing melodies with thoughtful melancholy in the tradition of bands like early Primal Scream and Lloyd Cole & the Commotions. Unlike many indie pop groups who seemed content to travel only familiar ground, the Orchids weren't afraid to explore electronics, country music, downbeat soul, or anything else that suited the songs. Aided by producer Ian Carmichael, they released two classic albums in the '90s (Unholy Soul in 1991, Striving for the Lazy Perfection in 1994) then after taking a decade-long break, returned without missing a step. Later records like 2014's Beatitude #9 and 2022's Dreaming Kind) gave ample proof of the timeless nature of their heartbreaking, heartwarming style of pop music Formed in 1985 in Penilee, Scotland, a suburb of Glasgow, the Orchids initially operated under the name Gentle Tuesday (after a Primal Scream song) and featured a sax player among their ranks. After ditching the name (at the suggestion of Alan McGee of Creation Records) and the saxophonist, the band, now called the Bridge, consolidated around vocalist James Hackett, rhythm guitarist Matthew Drummond, lead guitarist John Scally, bassist James Moody, and drummer Chris Quinn. The band changed their name again -- to Spendour -- before finally settling on the Orchids, possibly at the insistence of Matt Haynes, editor of the fanzine Sha-La-La, who had heard the band's demo tape and was impressed enough by the band's heady mixture of melody and drama to offer to release a song on a shared flexi-disc with the Sea Urchins. The song was called "From This Day" and it helped launch the band's career. Haynes' next move was co-founding the Sarah Records label with Clare Wadd, and the Orchids were one of the first bands the duo signed. In fact, the Orchids' debut single, 1988's "I've Got a Habit," was the second Sarah release. The band's next single, "Underneath the Window, Underneath the Sink," followed later in the year. The Orchids' early singles were successful enough that, simultaneously with the release of their third 7", "What Will We Do Next" in September 1989, Sarah released the label's first-ever album, the 10" Lyceum, a lengthy eight-track EP that, consistent with Sarah's value-for-money ethic, contained no songs that had previously appeared on singles. The record also cast aside most of the charming adolescent awkwardness of their early singles and showed them maturing nicely as songwriters, and with the help of producer Ian Carmichael, growing by leaps and bounds as recording artists. The Orchids' next single, 1990's "Something for the Longing," was a leap forward sonically; it's a gently yearning lost love song with a gorgeous chorus. Later that year, the Orchids released a one-off single on the short-lived Caff Corporation imprint, the moody "An Ill Wind That Blows." Around this time, Drummond and Moody started a sideline career playing guitar and bass for their Sarah labelmates and fellow Glaswegians the Wake, and they did so on and off for many years.. Beginning with the Penetration EP in February 1991, the Orchids' recordings began to take on a more reflective, mature quality as the guitar jangle became supplanted, though never entirely replaced, by '60s-style Farfisa organ textures, while vocalist Pauline Hynds began adding harmonies to Hackett's previously unadorned vocals. The 1992 EP Thaumaturgy introduced this shimmering new sound, but its January 1994 follow-up, Striving for the Lazy Perfection, was a cinematic triumph that proved the band was one of the leaders of the nascent chamber pop scene and the equal of the groups who had initially inspired them. It proved to be the last record they would release for a long time as they quietly disbanded after a final performance at the Sarah Records farewell party in 1995. The breakup wasn't destined to last, however. About a decade later, the Orchids reunited, wrote some new songs, and with a line-up of Hackett, Scally, and Quinn -- plus bassist Ronnie Borland and guitarist Keith Sharp -- released their fourth full-length album, 2007's Good to Be a Stranger. The reunion went so well that they decided to stay together, releasing their next album, The Lost Star, in the autumn of 2010; it was mixed by Ian Carmichael, who had produced most of their earlier work. Working at roughly the same rate of speed, and in the same manner, the band released their third post-reunion album in 2014. Beatitude #9 was issued by Spain's Acuarela label. Over the next few years, the band played the occasional show or festival and began working on a career-spanning compilation. Who Needs Tomorrow featured one disc of songs from singles and albums, while the other side was all demos and unreleased tracks. The band also recorded a new version of their early song "Underneath the Window, Underneath the Sink" for inclusion. The set was issued by Cherry Red Records in September of 2017. Shortly after, they issued the "I Never Learn"/"Echoes (Have Hope)" single for WIAIWYA label before settling back into playing the occasional show here and there. At the same time they started work on their seventh album with Carmichael at the helm and longtime backing vocalist Pauline Hynds on several tracks. Dreaming Kind covers the same territory the band always has -- classy, emotionally vibrant indie pop that nods backward to classic sophisticated groups like Prefab Sprout and utilizes up-to-date technology with a steady hand. The record is their first for Skep Wax, whose owners Ameila Fletcher and Rob Pursey pledged to release it after seeing the band perform at the Preston Pop Festival in 2021. The label extracted a song -- "I Didn't Mean to Stare" -- for their 2021 collection Under the Bridge, then issued the full-length in September of 2022.
© Tim Sendra & Stewart Mason /TiVo