From Jersey to Cambridge: Intermission on Growing Up and Finding Their Sound
Intermission is an indie alt-rock quartet from Jersey and Cambridge who recently released their anticipated EP, Feel All This, which contains six songs that explore entering adulthood and reflecting on the struggles of growing up.
Made up of twin sisters Jess, the main vocalist and songwriter, and Mel, keyboardist, guitarist and producer, alongside Zak on lead guitar and Ryan on bass, the band established themselves in 2020, during a rocky time on a global scale, after having known each other for 10 years. Ironically, Jess and Mel were in rival bands as teenagers when they were living in Jersey.
There’s something fitting about a band whose music centres so heavily on growing up having a history that quite literally grew up alongside them. Especially in a small place like Jersey, where the music scene is small and everyone is “familiar” with each other. Jess, who wrote the majority of the lyrics, said she found comfort and reassurance in the idea that “you can be many things all at the same time.”
Of the six songs, none are similar to the others, and each carries its own unique sound, emphasising the diverse musical influences amongst the bandmates, ranging from Florence + The Machine, Guns N’ Roses, Alice Wolf and Donna Missal. Some songs are derived from personal experiences, for example, Revolve the Door, which was initially a poem that Jess wrote while doing a placement as part of her master’s course in music therapy. Meanwhile, the track Daydreaming was a reflection of how Jess saw the music industry at the age of 16.
The cover of Feel All This mirrors the EP’s reflective themes with a dreamy, almost surreal image. Set against a white sheet surrounded by greenery, the cover captures the shadow of a person attempting to slay a small dragon. The band mentioned that, because a lot of their songs were about growing up, they wanted to associate the cover with a childhood image. To do so, Jess made a dragon puppet out of cardboard, and the band mentioned that they had a bedsheet, a piece of card and a DIY dream. They said: “You never shed the feeling of being a child, and you still carry it with you going into adulthood and having a different perspective on life.”
The band name itself was suggested by a friend’s dad after they struggled to come up with a name they could all agree on. The band like to think of themselves as the Kit Kat of the music industry, joking: “You need a break? Intermission and listen to us.”
Feel All This began as an unplanned project, with the band never intending to make an EP. Instead, they started writing songs that gradually grew into a wider collection. Kick Back, Feed It and Revolve the Door were written last year, around the same time they reached out to ArtHouse Jersey for funding, which was successful and covered most of the vocal recording and mixing. The full EP was then recorded in a studio in Milton, just outside Cambridge.
Intermission has also played at the Sarkfest festival in Guernsey, a place where it’s tougher for young musicians to get into the scene. They’re also planning a few gigs later this year in Cambridge and London, and they’re currently on the lookout for a drummer.