We had a chat with Gwyn Strang from Frayle about her inspirations for the band’s third album, ‘Heretics & Lullabies’, the band’s music-making process, and the importance of visuals in a band’s identity.
I wanted to ask: you’ve got your new album, ‘Heretics & Lullabies’, coming out in October this year, which is three years after your previous record. Can you confirm what has been learned in the past three years that has fed into the new album?
Sure. Hopefully, in life, as you go through the years and as you go through the days, you evolve a little bit. I truly think that we have evolved as a band. This is the first album that we’ve used an exterior (sic) producer, so that was really interesting and definitely a growth experience. I loved every second of it. Anytime someone could have a 10,000-foot view and look down and say, “Well, maybe this or this” without being emotionally involved – that’s perfect. So, I love that.
What was the decision behind working with an external producer on this occasion?
I think it’s the first time we’ve had a budget. So that was the first time that we were able to do it.
When you were going into the record, what was your mindset behind it, and what were your goals that you wanted to achieve from it?
I think my goals for any time that we write anything, or any time that I write anything, it’s about emoting and about working through something. I had a lot of deaths during COVID. So, it was a while ago, but I’m still working through that. You know, and heartbreak – there’s always heartbreak and things like that. So, this album was an exploration and a digging into that.
So, you would say that’s your main inspiration behind the album – how do you best filter those emotions and events in your life and translate them into a positive manner through music?
I always say that I leave my emotions at the end of my pen. So, for me it’s therapy. I work everything out. There have been some songs where I just absolutely cannot sing them live because they’re still so raw. So, for me, it really is therapy and working through everything by writing it down and feeling it and putting my emotions into the lyrics.
You mentioned that there are songs you’re currently unable to sing live because they are still too emotionally raw. May I ask how you discovered that, or have you always been aware that these particular songs are ones you are not ready for?
So, it’s usually during practice where I will try, and then it’s like, “No, I can’t get through this without crying”. “Skin & Sorrow” is definitely the main one because that was the one that I wrote after someone very close to me died. But there are others on this record where I haven’t tried it yet, but we will see.
You’ve previously given an interview in which you said that, as artists, you always want to grow. Thinking mainly in terms of an artist, how do you feel that you grow as a creative over time?
So that’s difficult because when you’re in it, you can’t really see it, right? So, if I look back on this last album, I can see more depth in the lyrics, perhaps. It’s been a little bit easier for me to communicate what I’m feeling through what I’m singing, and I’m sure that that just comes as you write more. So, I think that was probably the biggest thing.
Could you explain your writing process a bit more? So, of course, you take your emotions, events, and so on. But how does it all start?
I love words! It is a weird thing to say! I love words. So, if I think of or if I hear a word that rings a little bell in my head, then I’ll write that down. But a lot of times I’ll write down things that I like; a little turn of phrase or what have you, and then I have a library of hundreds of those, right? When it comes time to write a song, I have the melody already written. Then I kind of see where I want to go with this particular song. And then I’ll usually use a couple of the ones from the library. Yeah, and then flesh it out.
So, your first single, ‘Walking Wounded’, was released earlier this year – what stood out about that song that made you think, “This is the lead single from the album”?
I think the riff is always the thing that Sean and I always lead with. That’s the main thing that Sean and I always look at to think, “Okay, this is going to be a single”. From there, it’s usually then the melody, and lyrics are kind of the last thing we think about, honestly. I think there are records and songs on the record that are very, very deep and emotional, but maybe they’re not a single. So, they’re still there, and I still get to exorcise those demons.
And you’ve also done a marvellous cover of ‘Summertime Sadness’ by Lana Del Rey. So, what was it about that song that you thought, “We’d like to cover this and put it on the record”?
So, Lana Del Rey is the queen of melancholy, and I love her music, and I love her. She’s just so Americana melancholy – I guess the best way to describe her. So, she’s a queen, so obviously I want to pay homage. But that song specifically, it’s sad, but it is also just a great song. And so, we thought that would be a great one to cover and make our own. We usually sample a few, and that one was the winner.
One of the things I wanted to touch on is that you previously mentioned in another interview that you’re quite DIY with regards to your approach. For instance, you have a recording studio at home where you can quickly record things, and you also have your own cinema camera for any video content. Was this always an important thing for you as a band, or was it just that you’ve got the equipment, so “let’s use it”?
I think we are a band because Sean has the equipment. He was in a band many years ago, and he had given up. He stopped loving music, so he stopped. I got him Logic for Christmas, and he started getting into it, starting to write music again. I always think he made me sing because I was never in a band before, and I certainly didn’t have any dreams of being a vocalist, so he kind of dragged me in, like “just for us, just for us”. And then “we’ll just release ‘White Witch’, just for us”, and then it just kind of took off from there.
And here you are: an international touring band! Amazing. The visual aspects of the band are incredible – it’s a fantastic live show. As you have said, when you started, you didn’t have any aspirations to be a singer in a band or anything, but at those early stages, when you were starting to think about live shows, were the visual aspects to things important? Or did it just come about over time?
So, it’s always been important to me, and as a designer, I’ve always seen it as an extension of the music for me. Some advice that we got at first was, “Don’t wear anything too crazy”. Now I want to wear ridiculous things because, to me, it’s an extension and is something that makes me feel good and more confident on stage. The face jewellery is made by KatzLittleFactory. I’m very shy and awkward, so the face jewellery is a way for me to kind of hide a little bit on stage as well. So, it all came together quite naturally. I think when we first started touring, I was just wearing, you know, whatever. And it’s like, “No, this isn’t me”. So, it just built and built.
What would you say, for bands in general and particularly yours, that enhanced visuals do for a band?
I think it’s about catching people’s attention. I think that’s what it does. I’m sure it can build a family, you know, and people who say, “Oh, my gosh, I love your headdress!” So that kind of catches their attention, and then you listen to the music, and that’s the goal.
It certainly works and very, very well. This is one of the dates for your European Tour, which will conclude in the Netherlands. Do you have any more live shows or tours planned?
We have a couple of shows coming up in October, and then there’s something that hasn’t been confirmed, but I know they’re working on something else for us to come back.
Watch this space! Looking ahead to 2026, what are the plans? What are your hopes and dreams for it?
I mean, we’re living it right now, right? We’re playing a bunch of big festivals and touring and meeting incredible people, so just more of the same. And a bigger stage.
Last question: Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans and the Devolution Readers?
I love you – thank you so much for paying attention!
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Interview By Lee Carter
Photos By Rebecca Bush – https://www.instagram.com/beckybphoto/
