“There is nothing more distinctive than listening to a recording on vinyl. The feel, the one of a kind sound, the obsession it can lead to. For a long time I was picking up a few records a month, rather than a streaming service subscription. I figured it helps the bands out way more, and I get to own something that I will really appreciate having in my collection.”
“I would say I am a modest collector compared to some of my friends, and that my collection really has come from an urge to support artists I love, more than necessarily wearing down the needle with play after play. Whenever I see a new band that I really love putting out their music this way I try my best to pick it up. I don’t want more MP3s or burned CDs around the house; they sound exactly the same on the internet. A record is unique, and I absolutely want to indulge in that.
The past year has been a little slower, but I have managed to pick up a few of The Wonder Years and Frightened Rabbit albums that I’ve been chasing for a while. I am really proud to finally own those, as well as some pals’ bands like October Drift and Wrest’s debut albums.
The best way I have found to experience a band’s work comes from putting on a record, sitting back and taking it all in—listening to a body of work exactly how it was intended, from start to finish. No skips, no bloody adverts—you’re just in it until the end—it’s absolute magic.
I think my interest in vinyl grew when I was finishing university, but my love began when I was growing up. When I was young we used to visit my grandma in Devon almost every weekend. It was a very tiny village—beautiful place but not much to do for a kid. It was here that I first discovered a huge collection of vinyl.
Flicking through all that was there was so exciting. Mostly country and Americana records, a few by Elvis that I loved—I will always look back fondly on those weekend evenings where we were all singing and dancing together. Putting music on that way was never the same with a CD or listening online, certainly not as much of an event.
As a band we’ve been fortunate enough in our career to put out two releases on vinyl and are very hopeful to do more as we reach a period now where we are planning our debut album. Our most recent physical release “Until Now” was a compilation of our first 2 EPs, on a very limited pressing in green and red.
Holding that record, hearing the songs for the first time again on a player rather than through a computer made it spring to life again. We are just 5 friends from small towns who love to make music, and holding our music as a record was a moment for us that I think was one of our most proudest so far as a band.
We can’t wait to experience that all over again.”
—Ethan Proctor
“Up,” the second single from Bridges forthcoming EP “Empty Galleries” is in stores now.
