French for ‘sister’, Soeur is an apt band name for this alternative Bristol three-piece on many levels. Not only does it represent the unity between Anya Pulver and Tina Maynard who share frontperson duties and flawless, intertwining vocal harmonies, but it also represents the experience of the underground British music scene that bounds the trio together. The appreciation of this scene brought them to James Collins, whose drumming glues Soeur’s sound together.
“Anya and I lived in Droitwich in Worcestershire, and she convinced me to move to Bristol to start a band, as both of our previous bands had broken down,” explains Tina. “Anya met James at ArcTanGent. He was formerly part of Maybeshewill, and he ticked all the boxes.”
The beauty of Soeur is in their unpredictability, swinging effortlessly between crunching noise, math-rock time signatures and sweet melodies all in the space of one song. Their previous EP, 2017s ‘What Separates Us’ opens with the grungy, discordant ‘Put You On’ with its riot grrrl style chorus, and ends with the mesmerising ‘Slow Days’ where Anya and Tina’s honeyed vocals take centre stage.
“I love the fact that we fit onto lots of different bills. We can go from the likes of the more niche ArcTanGent to Reading & Leeds,” explains Anya. “I’m sometimes nervous that we might not be accepted, but actually all of the different scenes seem to appreciate us.”
