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Three Albums That Changed My Life: Arthur Beatrice

London band Arthur Beatrice release their sophomore album today, and our anticipation is high. From the slew of singles we’ve heard so far, Keeping The Piece is set to make its mark on the sonic landscape of 2016 with its poppy yet ethereal feel and penchant for big drums – not to mention sensational vocals.

Their latest single, Since We Were Kids, is a kaleidoscopic blend between Florence + The Machine and CHVRCHES, with even a touch of the sound our own Jezabels work in. Dramatic and captivating, the band show that their debut was no flash in the pan, and that they are here to stay.

To get to know them a little better, we asked the group about three albums which have changed their lives. Check out their answers below and jump on their sophomore record, Keeping The Piece today!

Destiny’s Child, Writings on the Wall

This is the first CD I ever bought and remains one of my favourites of all time. I think I drove my mum nuts with it, it was in the car on the way to school, in my room, morning noon and night. I’ve still got the disc, its scratched to bits but I’m not throwing it away, its such an important childhood memory for me. The production and song writing is insane and everything just wants to make you dance like you don’t have a care in the world. Beyonce is a force to be reckoned with, I’m still such a massive fan. My best mate and I managed to catch her at the O2 and cried, we fully lost it. Her voice has been the soundtrack to so many stages of my life its hard to pinpoint a particular moment but this album is where it all began.

Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Justin Vernon’s voice is so hauntingly beautiful it makes my hair stand up every time I hear it. We’ve always been influenced by his music and it was so surreal to be able to play before him at Midi Festival a couple of years ago. The album feels so immersive and you can hear the personalities of each individual instrument. For me, this was the soundtrack to our first tour, we did a lot of driving and I’d put this on and stare out the window. It’s that kind of record, so expansive yet heart-breakingly lonely and personal, there have been a few times I’ve sobbed through it. Beth/Rest is an amazing way to end an album as it just sounds like the closing scene to some tragic romantic film.

Radiohead, In Rainbows

Orlando and I skipped school to see them play this in Victoria Park… We got away with it but I would have taken full punishment if we had gotten caught. They’ve achieved that rare thing of making an album that’s super emotional but without losing the energy that keeps the whole thing moving. All the rhythms are rapid but jazz oriented and mix electronics and acoustic instruments so well that it’s somehow loose and tight at the same time. It all combines perfectly with the lyrics feeling familiar but not too simple and the melodies always emotional but never too sweet. Its one of those albums that I just sit and listen to the whole way through and just soak it all in.