New Portals talk change, tunes and the She Has A Name soundtrack

Photos by Big Bad Llama

Described by The Guardian as “pristine digital heartbreak pop”, the New Portals are still fresh on the synth-pop circuit, and are already making a dent. Whilst early backing from Spotify paved the way to regular college and indie radio playlistings, this girl / boy team have also garnered support from BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens & Phil Taggart, bagged some column inches from The Guardian and aligned with international brands such as MAC Cosmetics, Sky TV, Starbucks & H&M.

With three songs on the forthcoming She Has A Name soundtrack, including their original new track “Forget You, Forget Me,” we wanted to throw some Qs to the New Portals across the pond, from Canada to the UK:

1) You recently changed styles from folk to electronic. Why the change and why now?

Hey guys! Thanks for wanting a chat! Ruth here.

So we changed genres basically because change is something we feel comfortable with. We are keen to continually grow and learn and at the time of the changeover we had been submerging ourselves listening into a lot of electronic artists but we were creating this folk sound. It seemed a little strange what we were giving out was different to what we were taking in.

It was definitely a ‘heart’ decision and not a ‘business’ one.

2) How do you describe your sound?

Indie-electronic songs with catchy, singersongwriter esque moments filled with Folk-tronica vibes and a twist of future-pop!!! Haha.. that was fun!

3) As your audience grows across the pond, what do you want Americans and Canadians to know about you and your music?

It’s such a priveledge to get the opportunity to translate anything to an audience, our hope is that you guys enjoy what we do and know that you inspire us over here in Ireland.

4) You’ve been garnering critical praise as New Portals. What are your goals for the project and who do you want to reach with your music?

Again we are grateful to play at this music game so we definitely want to take it as far as it can go. A dream would def be to tour with one of our electronic heroes and get to keep writing songs people can connect with.

New Portals - Photo Credit: Big Bad Llama

5) You write that “Songs can become for us, portals to another world…helping us engage with something larger than ourselves.” What doors do you want to open for your listeners?

You know when you associate an album or a song or an artist with a particular moment in your life.. a holiday.. a job..a person etc? We love this idea that years later music can be a portal for going back and remembering something significant.

When Mike and I moved in to our first flat together, Snow Patrol’s album, “Final Straw” was something we listened to a lot as we painted the walls and stripped the wallpaper. Those songs hold this sentiment for us now when we listen to them years later. We’re reminded of the excitement and hope we had at that time. Incidentally, we got a chance to tour with Snow Patrol a few years later which was pretty cool.

6) You’ve written about a consequential trip to Malaysia and Thailand where you worked out songs for a play. Tell us about your connection to S.E. Asia; how did what you experienced there shape your view of the world?

From my travels I have come to the conclusion that for the most part the world is made up of ‘good’ people. From our time spent in Asia I was always blown away by how generous and helpful most people were even when they received nothing in return.

7) What drew you to collaborate on She Has A Name?

I met with Donna (one of the producers) for a coffee a while back and we chatted about being women in the ‘Arts’. I was so totally interested in the work she was telling me about and to be honest I just thought it was so cool that she was making a movie! I went home and told Mike. We loved the project and what it stood for and it was a pleasure to be able to do our bit to help spread the word about the horrible realities of trafficking. It was a no-brainer that we wanted to get involved.

8) Tell us about Forget You, Forget Me, your original song on the She Has A Name soundtrack. What was the songwriting process like for the track?

The subject matter was inspiring for us. We write emotive songs for the most part so it was an interesting journey for us to tap into this specific story and create something we hope others can connect with. I guess we wrote the song from the perspective of Number 18, and her uneasiness, but at the same time, acceptance of her situation. The song came together pretty fast once we had decided on our angle.

New Portals - Photo Credit: Big Bad Llama