Formed of sisters Jennifer (guitar/vocals) and Katherine (bass) O’Neill, and lifelong friend Matthew Dudan-Bick (drums), Indian Queens were born and raised in Hackney Wick.

Today (April 3rd) the band have shared their debut album, God Is A Woman, released via Cool Thing Records. We caught up with Jen to talk about the new record, what their recent tour with Razorlight was like, and which artists they’d recommend listening to…

Hello Jen! Indian Queens’ debut album God Is A Woman, has been released into the world toaday. What are you most proud of about this record?

Everything! We recorded it all ourselves, produced it all ourselves. I couldn’t be more proud of the whole album and artwork and all the people behind it who believe in it as much as we do.

Do you have a favourite track?

I have a few faves, ‘Some Kinda Blue’ is a real grower, ‘Shoot For Sexy’, ‘God Is A Woman’…

The album’s artwork is pretty spectacular. Talk us through the ideas behind it…

The idea was to create a bird like character, isolated with an urban background. The shot that finally made it didn’t have the background in it but gave that ethereal feeling we wanted to achieve.

Speaking of visuals, your video for ‘Bubblewrap’ (directed by Andrew Delaney) feels extra poignant now we are all essentially  “bubblewrapped indoors” during lockdown. Talk us through the making of the video/ideas behind it…

This track, and ‘God Is A Woman’ have both taken on new meanings since this pandemic started. It feels surreal and quite unbelievable. The video was about isolation and suffocation. Being stuck at home, not around nature and surrounded by plastic. Andy made it look beautiful beyond words. But now feels quite sinister.

You supported Razorlight on their last UK tour. Talk us through some highlights…fave shows/venues etc?

It was an absolute blast, they were incredibly kind to us as a support band and we had a lot of fun. Standout shows were Manchester and Glasgow Barrowlands, what a venue!

You’ve also been playing lots of insta/facebook live gigs recently, due to the lockdown situation. Have you enjoyed these shows? Is it odd to know that people are listening, but that they’re not right in front of you like they would be in a normal gig environment?

Yeah, we are doing a few live Instagram shows to keep ourselves sane as much as everyone else. It is weird putting on a performance and having nothing back, but the comments and reactions are lovely, so thank you to anyone who has tuned in.

How do you go about writing a new song? Do lyrics or melody come first? Or is it a riff or a beat etc? Definitely varies in each song. If we are all together in a same room it can come from a jam, such as ‘Shoot For Sexy’, or I can be at home writing by myself on guitar and piano, such as ‘Bubblewrap’ and ‘God Is A Woman’. Music and melody always come first and lyrics last.

Who, or what initially inspired you to first start making music?

Mine and Katherine’s Dad is a drummer and still active (more active than most musicians) and so we grew up backstage at gigs and festivals. Those places feel like home to me, so it was an addiction I picked up pretty early. My Dad is still my biggest inspiration, he still practises 3 hours a day, and that’s what it takes to be successful.

Finally, any bands you could recommend we listen to?

We have met so many great bands on the circuit. Check out Julia-Sophie, her latest releases are just epic. Having played in Little Fish and Candy Says, this is her first solo venture. Also, Wyldest a fellow London band,  Zoe is a beautiful writer and singer.

Thanks to Jen for answering our questions!

Order your copy of God Is A Woman on limited edition vinyl here. Follow Indian Queens on Spotify & Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Kana Waiwaiku