by Philip Moss

Whether posted home to family, or to a loved one with a thoughtful verse, there is something particularly romantic about the idea of a postcard. A nostalgia – a faded seaside glamour, perhaps – that, in some ways, has been sadly lost through the immediacy of being able to send a WhatsApp message, an email, or jumping onto FaceTime.

After the release of their debut single, Eisenhower, on Christmas Day ’19, Potpourri’s third single, Postcards, is centred around Emily Forde’s saxophone, and looks back at these moments and emotions from days gone by. As it rumbles with the looseness of the more poppy moments on Porridge Radio’s debut, Every Bad, but the melodic delight and hooky harmony vocals of early Belle & Sebastian, it’s the perfect taster for what looks like it’s going to be another fantastic release from the Sheffield based Bingo Records.

And it was the theme of nostalgia that informed Lancaster based cinematographer, Alena Dower, on her work in putting the video for Postcards together: ‘I collect, archive and celebrate found objects and footage – reclaiming discarded memories and reimagining their context. This project and the intimate experience of observing scenes of domestic and familial bliss, speculating over the lives and stories beyond the recording, felt fitting with the song. Wondering about the complex and bitter-sweet nature of memory and which part of ourselves we choose to document and display; the contrast of curated holiday souvenirs compared with the hand painted 8mm animations where every flaw, blemish, hair or scratch is amplified.’

Potpourri’s debut album, First Dance, is out on 30th October on Bingo Records.

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