Rising South London four-piece Bleach Lab have released their brand new EP If You Only Feel It Once.

The fusing of inner-dialogue with external commentary is a recurring motif across the If You Only Feel It Once EP. Continuing on themes from their earlier releases – there are still clear references to personal growth, finding inner peace, accepting solitude and heartache, and letting go of connections with people that you once considered to be important.

As well as magnetic frontperson Jenna Kyle, Bleach Lab is comprised of drummer Kieran Weston with his love for ethereal pop, guitarist Frank Wates’ knack for crystalline, dream-pop and bassist Josh Longman’s driving consistency and collaborative lyric work. 2021 saw the four-piece make their mark with the release of their first two EPs, A Calm Sense of Surrounding and Nothing Feels Real, the latter produced by Stephen Street (The Cranberries, The Smiths, Blur). With one eye cast towards the band’s enduring 90s influences present in previous releases, If You Only Feel It Once drives the bands vision forward – delving deeper into poppier, more modern sounds. It’s through this dichotomy that Bleach Lab shine, achieving their intention alongside producer Duncan Mills (Peace, The Vaccines, Jake Bugg).

We had a chat with Jenna all about what the band have been up to, the making of the EP, artists we should be checking out and more! Read the Q&A below.

Hi Jenna! How are you? How have the last few years been for Bleach Lab as a band? What’s the journey been like?

“Hey! I’m great, busy! The last few years have been a journey for sure, we’ve had so much going on from releasing 3 EP’s, our first UK Tour and finally getting out on the festival scene earlier this year. We’re loving it, it’s so rewarding to be able to get out and do what we love doing, meeting new people and sharing our music with those that want to listen.”

You’ve just released your third EP If You Only Feel It Once. What can you tell us about this collection of songs? How does it compare with your previous releases and what do you hope fans/listeners take away from it?

“This EP touches on the nostalgic feelings of home, finding home in other people and places. Looking for that feeling of safety and attempting to provide it for others. Again it’s more of an exploration into personal relationships, romantic and otherwise and navigating your way through them with all the hurdles they can and often do bring.

“In terms of comparison with previous releases, we’ve still stuck to our core sound. However, we have explored a slightly more ‘pop’ approach with this one. We’ve gone for a much fuller sound, using more synths and layers for texture. We wanted to strike a balance between modern sounds and 90s nostalgia. We hope our fans like it!”

Please take us through your songwriting/creative process for IYOFIO. Did you do anything different this time around? What was your favourite part and what did you find most challenging?

“We tend to have a similar approach to the majority of songs we write, an approach which was heavily influenced by the covid lockdowns. Mostly in that we tend to write our individual parts separately and eventually come together in the room. We have found this to be quite challenging as we’re not always certain if things will actually work sonically or in a live setting but it seems to be working for us so far!

“Lyrically, I am constantly writing down any and all thoughts I have day to day. I have an endless list of phrases and words that I write whole songs with. This EP touches on a lot of personal experiences for me, so I found it a very cathartic experiencing writing it.”

Which new bands/artists are you listening to at the moment? Anyone we should be checking out?

“I’m super into solo female artists at the moment but nothing very new! We have two great bands supporting us on our Autumn run of shows, She’s In Parties and Slaney Bay. Definitely check them out!”

Finally, what’s next for Bleach Lab?

“We have our Autumn run of shows coming up in November with our biggest show yet at Lafayette in London! But mostly we have been getting ready for next year. Let’s just say it’s going to be our busiest one yet!”