This time last year, Pillow Queens were neck deep in a worldwide tour of their sophomore album, Leave The Light On. They crossed Europe, the UK and USA (making a second appearance on James Corden’s The Late Late Show), scored a nomination for the Choice Music Prize Irish Album Of The Year, and bagged a supporting slot at Phoebe Bridgers’ sold-out Glasgow shows. It’s been a wild ride. But now, at last, they’re home. 

^{Picture: Rich Gilligan}

‘It feels like necessary rest time,’ says Sarah Corcoran, co-vocalist and guitarist, over the phone from Dublin. ‘We’ve purposely not been saying yes to gigs or big travel commitments. It’s nice to have this time to reflect and write something new.’ The band is currently holed up in their studio every day, fuelled by cups of tea and a collaborative Spotify playlist, which coalesces their music tastes. Corcoran rattles off names like Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow, boygenius, Kings Of Leon and St Vincent: an impressively broad range. ‘It’s ridiculously long at this stage, but it’s my go-to playlist,’ she chuckles. ‘I can’t wait to hear our next record.’

We’re well past the days of lockdown, when Pillow Queens debuted their first album, In Waiting, minus a live audience; but hearing fans sing their songs back to them hasn’t got any less strange. ‘When you go to Portland, Oregon, people sing in a Dublin accent with their American twang about issues that are happening in Dublin,’ Corcoran explains. ‘Like “you can relate to this as well”. It makes it feel worthwhile.’ In the past, that ‘Irish lens’ emerged more blatantly: ‘A Dog’s Life’ addressed Dublin’s housing crisis, while ‘Handsome Wife’ reconciled Catholic imagery with queer marital bliss. But with Leave The Light On, the connection is subtle. ‘You’re grieving an old place you used to love,’ says Corcoran, referencing the rising rents and a creeping anti-immigration sentiment across Ireland. ‘It doesn’t feel settled right now. It feels like there’s a rumbling chaos. I think that ends up in your soul, so it ends up in your songs.’

Given LGBTQ+ anthems like ‘Gay Girls’, it’s unsurprising that they’re widely touted as a feminist queer band. Corcoran acknowledges the barriers they still face as four non-male musicians (‘when we’re asked to join a festival line-up later in the day, we do wonder if it’s just to balance things out a bit’) but insists there are reasons for optimism. ‘The exciting moves within music, particularly indie rock, are not with masculine music. Not anymore.’ Between the rise of groups such as boygenius and Wet Leg, are we witnessing a new golden era for non-male guitar bands? ‘Yes, and they’re all over TikTok!’ Corcoran exclaims. ‘You’re 12! How are you in a band? I love it. I wish I was in a band when I was 12.’

Pillow Queens will perform at Hidden Door on Sunday 4 June.