Bailey Tomkinson & The Locals new EP Witching Hour finds the collective at a moment in time with growing national attention, a sold-out London launch, and the sort of momentum that feels impossible to manufacture. From the electrifying response of festival crowds to the aching intimacy of the title track, Witching Hour threads together longing, insecurity, nostalgia and transformation.

Speaking to FAULT Magazine, Bailey reflects on the craft, chaos and catharsis behind the EP, the creative risks on the horizon, and of course, his FAULTs.

FAULT Magazine: When did you first realise the title track had tapped into something deeper in your songwriting?
Bailey Tomkinson & The Locals: It happened when I stopped holding back. There is a natural instinct to hide the parts of ourselves we find messy or shameful, but being honest about that leads to real relatability. Witching Hour reflects my teenage years, a time filled with insecurity and unrequited crushes. I remember sitting in English next to a boy I liked who was into someone completely different from me. He liked the most popular girl in my year, I was quite shy and artsy in school and she was the polar opposite of me, so I’d make mental notes of what I thought she was doing that made him like her so much. “So I’ll run kinda funny, cause she runs kinda funny… I wanna be the same funny as you.” Looking back, it is amusing, but at the time those feelings were overwhelming. The song comes from that universal experience of wanting to be enough.

FAULT Magazine: What personal experiences informed the recording process for Witching Hour?
Bailey Tomkinson & The Locals: We have the best time in the studio, it feels like a big creative playground. Everyone in the band is hands-on and while Jordan often communicates the ideas we are all multi-instrumentalists, so arrangements shift in real time. We might walk in with a plan and come out with Tadhg on mandolin or Cal on bongos. Josiah, our producer, created such a supportive and fun environment and knew exactly how to bring out the best in us.

That said, this recording was a learning curve. We were in the middle of a busy tour season and I was exhausted when we recorded “Supermoon”. On day two, my voice was gone. I had to come back a few weeks later after giving myself proper care. I bought a Dr Nelson’s vocal steamer, rested more during the day if I was performing at night and reminded myself that my voice is an instrument that needs maintenance. Performing is like a sport, you can’t push through without consequences.

FAULT Magazine: How has performing these songs at festivals and during your sold-out London show changed your understanding of the EP’s emotional impact?
Bailey Tomkinson & The Locals: It has been magic. For the first time, I heard audiences singing our lyrics back to us, especially during “Chrysalis”, when they chanted “Huh I hate things I can’t script, I’m just a big scared kid.” That moment stopped me in my tracks. Seeing a mosh pit open up during our set was surreal. It made us feel like the groundwork we’ve laid is taking hold. Music means everything to us, so when people connect and express that, it is emotional. If even one person feels less alone or inspired because of something we wrote, then the job is done.

FAULT Magazine: How do you balance storytelling rooted in teenage longing with the creative maturity you have now?
Bailey Tomkinson & The Locals: I think it is about reflection and honesty. I am in such a different place now than when I started. Back then, I was figuring everything out — relationships, identity, purpose. My understanding of love, life and loss is a lot deeper than it was when I started releasing music. Jordan and I got married this summer, we have been together for six years, and the depth of what I feel and understand now is worlds apart from teenage me. But there is beauty in blending that innocence with hindsight.

FAULT Magazine: As you look ahead to your upcoming album, what creative risks or new directions are you most eager to explore next?
Bailey Tomkinson & The Locals: Releasing the EP feels like closing one chapter but also like a springboard. Our core sound and style will not change, it is in our DNA, but I have a strong feeling that the hard work we have been doing is about to pay off. There is no plan B for us, this is it. Our next focus alongside releasing and touring is to grow our team, we’re completely independent right now which is really hard work and we’re ready to find the right people out there who believe in us and can grow with us.

FAULT Magazine: What do you most want people to take away from this release?
Bailey Tomkinson & The Locals: At the end of the day, it is all about the music. I hope people can dance to it, connect with the lyrics, or find comfort in knowing someone else has been through it too. We are still a growing band, and the support means everything. When someone comes up after a show and tells us they are a fan, that is the moment we know it is working.

FAULT Magazine: What is your FAULT?
Bailey Tomkinson & The Locals: I think the things we do not like about ourselves are often the things someone else finds charming. But if I have to pick a flaw, I have always been annoyed that I cannot land a cartwheel. I blame my long limbs.