Hailing from London, Woman’s Hour is the unlikely four-piece of siblings Fiona Burgess (vocals) and William Burgess (guitar), along with Nicolas Graves (bass) and Josh Hunnisett (keyboards). who’ve been quietly flying under the radar for the past few years. In 2001, The Guardian selected them as their new band of the day, praising Woman’s Hour for their experimental yet accessible brand of slow burning seductive shoegaze. Today the band announces a new single “Her Ghost” ahead of a string of North American shows, including an appearance at SXSW. “Her Ghost” has Fiona’s same demure vocals complemented by languid synth flurries that come together to create a blissful 3 minutes and 24 seconds of hazy romance. We had the opportunity to sit down with frontwoman Fiona to chat about the beginnings of the band, lyrical inspiration and what’s on the horizon.

FAULT: Hey guys, thank you again for taking the time to do an interview with us! Just wanted to start off with a pretty routine question but where did the name Woman’s Hour come from?
Fiona: When we first started writing music we didn’t know what to call our songs, so we used the titles of Radio 4 programmes as namesakes. So when it came to our first gig we had a set list of Radio 4 programmes but didn’t have a name, and Woman’s Hour just stuck.

Fiona, you started Woman’s Hour with your brother. How has being siblings either positively or negatively affected your working relationship?
We’re all close friends so it feels quite relaxed, but you should probably ask our bandmates what it’s like. I’ve only ever made music with my brother so I don’t really have anything to compare it with, but it seems to work alright.

How is the whole band dynamic when it comes to the creative process? Can you walk me through how you guys come up with a track?
Every song is different. Someone will bring something to the group – it could be a melody, a guitar riff or synth line, or even just a sound – and we’ll layer things on top of that. We always try to be open to trying new ideas out, pushing something as far as it can go and then striping it back to find the elements we like best.

I absolutely love the band’s black and white aesthetic – how would you describe Woman’s Hour’s ‘brand’ in three words that start with W or H?
well-made
hardwearing
heavy-duty

Tell me about your new track “Her Ghost” and what the inspiration for the lyrics there is.
I try to avoid explaining what a song is supposed to mean, or what inspired it. There’s often many forms of inspiration. But more importantly, I want the listener to have the freedom to respond to our music in whatever way they want. The beauty of making music is that you can create something that has a very specific meaning for you personally, but other people can respond to it in a very different way.

What are you looking forward to the most at SXSW?
I think the food will be exceptional

Finally, what is your FAULT?
I have too many to mention!

Woman’s Hour Tour Dates:
March 11th – 16th: South By South West Festival, Austin, Texas
March 17th: Bardot, Los Angeles
March 19th: Mercury Lounge, New York
March 21st: Glasslands, New York
April 3rd: The Purcell Rooms, London
April 25th: Gulliver’s, Manchester
April 26th: Cathedral, Sheffield
April 27th: Bodega Social Club, Nottingham
May 7th: Louisiana, Bristol
May 8th: The Great Escape Festival, Brighton