We live in highly bloggable times where our favorite baby bands often grow up quickly. We Come From the Place (out Oct. 7 via Slumberland) is the third album from charming, still-under-the-radar indie poppers Allo Darlin’ making them old and grey in Internet years. Their sparkling sophomore effort, Europe, was one of 2012’s most criminally-underrated albums. But rest assured, the British band doesn’t sound overeager to bust out of the back pockets of indie-pop kids who’ve been cozying up since their self-titled 2010 debut.
If anything, they’re getting more comfortable in that role. Billboard spoke with well-adjusted frontwoman Elizabeth Morris, whose worldview refreshingly escapes modern hype cycles. It makes sense: She used to play in Tender Trap with Amelia Fletcher, who fronted Talulah Gosh and Heavenly — all cult bands likely to be beloved by those who could rattle off a decent definition of “twee pop.”
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“We all have day jobs,” Morris says, calling from her new home in Florence, Italy, as the band prepares for a fall North American tour. “We’re not relying on the band to be our number one source of income. That means we can be more relaxed. It’s not like we’re desperately trying to crack the Big Time.” Urgency wouldn’t bode too well for a band that uses ukulele as much as Allo Darlin’ (they write most of their songs on it), and fortunately, there’s little urgency to be found on We Come From the Same Place. There is, however, a great deal of sincerity; it’s as devotedly earnest as you’d expect from a record that opens with a bass drum mimicking the sound of a heartbeat.
For starters, check out “Bright Eyes,” where Morris duets with guitarist Paul Rains and asks him if he believes in fun and romance. You already know the answer, but listen anyway!
“I was very much in love and that affected me quite strongly,” Morris says. The Australian native recently got married and moved to Florence, though she has no trouble making time to sync up with her bandmates, who still reside in London: “Traveling around the U.K. is a bit of a minefield anyway, with public transport being so expensive. You can get pretty cheap flights and it’s not so bad.”
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Europe had tighter pop songs, but there’s a good chance the new batch will translate better to the live setting. Fewer overdubs, no triple-tracked harmonies — it’s the battle-tested approach of a band just recording with some mics, “the sound of the four of us playing in the room,” as Harris says.
The only thing that might not make it to the show is the uke: “It’s so hard to keep it in tune playing live!”