“Working from intuition led us to this sound” – An Interview with Saint Sappho
Glasgow-based indie band Saint Sappho have just released their stunning, self-produced debut album Between The Lines. The duo of Zoe Young and Tammy Dyson have crafted a record that’s both dreamy and nostalgic, as well as prescient and at times, euphoric. Between the Lines sees Saint Sappho questioning identity, love, grief and the quiet uncertainty of growing into someone new. The songs move between intimate moments and larger, anthemic arrangements, capturing the push and pull between vulnerability and release.
The album is rooted in 90’s Britpop when bands like The Verve and Manic Street Preachers were at their peak with atmospheric arrangements. “Once Again” (a personal favorite) and the title track have a glorious, epic feel while second single “Shoulder to Shoulder” and opener “Tomorrow” are upbeat, dancey, indie-rockers with some impressive guitar work. As someone who loved the era that the album draws from, this will be a record I keep coming back to.
We caught up with Zoe and Tammy as they prepared for the release of Between The Lines.
Hi! How’s everything going right now?
Good. We are very excited for our album to finally be out!
What classic album cover art is your current mood?
Moby – 18
Your wonderful debut LP “Between The Lines” is out today – where and when did you write and record it?
We recorded the majority of it at home but for drums we used our studio space. The album was written over a period of 3 years – some songs were written 3 years ago and most recent song was written 4 months.
The new songs sound a lot bigger and more atmospheric than your earlier songs. Did you change anything as you approached the recording of the album?
We leaned a bit more into the britpop influence but mostly by not thinking too much about what we should do, and instead working from intuition led us to this sound. For the album as a whole we wanted things to be more cohesive as the songs became a collective, so having similar elements throughout was important – once we found the sound or style we applied it throughout the album.
If you could only listen to one record, what would it be?
Zoe – I’d have to choose some kind of compilation of songs rather than one single album – I’m more of a ‘song’ person than an album.
Tammy – Massive Attack – Mezzanine
You seem to love a cover version having started with ‘Wicked Game’ and most recently ‘Mad World’. What draws you to a particular song and which track would you most like to reinterpret in the future?
Zoe – I’m drawn to songs that resonate with me at that time or have resonated in the past – currently would like to cover “Ordinary World” by Duran Duran because I’d like to put our spin on it. Could be cool.
Tammy – I’d love to do “Cry Me a River” by Justin Timberlake
Your music draws on a combination of 90’s Britpop and Trip-hop. Who were your musical inspirations growing up?
Zoe – growing up my mum played the Verve, Oasis, Texas, Travis and mostly britpop music which heavily influenced me, whether I knew it or not at the time.
Tammy – I grew up listening to all sorts, from country to reggae.
As a couple in real life, who tends to “win” when you have a disagreement about a song’s direction?
Zoe – For song direction I have the final say, because I’m in control of the computer so I’d just do what I was going to. Otherwise we usually try all suggestions then listen back and end up on the same page.
You have a launch event show at Assai Records in Glasgow on May 2nd. What is your favorite venue that you’ve played and where would your dream gig be?
Tammy – My dream venue is The Proms, I’d love to play with a full orchestra. The best venue we ever played was probably The Drill in Lincoln.
Zoe – My dream venue is Red Rocks in Colorado
What would go on your signature pizza and what would it be called?
Zoe – peppers, jalapeños, onion, mushroom with bbq base I’d call it ‘Pizza Me’.
Tammy – creamy garlic base with lots of Parmesan & mozzarella, roquito peppers, herbs and a drizzle of chilli oil and it would be called ‘Sapphic Delight’.
What else do you have on the horizon for 2026 (and beyond) that we should know about?
This year we are going to promote this album so that will be our focus. Fingers crossed good opportunities come from it.
Saint Sappho are a Glasgow-based queer music duo, made up of Zoe Young and Tammy Dyson. Drawing inspiration from 90s Britpop and Trip-hop, their sound reflects the influence of artists such as The Verve, Travis, and Moby. They have been likened to Fonatines D.C. and Massive Attack. The duo are creating space for women in the Britpop landscape, challenging its male-dominated norms. Beyond performing, Zoe brings her expertise as a sound engineer and producer, while Tammy’s skills as a videographer allow the pair to craft every aspect of their music and visuals in-house.
Influenced in no small part by the full band sound of 90s era Britpop and Triphop, their contemporary reworking of classic alt-pop and rock touchstones is made even more singular due to the personal nature of their lyrics, which frequently find direct inspirations in real life scenarios.
As a duo their songwriting takes an instinctive, ‘sounds like it fits’ approach, using their collective experience in recording and mixing to structure the instrumental elements of a track
Saint Sappho are doing an instore signing on May 2nd at Assai Records in Glasgow before performing at Queens Park Spring Weekender on May 3rd. You can get more information on shows and new releases at the band’s website and follow them on Instagram for all the latest news.
