lots of hands

lots of hands

lots of hands are an indie pop and indie rock group from Newcastle upon Tyne. The project is built around Billy Woodhouse and Elliot Dryden, who first meet through a school music programme in Newcastle at age 16. Their sound sits across indie pop, indie rock, bedroom pop and lo-fi, with a DIY approach that centres on home recording and reworked material.

Early development

Before the release of into a pretty room, lots of hands build a following through three self-released records. The duo work from Woodhouse’s bedroom studio, with Dryden travelling across the north of England to write and record with him. Their writing process includes sketching songs from demos, session takes and instrumental electronics, then reshaping them into finished tracks.

into a pretty room

into a pretty room is the group’s debut for Fire Talk Records and their first fully collaborative record. It brings together reworked demos, loose session performances and electronic elements, and focuses on themes of grief, loss, growing up and letting go. The material is described as being developed gradually, with the pair working on it over time in between ordinary routines such as sharing drinks and playing Fortnite.