Introducing: 0171

A London duo with an iconic name, 0171 have been making waves of late with their hyperpop/club/indie-pop hybrid electronic sound. We spoke to Joe and Georgie – the duo behind the music – on the release of Burnout to discover the people behind this exciting, exhilarating sound.

First up, could you tell us a bit about 0171? And what inspired the name?

We are Joe + Georgie. We met just after university. Georgie was a science girl, and I was a book boy.  Georgie came round to do one session and we’ve been making music ever since. The name was partly inspired by the old telephone code where Joe grew up in Hackney, London. But mainly we were interested in a name that has no emotional resonance with most people who hear it. Like a blank slate.

What drives you to write music?

Making music is what we always wanted to do. Actually doing it is an intense experience. It can feel quite isolating, and makes you think quite a lot about whether you are good enough, but it turns out we’re really good. It’s also the most fun and interesting way we can spend our time. Sometimes we’ll write a song that makes us shake with excitement. Then the next day we’ll give up on it and never listen to it again. But it’s very good to feel proud of what you make.

Who or what would you say has had the most influence on your music?

Joe: When I was growing up, I would ask for instruments for birthdays/Christmas. I was only ever properly taught on the drums. So, I constantly flipped between different instruments, never getting that good at any of them. But all I ever wanted to do was record songs with as much as I could. I think that influenced me more than anything else – I’m quite DIY and messy, and I like changing the way I write and produce a lot.

Georgie: My family and friends.

What has been your most enjoyable musical experience up to now?

When we were writing our new EP we went to a cottage in the Brecon Beacons in Wales. There was no running water and barely any phone signal. It all got a bit mystical. Before that, we had been struggling to write for a bit. But it was a very liberating feeling being completely on your own (apart from the sheep), watching the scarily beautiful golden light as the sun went down. We started really enjoying making the music again.

What has been the most memorable gig you’ve ever played or attended?

Joe: It might have to be winning Battle of the Bands with my school band, aged 16. Experiences at that age like that stick with you forever.

Georgie: Piano concert when I was 5 in Norwich. I got a free mint Penguin.

Hyperpop seems to have an unusual place in music right now – everywhere yet still underground. Do you feel the genre has an important role in your overall sound?

We’re into certain aspects of hyperpop – the combative relationship between human expression and the computer. Autotune for example, we love what it can do to a vulnerable vocal – it restricts it, but it also can add an eerie extra layer of emotion. We also love the unnatural sound of SOPHIE. But we don’t think our lyrics have much in common with the majority of hyperpop, like Charli XCX, which tend to be deliberately shallow stuff inspired by the plastic pop of the late 90s/00s. Our songwriting is probably more influenced by big emotional artists like Bjork, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Frank Ocean.

What other bands or musicians do you feel we need to be checking out right now?

Some of these aren’t new or particularly underground but we’ve been listening to ML Buch, System Olympia, Dean Blunt, L’Rain, Deaton Chris Anthony, Guila Tess…

Was there a specific inspiration or incident behind the lyrics on Burnout?

We were feeling quite low at points over the last year. 2021 was boring. We didn’t release anything, and if you don’t release and you don’t gig, the grind of constantly trying to write the best song you’ve ever written becomes quite draining. Music is much more fulfilling when you feel like a musician. So, you need to show people what you make. Burnout was about us wondering whether we could keep doing what we were doing. But the process of making the EP as a whole was joyful actually. We really began to love again what we were making, and the process of making it. I think you can hear the new energy in the way these new songs sound – they are faster, they make you want to run.

What’s up next for 0171 in terms of releases, gigs, videos…?

We have one song coming out next month, and then another two a month after that. We should have an extended video combining those final two songs. The new EP is called Welcome Back To My Channel. We’re going to start gigging very soon. Then after, we plan to release much more rapidly than we have been over the last couple of years. We have a lot of music. We can’t wait to keep building the 0171 world.

You can discover more about 0171 on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also listen to Burnout on YouTube Music, Deezer, and Apple Music. Welcome Back To My Channel Is due for release in the coming months.