Exclusive Interview with SIR

Denver-based trio SIR have quickly started to make a name for themselves. With their sound being described as a cross between Halsey and SEE, the group, made up of Sarah Angela, Kim O’Hara and Luke Mehrens, has a new and unique sound that allows them to stand out in today’s wide variety of musical offerings. I got the chance to talk with them about how their band got started, their writing process, and what’s coming up next for them.

For those who might not have ever heard of SIR, can you give me a brief history of the band and how it culminated into what is now known as SIR?

Each of us have all played music for the majority of our lives. We were all on separate musical journeys when we finally came together in Denver. It took some time to become the version of three we have now. Kim joined with Sarah first after some heavy pleading. Luke then joined a bit later to finally complete our trifecta. There were some trials with other members but we finally decided we liked it best just us three. We wrote the songs we play now and the album we’re about to release.

Where does the name SIR come from?

We needed a name that felt strong and sexy and rock, and we loved the idea of a female fronted band with such a masculine title.

How would you describe your sound without using genre names?

Sexy, melodic, emotional, beat driven, music with lyrics that mean something.

Talk about the writing process. Who does most of the writing? How much of a song is ‘finished’ once the band plays it together? Have you had to scrap songs that just didn’t work once the band started to rehearse them?

It took us a while to figure out what works best for us, but writing together has been the key. Sarah writes most of the lyrics, and Kim and Luke write most of the music. We usually start with a bare bones idea and morph it into something together, but there have definitely been songs we’ve let go because we couldn’t nail down the idea.

When you’re working on new music, who or what inspires you?

Love, loss, life, death, fun, music. We take all of our experiences living, the good and the bad, and write something that was born in one of the those feelings. We have songs on this album about a tough breakup, about losing a loved one, about being at a music festival with friends. Each song tells a story.

Your latest single is called “So Cold.” What’s the story behind this song?

We’ve heard a lot of different stories of what people think this song is about, and it can apply to all of them! We wrote it about losing a band member in a pretty ugly way, so for us it was about recognizing that hurt, and also realizing how much closer and stronger we were because of it. That was the moment we really became a solid band, and we’ve never looked back.

Is there a track, whether one that’s already been released or one that has yet to be released, that you feel best represents you and who you are as a band?

It’s a little like choosing your favorite Game of Thrones character or favorite taco. They all mean something to us. We really tried to make music that we love and hope the world loves them too. There is a lyric from our first single “Go” that says, “So tell me how, how we found this perfect thing here now” and that really expresses how we feel about finding each other and being able to make music together.

Word has it that you guys might be dropping an album sometime soon. Can you give us a little insight on it? What are you most excited about with this album? Any particular track that you favor and are most looking forward to sharing with the fans?

We are! It comes out this November (date to be announced) and we are so excited about it. We recorded it in LA at Serenity West Studios. One of the songs we are excited about is “The Monster You See” which is unreleased but will be on the album. We enjoy playing it live and think people will relate to it.

We’re called Talk Nerdy With Us and we love talking about what people are passionate and excited about. What is something that you guys nerd out over?

Without a doubt it’s Game of Thrones!! We are all probably a little too obsessed with the show. It might not be healthy. We dress up in costumes sometimes while rehearsing.

What can fans expect from SIR for the rest of 2017?

We have one more single we are releasing in October, then the album release in November. We’ll finish the year by heading out on tour for as much of November and December as we can! We love meeting new people, so if you see we are playing in your city, come say hi.

You can find SIR on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Spotify, iTunes, and their website.