The Staves discuss working “little ideas” into big songs with Justin Vernon

In the new issue of DIY (out tomorrow, Friday 27th February) The Staves take a trip to Mordor (sort of), by detailing their quest to find the perfect song with proven studio wizard Justin Vernon.

“I think the timing was really perfect because we were kinda getting to the point where we had started going a little bit crazy,” Camilla, one of the trio of sisters Stavely-Taylor explains, in between sips of camomile tea, “and we desperately needed to write something.”

After almost three years on the road in support of their debut ‘Dead & Born & Grown’, it was an invite from former touring mate Vernon that gave them the prime opportunity to get away. Unbeknown to the band, it was also the catalyst for their sophomore effort.

“It’s great and we love touring,” she continues, “but a lot of things have changed in the two or three years that we’ve been touring solidly. Our personal lives have changed, we’ve changed as people and we had a lot that we wanted to say, and get off our chests. When we went to Justin’s, it was just the best timing to have those two weeks. It was a breather, and suddenly all of this stuff came out and all of the little ideas that we’d had in our heads for ages were able to grow. “