Manchester-based Georgian continue to explore their poised melancholic sound with their new single and first new music of the year ‘Learning to Forget’, out now via Heist or Hit. But rather than this being the beginning of a new era for the band, they actually see it as a closing chapter, marking the end of the band as we know them up until this point. We sat down with Georgia McKiernan and James Poole to discuss the single, their creative process, the vibrant musical landscape of Manchester and how a deep-seated friendship fuels their captivating live performances.
“There’s a change coming,” Georgia boldly confirms. The release of ‘Learning to Forget’ was a long time coming, with the track having been finalised a few years ago. But the band’s first single of 2025 isn’t the start of something new for them, but is rather the closing chapter to everything they have done so far under the Georgian name.
“I would say that this is the ending of a chapter with this single,” James says. “We’re wanting to do an EP towards the end of this year, and I feel like it’s going to take quite a different road. Also, it was written a while ago. The ones we’re working on now, which have been demoed, are very recent, within the last few months.”
Georgia attributes this change to the band’s current line-up: “I’ve been doing this for about five years, but getting new members in, I think it was hearing everyone’s different influences and just trying a new approach that made us lean more towards this sort of Americana, Western sort of feel.” Long-time member James adds, “This is the first time it actually felt like a proper band, if that makes any sense. I think that coincided with the new stuff being written.”
The band has explored a diverse range of genres thus far, and that only seems set to continue as they evolve their sound. Georgia lists bands like The Dandy Warhols, Wolf Alice and The Beatles as personal favourites, while James highlights Neil Young and MJ Lenderman, who they recently saw perform live. Georgia also mentions a frequent comparison: “I get compared to Mazzy Star as well, which is an influence, but the comparison is probably just because I’m quite shy and awkward.”
‘Learning to Forget’ came together in its final form in Amsterdam, alongside the band’s producer Arno Stols. “I went in with the bare bones of a song. I’d just turned 20, and I’d not been abroad in years because of COVID and everything, so I was travelling to a new city all by myself. Because I was a bit naive and didn’t really know how this thing worked, I was quite open to anyone throwing in their suggestions.”
This resulted in a very collaborative experience: “Arno had a lot of influence in a good way on the track. It was like a whole new experience. I’d never been in the studio before; everything was just brand new, so I was just being a ‘yes’ person. That’s the way, I’ll do anything.”
Despite the personal nature of the song and its lyrics, Georgia was able to express those emotions during the writing and recording process with ease. “Maybe the language barrier helped, because Arno is Dutch! He didn’t really ask too many questions about what the song was about… but I feel like I was quite secure in the way that I felt and the things I was saying.”
The music video was filmed in Manchester, the band’s home base. “I just wanted it to be somewhere that was familiar to us, and we’re always drinking at Yes, or gigging there. It’s got such a lovely skyline view,” Georgia says.
James adds, “We wanted to be in the heart of the city, I think, because the song was kind of about feeling excluded and feeling isolated within your feelings, whilst the world just continues around you and everyone’s busy and hectic in their own lives. That was the whole point of the party – that wasn’t just to get drunk. That was the reason behind it,” he laughs.
Manchester’s rich musical history is undeniable, but Georgian find themselves most inspired by the evolving music scene in the city today. “Obviously, I think it’s known for its Britpop, but there are so many different subsections and subgenres that it’s exploring more now, which is nice because it’s not just being defined for its history. People are still trying to make it, and there’s new genres right now,” Georgia says.
James adds, “You will find a scene somewhere in Manchester. And there’s so many good small venues as well. There’s always a good community somewhere.”
Georgia originally moved to Manchester from Nottingham to study music, which led to the band’s formation following advice from her manager, Damian Morgan. The band has been together in their current line-up since October 2024, which has transformed their live shows: “I feel like I just have so much more fun on stage with these guys,” she says.
“I’m never stressing that something could go wrong because they’re all such talented players, and even if something did go wrong, they could play it off super well. I just find it fun, honestly. Nowadays, I’ve never danced so much and smiled so much and just felt as confident as I do with these guys.”
Later this year, the band will be performing at Float Along Festival and Jarred Up Festival in Sheffield. “We’ll have brand new songs for everyone, which I’m very excited to play live,” Georgia says.
James reveals, “The song that we open with, which is called ‘Strike A Wound,’ was the song that marked the start of the new era for us.” Georgia adds that she expects the introduction of these new songs to change the energy of their live show: “I just feel like the audience are going to have so much more fun. Now it’s going to be a lot more interactive and high energy. And just fun – fun is the word I want to use.”
In terms of recording and releasing these songs, which will make up their forthcoming EP, Georgia concludes cryptically: “We’ll be going to Amsterdam very, very soon.”
‘Learning to Forget’, the latest single from Georgian, is out now.
