Talking about the importance of honesty in their songwriting, Steph and Jess quickly agree that getting up close and personal with their feelings and being upfront about their struggles is a priority, even if, sometimes, it might be a little intimidating. “It’s different every time,” Steph muses. “There’s some stuff that Jess will write, and it’s a bit of a release for her, and sometimes it can be difficult, but you have to overcome that. If it is personal, then that’s a good thing because that’s where songs should come from. They should be true and come from personal experiences.”

That’s when it’s time for the band to shine. “In terms of the music side, it’s definitely more Guy and Joe,” Steph admits. “Obviously, Guy produces all of our songs as well, and he just has a vision of where he thinks it should go, and the same with Joe. More often than not, the song starts off a ballad and ends up being this like high energy screaming mosh pit kind of song. It’s really fun to watch it evolve.”

Does that ever lead to arguments? “When you’re a band, you’ve just got to be open-minded,” Jess considers. “For me, sometimes, I’ve had that feeling where I’m like… if I’ve written a song all the way through and you take it to the recording studio, and everyone wants to make changes to it, that’s been a real lesson for me to be like, we’re a band.”

Steph agrees: “It’s a compromise, isn’t it? Compromise and being completely honest. If one of us doesn’t like it, then it doesn’t happen. If it’s not a four-way agreement, it tends to not go any further than that, and we change direction. But we’re quite open with what our opinions are. When we don’t like something, we say it; when we love something, we say it; and when there’s a tie, I guess sometimes we carry on with both directions and end up seeing what’s best.”

Perhaps the best example of such a change of direction is the journey from EP1 to EP2. Moving from sun-kissed indie to raw alt-rock and switching breezy melodies for swelling urgency, Coach Party have no doubt elevated their sound. A direct result of revisiting their old one and realising, hey, that’s not us anymore.

Now that they have their feet firmly planted on the road to superstardom, Coach Party find themselves in a position where they are expected to deliver. There are deadlines now. Unfortunately, emotions don’t work to a deadline; they come and go as they please.

Reflecting on Jess’s lyrical prowess, Steph continues: “Jess does the majority of the writing, and it amazes me. Especially with EP two, the lyrics are so mature. Sometimes it makes me think I should check in on her, make sure she’s alright.”

But what Steph doesn’t tell you, and what Jess very helpfully throws into the conversation, is that she has recently joined the songwriter ranks herself, and quite successfully so. “It’s a beautiful song,” Jess assures.

As the conversation turns towards how it feels to release an EP when you can’t actually tour it, both Jess and Steph are surprisingly relaxed. “I’d say there’s always pressure with a release, but we’ve always been in a position where we haven’t really had the opportunity to go out and play many shows,” Steph explains. “I think as Coach Party, we’ve done only five, maybe four. So, in a way, we’ve always been an internet band. With the Covid situation, I guess there is a little bit more pressure, but more people are actually listening because there’s nothing else to do. They’re interacting more, and it’s really lovely to hear and see.”

On that note, here is a PSA to all of you lovely Dork readers to get online and buy the ‘After Party’ EP. If not for the music, then to fund their dreams of buying a band boat so our four islanders can come and go to the Isle of Wight as they please. Goodbye, annoying ferries; hello “Not Poor Anymore” (Jess’s brilliant name suggestion). We’re already on board.