Even through the mayhem, Dana believes it was a blessing to the recording process. “We recorded it in stints, and then we gave it some time to rest and came back to mix it. When you record, you get so deeply into the songs you forget how they sound. If you leave them for a few weeks and come back, they sound fresh.”

Fresh they certainly are. ‘Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky’ is not only a new injection of Porridge Radio into our collective ears, but also an enormous growth in their sound. The maturity of Dana’s lyricism and vocal expression read new levels, with a more measured approach compared to previous work. Porridge Radio still implement their no holds barred mentality, but this time with more precision and refinement.

It’s a change that’s immediately evident on the album’s first track, ‘Back to the Radio’ - an enormous ballad that swells and intensifies with the addition of horns, chorus and what feels like a million other layers. “When I was writing, I was just splurging out a song and bashing out chords on a guitar,” Dana explains. “This time, there was more intent to think about other ways to play that weren’t as heavy-handed.”

Sam says the sound was also influenced by Dana’s frequent requests for a ‘stadium epic’ sound while recording. “I kept being like, ‘Make that stadium epic!’ and Tom and Sam were like… ‘What the fuck?’” Dana recalls, laughing.

While they may achieve stadium epic status, make no mistake - this is still the same plucky band from their previous releases. “Because we had many years prior of doing it ourselves and have a very strong vision of how we want it to be, we still have the attitude of wanting to be sure we have ultimate control of what we’re making,” Sam states. “Making and creating things is the most rewarding part.”

‘Waterslide...’ is a testament to the benefit of creative ownership, with the tracklist boasting titanic pop tunes and stripped-down dirges alike. “Sometimes I wanna make a massive pop banger, and sometimes I wanna make a sad little song,” Dana says, shrugging. “You make what you make, no worries, no pressure.” Porridge Radio’s creative possession is almost authorial. Even the cover art is from a series of Dana’s paintings made during lockdown, which eventually inspired the album’s title.

While their music has gotten bigger, there’s still an undeniable sense of Porridge Radio’s unique tone in play. Sam sums it up, “We do just have our identity, so it’s still gonna sound like us.”

“We’ll only exist as waveforms,” Sam confirms, on board with the plan.

Two years of a pandemic has certainly not hampered the creative efforts of Porridge Radio. “It was an incredibly difficult few years, but it was also incredibly valuable,” Dana reflects on the time since ‘Every Bad’ was released. “It was very lucky that we had some time to just stop.”

Since it looks like nothing can stop the wheels from turning on this album, the band are excited to play live but are taking steps to ensure they look after themselves on their upcoming tour with plenty of rest, support and good food. “It would be nice to get to the end of a tour without having to collapse for weeks,” Dana chuckles while Sam nods knowingly.

‘Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky’ is not only a monolithic, emotional outpouring; it’s a pure expression of Porridge Radio in their current form. Just one of the many exciting steps in their journey to become glowing orbs. It’s nice to have goals, eh? ■

Taken from the June 2022 edition of Dork, out now. Porridge Radio’s album ‘Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky’ is out 20th May.