Quotes from Lauren Mayberry

We're a band that's never been okay with the status quo. In a way, it's allowed us to be more open and confrontational in our music.

Makeup and clothing and all that should be a fun way to be creative and express yourself. Just like in nature, where birds have all the colors. But instead, it's all focused on the aesthetics of being attractive to men. Even if you really don't think it is that, that's what we're doing.

People have said it's hypocritical for me to call myself a feminist and make the kind of music we are making, because we signed to a major in the U.K., and that system objectifies women. Or people have complained that I don't dance. But I like the idea that I can stomp around the stage if I want.

I find it quite boring when you're listening to radio, and it's the same kind of voice that's on every song on the radio. You can't really tell a lot about that singer as a storyteller and about the singer from what they're singing.

If you were 12, and Beyonce was up onstage saying to you, 'You get to do exactly whatever you want to do,' that would be awesome. I wish she said it to me when I was 12.

Moving from a first to a second album is an incredibly transitional time for any band because you never get to make one in a vacuum like you did with your debut.

We've done a couple of women's mags, but we tend to talk about feminism and women in the industry, which I feel more comfortable talking about. It's a more valuable discussion than, 'Oh, you're a girl in a band. What hair conditioner do you use?' I use hair conditioner, and I like talking about it. But I don't want that to be the question.

I'd rather work with a grassroots organization than in politics. I'm not sure I'd be the best politician because I don't think I'm good about tactfully tiptoeing around questions in the right way.

Ultimately, what we're striving for is people being allowed to do what they want and not feeling they should or shouldn't do certain things.

Some musicians don't have strong opinions, or they deliberately don't have strong opinions because they want to try and sell as many records as possible.

We come from a more alternative rock band background, and it's interesting to see the things that people think we should or shouldn't do since our music is a little bit poppier.

We were quickly labeled as an outspoken feminist band, which I'm totally fine with.

Writing with other people is the only way I ever really work. In some ways it's great because it's helpful to someone pull you out of the loop.

I identify as a feminist but subscribe to the pretty basic definition of a feminist as 'someone who seeks equality between the sexes.'

I would rather write something that's authentic to me than something that'll be likely to get played on the radio but doesn't have any substance to it. People can see through that really quickly.

You can't believe everything you read in a newspaper or everything that's coming out of the president's mouth. And you can't believe when someone posts a picture from their personal life, because most of the time, it's staged - we're showing each other these idealized versions of ourselves so that we seem better and other people will feel worse.

First time we played in New York was in 2013. It was all very eye-opening. A very bright lights, big-city sort of vibe, and we played the Mercury Lounge.

I like the idea of a record being more than one thing emotionally - human beings go through so many emotions in one day - and I like those things sitting next to each other.

We're in entertainment. We're supposed to be making music that communicates with people, but ultimately, it's supposed to be something that people can enjoy. Sometimes you just want to escape for an hour and a half.

I guess, at the end of the day, I want to be viewed as a musician.

When people say, 'Stay in your lane; you're a musician, so you should only talk about music,' what do you think songs are written about? I connect with music because what somebody has said has resonated with me in one way or another.

Cacie Dalager's voice is beautiful, and her lyrics break my heart.