THERE are those who say you can’t make an impact in the music industry without organised support – and then there are Pretty Preachers Club.

The duo seemed to rise from out of nowhere, claiming scalp after scalp, generating interest and a bit of a buzz about them. Then their first release of 2021 – Just Tell People How You Feel – launched them to a whole new level, with the charming 6/8 track boasting more than 125,000 streams after attracting the ears of playlist curators.

A number of other tracks also picked up thousands of plays as support for the band – made up of Martha McKay and Hannah Berry – only continues to grow.

While their breakthrough is not entirely uncommon for Scottish projects, it is all the more impressive given the fact they have self-recorded all their work and have yet to play a gig. The way in which music has been digested over the last year has altered; with the likes of Pretty Preachers Club giving hope to many who are without major industry support at their disposal.

“I think music is becoming more and more accessible now for everyone,” McKay tells The Weekender. “You don't need a fancy label or studio, just ideas, a microphone and a stable internet connection.

“I think it is really wonderful to see so many new artists releasing their own stuff. The music industry shouldn't just be for the rich.

“We record everything from Hannah's family garage, using minimal equipment and software. Just Tell People How You Feel was recorded in one take during a thunderstorm – you can hear the rain on her garage roof.”

I think it is really wonderful to see so many new artists releasing their own stuff. The music industry shouldn't just be for the rich."

Berry adds: "It’s one of my favourite things now: just sitting down and doing whatever I want with song. I think we are definitely keen to go to a proper studio at some point to record some stuff but will always continue to home record as you get so much freedom.”

"We genuinely can’t get over [the response to Just Tell People How You Feel]; it’s amazing what happens if Spotify adds you to some of their playlists. We are so lucky; we both love that song a lot, but didn’t expect it to reach 10k, let alone 100k streams in a month."

By taking a DIY approach, Pretty Preachers Club have been able to release six singles and an EP over the course of the last six months or so – a redoubtable output.

But the fast-paced nature of their release scheduled is also the product of their own philosophy: not everything has to be perfect. On the contrary: if they have a song completed, they will let everyone hear it.

McKay says: “We just feel that we are so full of new ideas for music. We don't want to release them slowly because our tastes change over time, and we are always wanting to be working on the next release.

“I think there is this negative idea around releasing music quickly that people will lose interest or artists will burn out, or it won't 'be perfect' but I hate this – I think perfect is unattainable and frankly quite boring.

“I would rather continue the way we are: releasing the music we enjoy making and experimenting with new sounds and instruments. I'd hate to spend a year working on a song – that's when people tend to overthink it. For me, creativity is very impulsive and spur of the moment.”

It’s hard to argue against the approach which has served the pair so well. Barely a year as a band and they are preparing to unveil their second EP later this month.

April 30th has been set down for the release of the Romance and Adolescence EP, featuring new track Love in London – a track, which at more than five minutes, is a little different for the band, but one which stays true to that Pretty Preachers Club sound.

Berry adds: “We definitely chatted about the running time of Love in London as we were like: ‘is this too long?’ But, in the end, we felt we couldn’t cut anything out. We found with the second EP each track was quite unique, but still had some kind of PPC vibe that tied it together.

We started it as a result of two bottles of wine and a tipsy Instagram cover of one of our favourite songs..."

“Martha had written out these lyrics for a while – in fact back in August I had used these lyrics to a different melody that I felt, in the end, didn’t really go anywhere. So, it’s been in our heads for a while; it was only when we were maybe thinking about a second EP I dug the lyrics out again and tried something new and we both loved it. I can’t wait to perform this one live.”

Taking to the stage for the first time is on the horizon for McKay and Berry, as they look to take the next big step for the band. Live performances will no doubt open more doors for Pretty Preachers Club, which has already accomplished so much in such a short space of time.

“We started it as a result of two bottles of wine and a tipsy Instagram cover of one of our favourite songs,” McKay recalls. “The name always seems to confuse people, I wish there were some elaborate story behind it, but, in reality, we were listening to Dusty Springfield's Son of a Preacher Man and used a band-name generator from Google.”

She adds: “I think we just want to create music that's relatable lyrically but then also nice and easy to listen to. When we get a chance to start doing gigs, we want it to feel like a safe space, we are massive advocates of being unique and celebrating absolutely everyone so definitely hope that shines through our music.”

Romance and Adolescence will be released on Friday, April 30.