Artist Interview: Dafties
Dafties, the alternative pop/rock duo from Wigan, Greater Manchester, burst onto the scene in late 2024 and have been relentlessly releasing music ever since. In their breakout year, they've garnered over 100,000 streams, secured major radio features, and established a distinct, high-energy sound that's earning them comparisons to everyone from Lily Allen to Sonic Youth. We caught up with Rae and Connor to talk about their origins, their prolific creative pace, and the single that became their turning point.
Tori: "Dafties launched in November 2024. Can you walk us through the moment and the conversation that led to the decision to officially form the duo?"
Connor: “We both used to be in a band together called Estaters. A while after Rae had left that band, we had the chance to sit down and talk over a few beers — Rae said she wants to do music together again professionally, so we both discussed strict goals we wanted to achieve before making anything official, then shortly after we both agreed to see how far we could take a new project.”
Tori: "You hail from Wigan, Greater Manchester. How did the local music scene and your surroundings in Northern England influence your earliest musical ideas and sound?"
Rae: “To put it short—none! Most of our musical influences, whether it be vocally, lyrically, or melodically were from artists from the south of England, such as SOFY, Wet Leg, Chloe Slater, and even NewDad from over in Ireland! The music and sound we have, albeit maybe cocky to say— we feel is quite distinct and niche, setting us apart from most other bands and artists.”
Tori: "As an alternative pop/rock duo, what common musical ground did you initially share, and what individual influences did you each bring to the table that clash in an interesting way?"
Connor: “We share a mutual love for alt rock and anything under that umbrella. When it comes to influences clashing…yes. Those contrasting influences essentially created the Dafties sound. Rae loves Chloe Moriondo, who is largely an indie pop artist with angelic vocals, much of which is imitated on Dafties songs—meanwhile my personal favourite influence, Lower Than Atlantis, were a melodic hardcore group, known for punchy melodies and a heavy tone. You can hear that blend on tracks like Upstream, Passenger Princess, Blame the Weather and others.”
Tori:" For those who haven't listened, what is the key ingredient that makes your collaboration work so well?"
Rae: “The key ingredient that makes us work, and would help most bands work, is time together. Our writing/rehearsal schedule is so hectic. We spend so much time together working and grafting that we have naturally built a huge chemistry and connection, to a point where Connor can pick up a guitar and after 10-15 minutes we could already have 90% of a song written, just from jamming it out and experimenting!”
Tori: "What was the very first song Dafties ever wrote together, and looking back, how does that track compare to the material on Tea?"
Connor: “Our first ever song that we wrote together for the Dafties project was Easy to Remove Tattoos, which features on our debut album Crying Lafter. This however wasn't our debut single, it was Change the Station - and if we were to compare those songs to anything on Tea, we'd argue that our sound is now unrecognisable. Cleaner, punchier, more of a groove. Huge lyrical and melodic improvements compared to our previous work, and it's been more enjoyable than ever writing these songs and we can't wait for people to hear them.”
Tori: "In your breakout year, you released five singles, a live-recorded track, and a 10-track debut album. How did you manage that incredibly prolific creative pace, and what motivated you to put out so much music so quickly?"
Rae: “We spend so much time together outside our work schedules writing new material, recording, and producing it, that we've created such a huge catalogue in such a short time. We're big believers in— if you have music, no matter how good or bad you might deem it to be, it could always be somebody else's cup of Tea! So, don't gatekeep your own music, there's no better time than now, life is too short.”
Tori: "With over 100,000 streams in your first year, what was the single biggest turning point that you feel put Dafties on the map?"
Connor: “Thrift Store. The stats on that single are unreal. The feedback, attention, and publicity it’s brought us have been a major turning point for us as a duo. It was meant to be a standalone single, but it’s too strong not to feature on the upcoming mixtape!”
Tori:" You secured features on BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio USA/UK, and Zeno FM. Which of these early media nods felt the most significant to you, and why?"
Rae: “The numerous BBC Introducing features we've had up to this date have each felt like Christmas. Most of my favourite artists I discovered through BBC, Connor is the same, and to be putting out music that is clearly approved, endorsed and queued next to and alongside other incredible acts by the BBC feels like incredible progress to us.”
Tori: "Warrington Worldwide called your sound 'Lily Allen meets Sonic Youth'. Were you aiming for a specific sound when you started, or did this unique comparison surprise you?"
Rae: “I think the comparison summed us up perfectly. A lot of the vocals and lyrics are very Lily Allen-esque, with a lot of British slang and attitude. We're quite a patriotic duo so we try to include as many nods as possible towards British culture in our music. In terms of the melodies, especially with our earlier stuff, it's very much like the grungey Sonic Youth sound!”
Tori: "What was the most memorable or chaotic experience from your early high-energy performances across Northern England's music hotspots"?
Connor: “Yeah, so we played a bunch of gigs this summer—some made it to our socials, others didn’t. But for nearly every show on our mini debut album tour after its release, at almost every venue, we had the whole crowd singing our lyrics back to us (with a bit of prompting, of course). Honestly, it felt like a dream come true.”
Tori: "After putting out a full-length debut, why did you decide to shift gears and release an EP, Tea, as your eagerly awaited next project in January 2026?"
Rae: “We went straight to releasing our debut album as we were eager to churn out as much music as possible, as soon as possible, and don't get me wrong we're proud of the release, but we have learnt our lesson—sometimes less is more, and we're going to show that in this upcoming EP, because it is without any doubt our best work yet!”
Tori: "What specific lessons or mistakes from recording the debut album did you apply to the process of making Tea?"
Connor: “The entire debut album was rushed, because we were just so eager to push it out. From writing, to production, to marketing, everything was so forced. We have been working on music for Tea since June this year and the mixtape isn't due to be released until early 2026, so time, patience and ensuring everything is the best we can possibly make it is the number one priority and the biggest lesson learnt from mistakes on Crying Lafter.”
Tori: "The debut album presumably covered a lot of ground. How did you choose the central theme to focus on for this new EP?"
Connor: “Our debut album Crying Lafter was themed around coming into adulthood from adolescence and most of the problems people encounter. When it comes to Tea, it's more about adulthood frustrations, spilling the 'Tea' (gossip), and simply having a rant about modern day absurdities that we're all sick of - all in the form of both catchy, upbeat and moody melodies.”
Tori:"Which specific track on Tea—whether it's 'Hat-trick,' 'Thrift Store,' or 'Askhole'—feels like the most direct evolution of the sound you established in your first year?"
Rae: “I think it's Askhole personally. It's my favorite melodically and lyrically. There is so much to say about it, but I won't spill the Tea just yet. But we’re still working on other songs, so that might change, who knows!”
Tori: "Having built your core audience with your debut, what is your primary goal for Tea—to expand your reach, deepen your sound, or something else entirely?"
Connor: “Tea is the mixtape we're expecting everyone to finally find us from. The outreach we're expecting for this is going to be quite great. We're certainly gearing up for that treatment at least. We're serious about Tea reaching new ears in new places, and we’re serious about producing something that people will be adding to their playlists, listening to on the bus, train, in the car, and more. But only time will tell how it’s received!
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