A SALISBURY band is preparing to release its first EP.

Echoes, which is made up of Natalie Manning, 19, on lead vocals, Jordan Hicks, 22, on guitar, and drummer Tom Armstrong, 20.

The trio grew up together and went to Stonehenge School where they were in a school rock band.

After going off in their separate directions after leaving school - studying and working - they continued to perform in different bands and shows, which led to their paths crossing once again.

As a result Echoes was formed and is a project Natalie, Jordan and Tom have been working on for about a year.

Salisbury Journal:

Pictures by Rachel DiBiaso from HP Music studios

The band said: "We are very excited to be recording our first EP, this is the first time we have recorded anything professionally and we are very happy with the outcome and the sound we have produced.

"The main aspect we wanted to keep for our first EP was our raw full band sound i.e. the guitar, drums, bass, and vocals you would hear from us live. The way we have written the songs gives a fuller sound, similar to synths and production used in modern pop songs."

Speaking about the band's sound and musical inspiration, they said: "Our band sound would be described as pop rock, however we have a lot of different hidden genres that we use even if it’s for a small snippet or pause in a song.

"We use very upbeat, jumpy riffs and drums with a mix of quite dreamy and melodic guitar tones to highlight our pop/musical theatre vocalist.

"We all have lots of inspirations from other bands and artists, new and old that help us create and write new music.

"Newer bands who have inspired our style of writing and who we aspire to be, such as Don Broco, Lower than Atlantis, Paramore.

"We all stem from families who have been brought us up listening to older bands which is where we find a lot of inspiration to i.e. Rush, Pink Floyd, Def Leppard, Queen, Prince... and many more."

The band have been recording the EP at HP Music studios in Ringwood and hope to release it later this month and build a following through streaming services such as Spotify, YouTube, and iTunes. They do hope to start gigging as a full electric band when they are able to.

They added: "It’s been a very difficult year for us during the Covid pandemic especially as we have been trying to record the EP, which has been a constant yoyo in and out of the studio. We have managed to record during periods in between the lockdowns and also fit socially distanced rehearsals.

"On a positive note this has given us time to write and work on newer things for 2021, this also gives us a chance to catch up to other bands hopefully when we eventually release in the new year."

Echoes performed at Madding Crowd Bournemouth last month supporting Roy Stride, the lead singer from Scouting For Girls. Speaking about the experience they said: "Performing at Madding Crowd Bournemouth was such an amazing opportunity and experience for our first live gig as Echoes.

"We were still slightly in shock from when we got the call we would be supporting them, as we have grown up listening to their music. The best thing however was just being able to get up on stage and perform live and show people what we have been working on throughout 2020."