Yesterday Fun Fun Fun Fest released their annual lineup which includes our favorite trio CHVRCHES! Join them along with over 100 bands and comedians on four stages over three days. Check out the lineup in the festival poster above along with the video announcement below.

This annual music and comedy festival held in Austin, Texas will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year which will run from November 6-8th at Auditorium Shores. USP and weekend passes are on sale now via the festival's website. Single day passes will be announced at a future date.

In case you missed it, check out the May 2015 episode of the TYCI podcast from Amanda Stanley and Lauren Mayberry! We might have to dub this episode, “the cat episode”. Along with some amusing cat conversations we also get six great tracks to listen to including one from TYCI contributor Gretchen and her band Kibiria. Also, hints from Lauren that CHVRCHES are winding up work on their sophomore album.

As always a good listen to the ladies and the music they share. For those unfamiliar with TYCI click here to learn more about this collective run by women.

CHVRCHES have added yet another music festival appearance to their growing list of shows this summer and fall. This September they will be heading to the Boston Calling Music Festival in Boston, Massachusetts!

The fall 2015 Boston Calling Music Festival is scheduled for September 25-27th at City Hall Plaza in Boston. Based on the listed dates of CHVRCHES shows they appear to be playing on Saturday the 26th. Ticket information is available via the festival's website and will be on sale tomorrow at 10AM EST.

With CHVRCHES back in the studio for their sophomore album we were honored to get a few minutes with Lauren Mayberry to take a look back at their experiences from their explosive debut album The Bones of What You Believe and hear what is next from the lovely trio from Glasgow, Scotland. Without further ado let’s hear what Lauren had to share with us.

A LOOK BACK

LMF: How did Chvrches form as a band for those who may not know your story?

LAUREN: I met Iain in September 2011 when he was producing an EP for my old band, Blue Sky Archives, at Chem 19, outside Glasgow. After that weekend of recording, he asked if I would like to come do some backing vocals for a project he was working on with Martin, and from there we started to write together as a three-piece and CHVRCHES began. Iain and Martin met on the Applied Music course at Strathclyde University. Martin played session keyboards for Aereogramme, Iain’s old band, and they had always talked about writing together but it didn’t happen for quite a while.

LMF: Who are your musical influences?

LAUREN: Musically, I grew up on a healthy diet of things like Sleater-Kinney and Death Cab For Cutie, as well as CHVRCHES’ more common musical influences like Cyndi Lauper, Depeche Mode and Cocteau Twins.

LMF: What were some of your most memorable experiences from The Bones of What You Believe tour?

LAUREN: We toured the album pretty extensively so were lucky enough to play lots of different places and meet lots of different people. Playing festivals like Glastonbury and Coachella were really big moments for us as we never thought we would get to do things like that, but I always enjoy the shows in towns we’ve never been to before, far away from home. When people turn up to those gigs, it means an awful lot.

LMF: Can you recall any crazy, funny or memorable fan interactions from The Bones of What You Believe tour?

LAUREN: We are really privileged to have had such a supportive fan base so early on and our fans are really cool and respectful. We get some great presents sometimes – a toy ‘cat lady’ action figure was pretty random, and I got some birthday cupcakes with little cats on them last year. I think I am getting the reputation for being a cat person but I do honestly like all the animals…

LMF: What are your must have items when on the road touring?

LAUREN: Headphones, notebook, yoga mat, books, a laptop, films and TV shows, a phone to communicate with everyone back home, and earplugs to block out the incessant tour bus snoring.

LMF: Who is the practical joker of the group? Any good pranks you have played on each other that you can share with us?

LAUREN: Martin is probably the best at this. He once convinced Iain and our friend James (The Range) that Harry Styles had been in touch with our manager because he wanted to go on a weird date with me in Miami. It was completely fabricated but Dok was very convincing, and the others are pretty gullible…

LMF: Since the release of your article for The Guardian have you had a generally positive reaction from fans and the music industry?

LAUREN: The response we got from fans and other musicians was really positive. The only negative responses we got, I think, just served to reinforce the points we made in the first place. I also think it has helped us shape the conversation about our band a little more as most journalists now know about that article so tend to ask us about that rather than more clichéd questions often leveled at female musicians.

LMF: What has been your biggest challenge as a band to date?

LAUREN: I think we’ve worked hard to adapt to spending so much time on the road. When you see another person that much and your work life, personal life and physical space are all always so completely entwined, it’s really important to communicate well and be sensitive to what other people need as well as yourself. For now, our challenge is to write another album that we feel good about. And we’re working on that.

LMF: Regarding your lengthy first tour, what did you take away from that? Personally or professionally, what will you carry forward and what will you leave behind or do differently?

LAUREN: Although this is the first time we have toured at such a frequency, we had all done a reasonable amount of touring in our other bands at a much lesser level of comfort so this was so much better. It’s hard to not have a solid base but it’s almost as if you have to start to find that within yourself rather than in a physical place, and that can be difficult at times but seems like an important skill to learn.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR CHVRCHES

LMF: How is the new album coming along?

LAUREN: We are writing and recording in Glasgow at the moment. We feel good about our progress but still have a lot of work to do so don’t have a release date in mind as yet.

LMF: Is there a title for your sophomore album yet?

LAUREN: Not as yet. That will likely come once we are further down the road with lyrics.

LMF: Will we hear Martin on lead vocals for a couple of songs again and will he have a new dance to add to his repertoire to go along with them?

LAUREN: We don’t know at the moment who will be singing what but there is every chance there will be more male vocals on this album – it just depends on the song. And regarding his dance moves, I’m sure those will continue to evolve over time. Can't put baby in the corner.

LMF: Do you think these new songs have a certain theme that is running through them?

LAUREN: Lyrically, it’s hard to say at this point because we are still quite early in the process. I never sit down with a certain theme in mind to write but sometimes in retrospect you can see patterns within the lyrical content. That’s certainly what happened when we looked back at the first album but I wasn’t aware of it at the time.

LMF: What bands are currently playing on your iPod or other music streaming devices?

LAUREN: I am still really enjoying the Hannah Lou Clark EP from last year and also the new Bjork album.

LMF: Will we hear any news songs at any of the festivals you’re playing this summer and autumn?

LAUREN: Potentially! We are still recording so haven't started live rehearsals yet but are hoping to expand the set list a little...

LMF: What bands would you like to collaborate with or cover in the future?

LAUREN: Every time we say we’re done with covers, another radio station makes us do one so maybe it will never end… Collaboration wise, it seems more likely that we would work with producers or engineers rather than featuring certain artists, but for the time being, we’re pretty happy doing everything between ourselves and our studio engineer David Simpson in Glasgow.

LMF: Anything else you would like to share with your fans?

LAUREN: Thank you guys for being so supportive and taking time out of your lives to feed into this fan community. It means a lot to us and we hope to see you all again in person soon.

Thank you to Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty for being such an inspiration to many including us. And special thanks to Lauren for taking time away from your busy schedule to speak with us and to CHVRCHES manager Campbell McNeil for making this interview possible. I think we can all agree everyone is eagerly awaiting the return of CHVRCHES!

This Saturday night TYCI brings another stacked lineup to Glasgow! Birmingham trio Youth Man will headline the event with support from STROP (previously FROTH) and Happy Meals on the decks. If you’re in the area Saturday night stop by for a great night of music in support of some great causes.

This event kicks off at 11pm at the Stereo Café Bar in Glasgow. Tickets are now available for £5 via Stereo Café Bar. As with every month, TYCI’s raffle supports a different charity. This month funds raised will go to ActionAid UK.