Interview
Interview
Sean Trelford: “I know lots of people that are fine with meeting heroes. I think I’d sh*t myself”
We spoke to the indie rock stargazer about his "acid classical" sound, and why he'd be a bag of nerves meeting his music idols
“There’s no universe where I wouldn’t be making music.” It’s easy to believe Sean Trelford‘s affirmation, since he built his own musical universe within the confines of his bedroom.
Cambridgeshire has long been a hotbed for experimentation. Be it in the sciences at the city’s renowned university, or musically when you consider landscape-altering sonic pioneers Pink Floyd formed there. It’s a trait that the multi-instrumentalist has adopted himself, whose output to date echoes 00s indie stargazers like Grizzly Bear, Deerhunter, and Beach House.
Talking to Trelford over Zoom about his forthcoming EP Ulcer, he has the haywire excitement of an oddball scientist making a breakthrough discovery. Pulling together various threads of conversation before making a salient point, like he’s figuring out equations whilst talking in real time. Though he himself would put his synaptic conversational style down to his lack of people skills, Trelford’s giddiness is infectious. Having made music for outsiders looking in, now the world is starting to peer into his musical world after debut live shows at Mutations Festival and as one of the coveted First Fifty artists announced for 2026’s The Great Escape Festival.
After those shows went down, and what promises to be a big year ahead, we spoke to Sean Trelford about his musical upbringing, his “acid classical” sound, and why he’d be a bag of nerves meeting his music heroes.
When did your relationship with music begin?
When I was younger, about four. My mum is a crazy lovely Latin lady and she made me learn the classical piano. At the time I hated it. My brother also occupies the piano – he’s studying jazz at Trinity Laban which is nearby. In comparison, I’m very under-qualified. So I switched to guitar when I was eight, on my birthday. I had a chat with my dad about Jimi Hendrix. I was enthralled about how cool his licks were. I started grinding that every day. But I got to grade eight in drums, guitar, piano and bass when I was eleven. It’s all I was doing. I was just a really fat kid playing music. I hit puberty, then as a heterosexual guy trying to get girls, that and music go hand-in-hand. But it never really worked. I just really enjoy making music.
Did you enjoy playing at that time, or was there a moment you can remember when you really connected to playing?
It was the long drives in the car as a kid. It’s a universal experience. You absorb what your mum and dad love. So, hearing The Beatles and ELO pulled at my heartstrings. My dad loved Pink Floyd and The Doors, all the psychedelic stuff. I remember listening to Grizzly Bear, Mac DeMarco and Thundercat, thinking ‘wow, this is cool’. My brother used to play me math-rock. It made me realise what a vast universe of music there is.
What solidified me doing this [making music] was when I was fifteen, when I heard Mahler’s ‘Fifth Symphony’, Prior to that I’d only played around with classical music, because I hated the pretentious characters that liked classical music. I mean, I make lo-fi indie primarily, so thought ‘f*ck that sh*t’. But I went deep into Mahler and swear to God I cried. You didn’t need words to create such intense emotion. Beyond literal words. It stills blasts me out of the water today. But yeah, classical music and indie music. That’s my wheelhouse.
You’ve described your sound as “acid classical”. Can you dig into what that means?
I love psychedelic music. I’ve always loved the portamento of a string, that glide. I just love that texture. The harmony of impressionist classical, which feels like the route of jazz music. I want to take those nice chord extensions, and make it accessible for people to listen to. All I care about is what I think sounds good. I don’t want to make “acid classical” because it sounds cool. It’s about harmony, and getting to emotion through that harmony. Classical and psychedelic music – like the latter day Beatles and early stages of ELO – is what I want to get to, but through a modern teenage lens.
There was a time when you thought your future lied elsewhere. What pulled you back to pursuing music?
Well, when I was younger my parents wanted me to do something that made money. I also liked writing when I was younger. I don’t know though, there’s no universe where I wouldn’t be making music. I could do other things, but I’d be no better than mediocre. Music is the only thing I can do. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. It’s from my Latin side – I’m a sensitive, intense person. It’s a common trope, I guess. I just have to do it. I have to make music. I have a duty to myself, to write the best staves of music I can. Hopefully before I die, I’d have fulfilled something.
How do you feel about the ‘virtuoso’ label?
I don’t think any musician is good or bad. You get ultimate shredders in rock music, in classical you get incredible flautists. They’re technically proficient, and that’s great. But it doesn’t mean anything. In a nihilistically optimistic way, it’s hard to find a genius or virtuoso anywhere. I don’t think it really exists. It’s just hard work.
You’ve said your new EP Ulcer is about your experience of life in school, being an outcast. When it comes to making music and building worlds, would you say that being an outcast is in fact a superpower?
Yeah, I’m really glad I got bullied… I’m joking. I was in Cambridge at Catholic school, and all the ‘cool kids’ were all the professor’s children. They were all so good at just talking. I’m not good at talking. When I moved to London, I met so many incredible musicians, and realised that you don’t have to be good at talking when the product or art you’re putting out is the talking. Especially in the social circle of music I’m in, you don’t need to be the ‘top shagger’. If that were the case, I’d be f*cked.
The music video for recent single ‘Naked’ is pretty raw. Did you have a concept for what you wanted the visuals to be like for the track?
That was really the Charlie’s ideas. The next video will have more of my input. I came up with references of Egon Schiele. The blood wasn’t my idea. I still like it.
‘Bella’ was the first song of yours that resonated with a wider audience. Is there a real ‘Bella’?
So, I was in a rough patch. Most of my music is autobiographical in a sense. I’m so young and inexperienced, it sort of has to be like that. I don’t want to out the guy, but I had some bad influences with people – people calling me fat, ugly, weak at school. I was sixteen at the time. It’s basically about me.
I didn’t have to want to say it in my Instagram comments. Some people are very open with their experiences, or issues with their image. In a sense I was confused. There was so much hate towards the video. Everyone should be able to write a story regardless of the context. I shouldn’t have to justify myself by saying I went through it, because I wrote a story about it. But it is actually about me.
Has Ely influenced your artistry?
Definitely. I went to Hills Road [Sixth Form College, fka as the Cambridgeshire High School For Boys] where Syd Barrett and Roger Waters studied when they were younger. I got kicked out though. The history of Cambridge is very inspiring. Hanging out with the weird Cambridge boys is inspiring. But I must reiterate, there’s a bunch of psychos there.
Is it exciting actualising your music in the live space?
100%. I’m still learning. Recording has been something I’ve been able to do in my bedroom, when I’m bored. With live music, it’s about communication and rehearsing. I’m in the fetal stages of that. I’m performing with jazz orchestras and ensembles. But for my own music, I’m in a three-piece right now. It’s always been my dream to play in a sextet. Two cellos, two violas, two violins, and the trio set up. I do not have the money right now. That’s the dream though. It might happen. I do prefer the recorded side of music. But that’s a sh*t answer. I can’t play all the parts I want to hear. But the trio’s great, I don’t want to undersell myself.
It’s a new process, relinquishing control to other musicians. Saying that, who would be your dream collaborator?
I can’t meet people that I like. I know lots of people that are fine with meeting heroes. I think I’d sh*t myself. I’m so awkward. That said, I’m already collaborating with a guy, Alfie Templeman. Ariel Days, his other project, I love that sh*t. I thought I’d never meet him, then did by chance. He’s the loveliest sweetest guy. He’s a genius. With Ariel Days he makes such psychedelic stuff. Other than Alfie, it’d be Pearl and the Oysters from Los Angeles. Alfie, Pearl and the Oysters. For harmonic indie, those are the ones. Pearl studied jazz, but it’s not like it’s contemporary, w*nky jazz. It’s accessible. The core melody can just be a few chords, but it’s the subtleties.
