The 'One to Watch' Interview | The Blue Herons — State of Sound

THE ‘ONE TO WATCH’ INTERVIEW

The Blue Herons: ‘It was pure coincidence that I heard Gretchen’s voice on a radio show’

The Blue Herons on the music that made them, and how they write their sparkling jangle pop while separated by the Atlantic.

Photo: Dan Terpstra and Anthony Brown

10 July 2026

What is your earliest memory of hearing music?

Andy: I think my earliest memories are from the late 1970s and early 1980s when we would go on those long holiday road trips to Italy with my parents. We would listen to all the Italo-Schlager hits — which are actually still very popular here — as well as the soundtracks to Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Wizard of Oz.

Gretchen: My earliest memories are of my great-grandmother playing piano and my grandfather’s band playing at my aunt’s wedding. I also remember listening to American Top 40 with Casey Kasem.

Andy, was there a music fan in your early life whom you looked up to and who influenced your music taste?

Andy: Yes, the older brother of a school friend. He liked all kinds of weird and eccentric music, ranging from Klaus Nomi to The Damned.

What was your parents’ record collection like? How did it influence your sensibilities?

Andy: My mother actually trained as a record store clerk, but surprisingly, she owned very few records herself. However, I loved listening to her classical records, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, and the soundtrack to The Big Country. My parents didn't actually listen to records that often; they mostly just had the radio on, playing chart hits.

Gretchen: My mom was a big Beatles fan and had some of their records, so I spent a lot of time listening to The Beatles. I don’t actually remember her having any other records besides The Beatles.

What was the first record/tape/CD you remember buying?

Andy: The very first tape I had was just borrowed from the local library — it was A Secret Wish by the German band Propaganda. The first cassette I actually bought myself shortly after turned out to be a mistake. I had a voucher and went to a shopping mall, but I couldn't remember the band's name. All I knew was that it consisted of a letter and a number — I was looking for U2. The friendly clerk was certain he knew exactly what I wanted and handed me a cassette, which I bought without listening to it first. You can imagine my disappointment when UB40's reggae-pop blasted out of my tape deck instead!

Gretchen: My first tape was purchased from the mall. I bought The Human League. My first record was Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

Is there a song/album/record which changed everything for you?

Andy: On a personal level, it was a song by Luka Bloom called ‘Forgiveness’ — it brought peace to my young heart. Musically, it was probably Unknown Pleasures] by Joy Division and Three Imaginary Boys by The Cure.

Gretchen: Tracy Chapman’s self-titled album. Her lyrics were so powerful. Musically, it was U2’s The Joshua Tree. That was my entry point into their catalogue, though The Unforgettable Fire is my favourite.

What is the record you have probably listened to the most in your life?

Andy: Probably ‘Purity' by New Model Army.

Gretchen: Slowdive’s Souvlaki.

What is your ‘getting ready to go out on a Saturday night’ song?

Andy: It depends on whether I'm going out for dinner or to a concert, but there isn't one specific song. If I need some energy and power, I'll listen to New Model Army.

Gretchen: Le Tigre’s ‘Deceptacon’.

What is the greatest gig you’ve ever seen?

Andy: Musically, it was Nick Cave’s last tour. Purely for the atmosphere: it was seeing Dead Can Dance in an amphitheatre with constant lightning flashing in the sky behind them.

Gretchen: Seeing Mojave 3 at a small club in Chicago.

Andy, you're from Switzerland, and Gretchen you’re from the United States. You came together as a duo in 2020 without meeting face-to-face. How did that come about?

Andy: I had another project called The Churchill Garden, which focused more on longer, cinematic tracks with a strong shoegaze lean. However, I found myself writing more and more songs with a playful, jangle-pop vibe and felt it was important to keep those styles separate. I think it was pure coincidence that I heard Gretchen’s voice on a radio show or playlist. I reached out, sent her a few song ideas, and asked if she’d be interested in collaborating. It all felt so effortless and natural from the start. It just clicked, so we kept going.

Gretchen: It was a bit like kismet. During the earlier COVID days, I was home a lot and spent a lot of time listening to radio shows in my backyard. I’d actually come across Andy’s project, The Churchill Garden, not long before he reached out. When he sent over his song ideas, I couldn’t believe how quickly the melodies and lyrics came together. It all felt really easy and natural from the start.

Your new album, Demon Slayer, was written over the course of a year. Inspiration came through exchanging sketches, melodies, and ideas across the Atlantic. Could you tell us a bit more about that process?

Gretchen: When we started working together, we did so in a pretty simple way by exchanging music files. Andy would send these beautiful demos, and I’d write melodies and lyrics and record vocals. Then Andy would record the final instrumentation and produce the track. While that is still at the core of the process, it has evolved and grown. During Demon Slayer, we both sent rough sketches and demos to each other which turned into a more collaborative and fluid process of songwriting. It became an almost intuitive back and forth, and the songs sort of took on lives of their own.

When was the first time that you two met in person and what were the circumstances surrounding it?

Gretchen: We actually got to meet in person for the first time during the release of Demon Slayer. I was going to be in Milan around that time, so I was able to visit Andy in Lucerne. And the timing was perfect. It was quite a gift to get to celebrate all of our hard work in person!

Your music is testament to the idea you can create great music without being in the same room as your collaborator. Would you like to work together more face-to-face? How do you think that might influence the music you make?

Andy: We have already talked about new ways we could potentially do this better remotely. I imagine the songs might sound even more mature and refined if we could give each other more direct, targeted feedback in real time.

Gretchen: I would definitely love to work together more in person if it were possible. In the past, the bulk of my musical projects have been in person, so it’s definitely the way I’m most used to working. That said, there is a safe feeling when it’s just you in your home studio. You can experiment with no judgement other than your own. And if you record something that sounds terrible, you never have to share it. But you can try things you might not try if there were other people in the room. This freedom has pushed my songwriting in ways that may have never happened in person. But I do also miss some of the magic that happens when you are writing in a room with someone.

So what's next for you? What are your recording and performing plans?

Gretchen: We are currently working on lots of new songs and ideas. We have a new single that will come out in the fall.