With the Hyundai Mercury Prize just a few days away, Porridge Radio‘s Dana Margolin has spoken to NME about the band’s fellow nominees and their plans for new music. Watch our video interview with Margolin above.
The Brighton indie four-piece are nominated for the coveted award this year for their acclaimed album ‘Every Bad‘, up against the likes of Stormzy, Charli XCX, Anna Meredith, Sports Team and Michael Kiwanuka.
Asked about her thoughts on the competition, Margolin replied:Â âI donât really see it like that. I love so many of the other artists on the shortlist and itâs quite nice to be on a shortlist with so many artists who I respect.
âIâve been considering making a bet, but maybe I shouldnât. I think maybe Michael Kiwanuka would be who Iâd want to win. Itâs hard to say. How do you make a decision? I love Charli XCX, I love Stormzy, so maybe one of those? Dua Lipa would be great.â
Of the records she wishes would have been nominated, Margolin said:Â âI really loved Sorryâs album [‘925‘]. That would have been a cool addition.â

Despite the coronavirus lockdown wiping out their tour plans just as their latest record was released, Margolin told us that was just appreciative of the love that ‘Every Bad’ has received.
âHonestly, we released the album a week before lockdown and the love all came during lockdown,” she said. “I donât really feel the bitterness of the bittersweet. Everyoneâs just been so receptive to our album and so excited by it. Itâs a level of reception that weâve never had before.
âWe couldnât tour, and obviously that was our plan for this year â but weâve been able to do loads of other cool stuff in that time. Weâve just released a new song ‘7 Seconds‘, weâve got the Mercury nomination, weâve been demoing a lot and writing a lot. I feel like it could have been a lot worse for us.â
On the subject of ‘7 Seconds’, Margolin said that the new single was a good indicator of what to expect next from the band. âWeâve got a lot of songs that weâre excited to start recording and think about releasing in the future,” she revealed. “We didnât think that weâd to get to this point so soon. â7 Secondsâ has been waiting for a while, but itâs also very new. With the production and the sound, thatâs the direction weâre leaning into.â
She continued: âI think that the world has been on fire for a while, and will continue to be on fire. Weâre going to continue working. Weâve got loads of ideas, loads of songs, loads of plans and weâll just continue to see what will happen. Weâre not going to rush anything?â
Due to coronavirus restrictions, the winner of the coveted prize will be announced on The One Show on BBC One on September 24, after a week of programming that will also include a special of Later… With Jools Holland featuring performances from all nominees.
Check back at NME for more interviews with the nominated artists.
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