From a chance meeting at a jam night to songs shaped by old cassettes, coastal memory and decades of musical trust, The October Effect are building something quietly distinctive.
The October Effect live in the spaces between genres and seasons. Formed in Weston-super-Mare in 2023 around songwriter and guitarist Laurence “Loz” Collins, vocalist Cath Back and longtime collaborator Mike Gutsell, the group brings jazz-pop sophistication, folk intimacy and a quiet rock undercurrent to songs built for attentive listening. Their debut EP, Paint Yourself a Picture, introduced that understated language in January 2026; “Self Portrait” deepens it through a meditation on identity, doubt, acceptance and the uneasy distance between who we are and how we see ourselves.
Exposed Vocals connected with The October Effect for an exclusive conversation about the chance encounter that brought Cath and Laurence together, the old cassette recordings that helped recover Laurence’s songs, Cath’s theatrical approach to inhabiting another person’s perspective, and the lifetime of trust behind Mike and Laurence’s musical shorthand. What follows is a conversation about songs that leave room for questions—and a band still discovering how far that room might extend.
The Exclusive ConversationInside The October Effect
Exposed Vocals:The October Effect formed in 2023 in Weston-super-Mare—what was the moment or conversation where you both knew this was actually going to be a band?
I’m a big believer in fate. I met Loz at a jam night, and we both realised we shared a love of jazz music. Later, Loz put out an advert for a recording project, and I answered it. I knew it was going to be something special after our very first rehearsal.
Exposed Vocals:Laurence, your songwriting blends jazz and pop with a reflective, atmospheric edge. Where does that sound come from—who were the artists or records that shaped the way you hear music?
It comes from my love of jazzy pop, especially early Style Council songs and artists in that sort of vein. I also had songs that I’d written years ago in previous bands, but no decent recordings were ever made at the time. I had to dig out old cassette recordings and relearn them all again.
Exposed Vocals:Cath, you come from an award-winning musical theatre background. How does that training change the way you approach a song like “Self Portrait”—something quiet and emotionally interior rather than performative?
Being on stage has always meant playing somebody else, or my perception of a character. I research who I’m playing and the scene I’m in. “Self Portrait” allowed me to tell a story differently and put myself in Loz’s shoes—to get inside his head, so to speak.
Exposed Vocals:“Self Portrait” is described as tracing doubt, acceptance and emotional honesty across a lifetime. Was that scope intentional from the start, or did the song grow into something bigger than you expected?
It definitely grew. The original idea was more personal and intimate, but as it developed, it became broader. To this day, I’m not entirely sure whether the song is about other people or myself. I think that’s why people connect with it—everyone carries their own version of that journey.
Exposed Vocals:Identity and self-perception are heavy themes to carry in a three-minute song. How do you know when you’ve said enough—when the song is finished rather than just stopped?
That’s probably the hardest part of songwriting. You can always keep refining. For me, a song is finished when it says what it needs to say emotionally and nothing feels forced. I’d rather leave the listener with a question or a feeling than explain every detail.
Exposed Vocals:Mike has been collaborating with Laurence since they were teenagers. What does that kind of long-term musical shorthand actually sound like in the room when you’re working?
There’s something very special about working with somebody you’ve known for most of your life. It’s difficult to put into words, but there’s a real understanding between us that comes from all those years of playing together.
There’s also a lot of honesty. I can rely on Laurence to be completely honest when he hears a new idea, and the same applies when we’re working in the studio. All of that creates a very special kind of collaboration.
Exposed Vocals:The debut EP Paint Yourself a Picture came out in January 2026. Looking back at it now, does it still feel like an accurate introduction to who The October Effect is?
Yes, I think it does. This is the style of music that suits us. It blends Laurence’s rhythm style of playing beautifully with Cath’s jazz vocal style, and I think the EP captures that really well.
Exposed Vocals:You recorded at 13 Sound Studios in Weston-super-Mare. What does it mean to make music rooted in that specific place—does the town show up in the sound at all?
Weston is part of our story because it’s where these songs grew. It’s got that mixture of sea air, nostalgia, changing seasons and everyday life, and I think those things influence writing whether you realise it or not.
We’re proud that the music was made locally because it reflects where we come from and the people around us. Sometimes the songs are influenced directly by the town and the local characters you meet along the way.
Exposed Vocals:The band’s name, The October Effect—what does that phrase mean to you, and how does it connect to the kind of music you make?
October has always felt like a month of reflection and transition to me. I could explain it fully, but sometimes it’s nicer to let listeners decide for themselves… or buy us a coffee and we’ll tell you! Ha ha.
Exposed Vocals:What does the rest of 2026 look like for the band—is there more music coming, and what are you hoping this next chapter says about where The October Effect is heading?
Well, that’s the million-dollar question! The sky’s the limit when I look at how far we’ve come already. We’ve made so much progress musically in such a short period of time.
Glastonbury and world domination! 😆 But honestly, we’ll keep writing music and enjoy playing it for anyone who wants to listen.
A Band Comfortable With the Unanswered
The October Effect’s story is new, but its foundations are not. It reaches back through Laurence and Mike’s teenage collaborations, through Cath’s years of learning how to understand a character from the inside, and through songs preserved on cassette until the right combination of people gave them another life. That history gives the band’s restraint weight: the music does not need to shout to prove that it has lived.
“Self Portrait” succeeds because it does not solve identity in three minutes. It gives doubt, acceptance and memory the same room The October Effect gives its listeners—the freedom to hear their own version of the journey.
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