Comprised of Ben Romans-Hopgood (Guitar and vocals), Leo Dobsen (Lead Guitar), Daniel Salamons (Bass) and Jonny Williams (Drums), London-based Childhood are an indie rock/pop band who have been bubbling under the surface for the past few years before springing into the mainstream view with their debut release this summer. Before their gig in Cambridge earlier this week, we talked touring, the album and how to approach combining a band with university.

Childhood’s debut album, Lacuna, landed in August and features tracks that those who have been following the band for the last few years will know well, along with some fresh additions. NME have championed the release, commenting that Childhood had “uncovered a diamond” by featuring guitar lines which are reminiscent of The Stone Roses and lyrical commentary on the changing face of South London.

“It was never intentional”, Romans-Hopgood says of the strong social messages which run through the album, “it just kind of happens without you realising it and then if I describe it to you, suddenly you think ‘Oh! I guess it does’…but I never sit down and decide ‘I’m pissed off with this, I’m going to write about it’.”

The creation of the album was a rather organic process for the group, who found working with producer Dan Carey – whose credits include work with Miles Kane, Bat for Lashes and Nick Mulvey – “really easy”. “We spent loads of time trying to work out who we were going to record with and trying to find someone who understood us as people more than anything. When we met Dan we knew we got on, so the environment we work in is really productive.”

In the years that I have known Childhood, their sound has developed with them now having the confidence and maturity to layer tracks into a near psychedelic frenzy, notably Solemn Skies and Bond Girls, with the latter receiving a revamp on stage from earlier versions but not one that you can find on their Lacuna release.

Talking to Childhood after the gig, they agreed: “we are more confident now and our sound has developed”. For Romans-Hopgood this hasn’t necessarily been at the forefront of his mind as he commented that “it’s not something I really noticed until someone else mentioned it, and then you take a step back and realise, oh yes, we have!”

Considering this, I asked what advice they would share with those who are in the same position that they were in when studying at the University of Nottingham, Childhood then being a bubbling side-project: “Work on your live sound and make sure you can play. When we started we couldn’t play anything really – we’d play gigs around campus and get anyone to be in the band, it was a bit of a mess – so really hone your craft!”

“Get to your mates house and work on your sound. It doesn’t have to be band practice, it just needs to be your vision. Uni is a blessing, even if you want to take a band seriously. You don’t need to leave uni to make a band work; it’s a total misconception. If it feels right, just go with it.”