In my experience, interviewing independent bands can often be a painful and arduous process. They are often be-fringed, self-proclaimed street poets, who insist their tunes are akin to the greats and their lyrics are influenced by Jack Kerouac or William Blake. Lucky for me, and my temper, however, I found Jim Perkins and Ronan Burke, the two songsmiths behind emerging Anglo-Irish duo Ranger3, to be as interesting and as insightful as their music.

I spoke to the pair over a couple of drinks at the Metropolitan Bar in central London, and during our conversation they certainly challenged any stereotypes I might have held about indie musicians. While they are emerging as two of folk’s most promising innovators, Ranger3 remain a duo that defies generic convention. Their debut album Old Simplicity boasts a style that is engaging and almost otherworldly, however despite their unique approach, the duo formed in the most natural of ways. ‘We first met, when Ronan moved into my flat when I was advertising for a flat mate’, Jim explains. ‘I had been doing home recordings, four track stuff’, Ronan adds, ‘We tried out an initial track, just to see how it would go, and it evolved from that’.

This initial track then grew to a stellar range of tunes, which comprised their 2008 debut. Old Simplicity was a success of balance and juxtaposition, placing folk-tinged instrumentals alongside heartfelt and succinct lyrics, allowing the tracks to sidestep folk cliché. But for an album with a wealth of sentiment, it remained surprisingly hard-edged, with the duo incorporating programmed beats and Electronica-enthused hooks into their sound, to form some truly distinctive compositions. Clearly this work was a labour of love, but prompted by the sleeve notes, which claimed the album was made ‘In people’s living rooms in London,’ I wondered if this album was a long time in coming.

‘Yes!’ exclaims Jim, ‘We started on the first, final recording of ‘If We Were Ready’ about three years ago. It was made in lots of sessions of picking up laptops, going to different places to record a bit there and a bit here. Over three years we did the whole thing.’ They insist this was beneficial to the process, however, as they felt it made for a more ‘natural’ album.

As with many of the younger British folkies, Ronan and Jim each had a background in classical music, beginning on the piano and violin before they turned to the fiddle or accordion. While like many similar acts, they are quick to highlight their wide-ranging influences, the two conceded that their rigid musical upbringings were important to their complex sound, as well as to their work ethic.

‘There is an element of that middle-class life of going to Sunday school and then coming home to practise’, jokes Jim. But with Ranger3 it would seem the balance between classical and more alternative influences gave birth to their own unique style. As Ronan explains, ‘I went away from the classical and began listening to very simple indie music, but what I find interesting is trying to get the balance between arrangement and song structure. That’s where our collaboration comes in I suppose’.

Despite the fact Ranger3 draw influence from Electronica, Kraut Rock and Chopin, they remain a duo pigeonholed as alternative folk. While it may not be the label they would apply to themselves, it is definitely a musical trait the band recognises, as Ronan elaborates: ‘Even a song like ‘Sense of Direction’ was conceived through listening to a lot of Kraftwerk, yet the outcome probably sounds quite folkie and acoustic. But saying that it’s influenced by Folk music is pretty true.’

The release of Old Simplicity is in many ways a product of the modern state of the music industry and the way in which music is now produced. Jim cites the ability to record onto a computer as one of the first things that drew him to arranging and composing music. Nonetheless he rejects the notion that Ranger3 are a shining example of the ‘anyone can do it’ ideal: ‘Making music is definitely more accessible in terms of price. Anyone can do it. But I don’t think you can do it quickly. You still have to learn how to record and how to make good music!’

As the conversation drifted towards what’s next for Ranger3, the boys expressed their need and wish to change, when it came to a second album. ‘I’d like it to be quite different, I’m always studying composition and I’m hoping I’ll be able to bring in different elements from those’, states Jim, as he expresses his wish to bring in other vocalists and musicians to further extend their sound. However, they remain ever-grounded, with their attention remaining on Old Simplicity, as Ronan finishes: ‘Our main focus in the short-term is to try and get this album out there, because we’re proud of it and we want it to be heard,’ and whilst Old Simplicity may simply mark their entrance into the swelling ranks of the grossly underrated and undiscovered bands, it at the very least proves they have the talent to be heard, and to do great things.