Pariah Record Their Debut Single at The Source Studio
What do you do after winning the 2026 Devon Secondary Schools Battle of the Bands?
For Pariah, the answer was to get into the recording studio.
After standing out from a brilliant field of young Devon bands and taking the top spot at the 2026 competition, Pariah came to The Source Studio Exeter to record their debut single.
And they certainly didn't choose an easy song for their first recording.
From Battle of the Bands Winners to the Recording Studio
We'd already seen what Pariah could do live, but recording gave us the opportunity to explore another side of the band.
Their debut track is a surprisingly sophisticated piece of music, particularly for a band's first studio release.
Rather than relying on a straightforward structure, the song moves through complex and changing time signatures, intricate arrangements and multiple sections that demanded real concentration from everyone involved.
Then came the vocals.
By the time we'd finished, the track contained an incredible 23 layers of vocal harmonies.
There was a lot going on.
23 Layers of Harmonies
Layering vocals can completely transform a recording.
With Pariah, we gradually built the vocal arrangement one part at a time, creating a much bigger and more sophisticated sound than a single vocal performance could achieve on its own.
We ran out of time on the day, but the band recorded the harmonies themselves and then we had to line it all up with the rest of the recordings.
With 23 separate harmony layers, getting everything right required patience. Timing, pitch, phrasing and dynamics all needed to work together without losing the personality of the performances.
Combined with the song's shifting time signatures and ambitious arrangement, the result was a debut recording that demonstrated just how creative young musicians can be when they're given the opportunity and space to experiment.
Recording Doesn't Have to Feel Rushed
At The Source Studio Exeter, we like recording sessions to feel relaxed and unrushed.
Being in a recording studio isn't about getting musicians through the door as quickly as possible or watching the clock after every take.
It's about capturing the best possible performance.
And sometimes that takes time.
A musician might need another take. We might want to experiment with a harmony. An arrangement might suddenly suggest another idea. Or everybody might benefit from stopping, listening and deciding what the song actually needs.
Creating that space can make the difference between simply recording a song and making a record you're genuinely proud of.
Taking Our Time to Make Something Special
We had a lovely day in the studio with Pariah.
There was no need to race through the session. We took our time, listened carefully and gradually built the track into something we felt was really special.
Complex time signatures.
Changing sections.
Layer upon layer of vocals.
Twenty-three harmony parts.
Plenty of experimentation.
And despite taking that relaxed approach, we still managed to record an entire song in a single day.
That's the balance we aim for at The Source Studio: working efficiently without making creativity feel like it's happening against a stopwatch.
