Introducing: Office Party

London’s rising indie rock trio Office Party have kicked the door open with their debut single Tongue Tied — a raw, roaring anthem produced straight from singer Chloe’s living room and already turning heads. BBC Introducing called it “an arrival,” and This Feeling crowned it Track of the Day ahead of their debut show with Lock-In at Camden’s Dingwalls. Blending early-2000s indie grit with powerhouse vocals and gut-punch lyricism, Tongue Tied isn’t just a song — it’s a statement. If you're reading this, you're in on the ground floor.

1. ‘Tongue Tied’ is such a powerful debut—it feels both nostalgic and fresh. What made this the track you wanted to introduce Office Party to the world with?

(Mert) - I’d been writing for quite a while but nothing ever really made me go “okay this is something” as much as Tongue Tied did at the time. From when we first tracked Chloe’s vocals on and T laid down the drums it got to a point that we couldn’t dispute that it had to be the first single. We produced the track with our good friend Harry Winks in Chloe’s living room with no budget, so we were really up against it but I think we’re all really proud of what we’ve put out and we hope people love it as much as we do

2. You’ve mentioned the song was first shared between Chloe and Mert in a pub on phone speakers—can you take us back to that moment? What made you both realize, “This is it, we’re starting a band”?

(Chloe) - i related to the lyrics and the theme of the song so much and i had been looking to start a band and get my teeth into a new project for a while so i was so so gassed as soon as i heard it - we have the exact same music taste and it just felt like we came into eachothers lives at the right time - i was like the stars have aligned here surely, let’s just go for it - we then started to write together and go through all of songs mert had already written and built office party off of the back of his catalogue - T then mentioned to me that he really wanted to be in a band when we were out one night and i was like “funny you should say that dear” and here we are - T and i have been friends for a long time and worked on all sorts of different projects together so it just felt right for the 3 of us to join forces.

3. The song captures the push-pull of a relationship on the brink—was that written from a shared personal experience? How did that emotional tension shape the songwriting?

(Mert) If i’m being honest i’m not great and being clear with how i feel, i can do it in a song but never face to face and I think the song is one big confession of your feelings, whether they’re right or wrong. Not to mention that me and chloe were both in a pretty dark time, going through breakups and slipping into bad habits when we were first working on Tongue Tied, i think that shared emotional weight is pretty prominent in there.

4. Your sound channels that early 2000s indie rock energy but brings in raw vulnerability. Who are some of the artists or records that influenced ‘Tongue Tied’ and your style as a band?

(Mert) We all have different influences, from a lyrical perspective i’ve always admired Jarvis Cocker and his ability to paint a character in a scene like you’re right there in their shoes, living through them. (Chloe) i’m a Paramore and Avril girlie through and through, so I love that our brand has drawn inspiration from the 2000s era. we’ve taken that raw, indie, dreamy energy and given it a feminine twist - channeling that same rebellious spirit but with a bold, powerful female voice at the forefront - it’s nostalgic but fresh, and very us (T) Growing up I listened to all genres, but mostly pop punk/ indie rock as well as 80’s and funk. I am heavily influenced by Travis Barker’s drumming style with big energetic chorus’s and fast intricate fills. For Tongue Tied I wanted the combination of both powerful four to the floor chorus’s with a heavily offbeat groove based verse. 

5. You’ve already got support from BBC Introducing and Radio X, and your debut show is coming up at Dingwalls—how does it feel to be getting this momentum so early, and what can fans expect next from Office Party?

(Mert) It’s been really nice to see so much support early on and to see people , who isn’t my mum, believing in the music as much as we all do. We’re currently recording our next single which you’ll hear on the 17th (if you come down)