With a seasoned and polished approach to kindred indie pop, Michael Hiscock—formerly of the Field Mice—alongside his fellow musicians finds bittersweet solace in the evocatively titled trio the Gentle Spring. Their first full-length release, Looking Back at the World, arrived in 2025.
After securing a lasting spot in indie pop lore through his role as bassist and composer with the Field Mice, Sarah Records stalwarts of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hiscock later collaborated with Saint Etienne as well as Lightning in a Twilight Hour alongside the Field Mice’s Bobby Wratten and various other projects. Relocated to Paris by that point, he established the Gentle Spring in 2022 alongside co-vocalist and keyboardist Emilie Guillaumot together with guitarist Jérémie Orsel. Within the group, Hiscock handles vocals, guitar, and bass. Their direct yet refined style, marked by warm, regret-tinged songwriting, layered guitar textures, and an optional-drums framework, secured a home on Kent, England’s Skep Wax Records—run by indie pop figures Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey—for the January 2025 debut album Looking Back at the World. Its launch was followed by a U.K. tour, marking the band’s inaugural performances beyond France.
