LOVELY, LONELY, LANDFILL JUST RELEASED A TRACK AND WE'RE PRETTY NOSEY OVER HERE AT WIZARD WATER, WE THOUGHT WE'D DIVE RIGHT IN.
Lovely, Lonely, Landfill is a band that thrives on blending melancholic melodies with a raw, unapologetic energy that captures the complexity of modern life. Emerging from the vibrant music scene of their hometown, they've carved out a unique space with their distinct sound—a fusion of alternative rock, grunge, and a touch of indie flair. Their lyrics, often introspective and poetic, resonate deeply with listeners, offering a reflection on love, loss, and the human experience.
In our conversation today, we dive deep into their latest work, uncovering the inspirations behind their evocative songs and exploring the band's journey from underground gigs to a growing fanbase. Get ready to discover the story behind the music of Lovely, Lonely, Landfill. This is a paid collaboration with Lovely, Lonely, Landfill.
TRACK REVIEW
"Lovely Lonely Landfill" is like the rebellious offspring of Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy—a track brimming with youthful energy and a touch of grit, perfectly personified by its raw, missing-tooth charm. The background vocals, with their chanting, add an anthemic feel to the song, creating a powerful statement that sticks with you long after the track ends. The guitar work is impressive, showcasing a range of textures that harken back to some of the best riffs of the 2000s. There are heavier moments that pack a punch, balanced by quieter, more introspective sections that give the song depth and emotional resonance. The subtle crackling of the guitar amp is a brilliant touch, adding a layer of authenticity and rawness that elevates the entire track. This is a song that not only pays homage to the past but also brings something fresh and exciting to the table.
Your debut album Letters I Should Have Burnt is set for release soon. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this album and how it differs from your debut EP Overzealous Faux Romance?
With the new album we wanted to explore what new directions we could go in. The first couple songs will feel like familiar territory to fans of our first EP but after that it's a whole new pile of landfill. We pushed in both directions both towards what we could do in the softer acoustic space as well as leaning in to some more heavy influences. The new album has a lot more 90s influences than our earlier stuff, I'd [Tal] been listening to alot of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains that kinda early 90s grunge and I think that definitely shows in a lot of the songs. Riley's always been a big '00s punk/emo fan so there's a good sprinkle of that in these songs as well, especially the ones he's singing. In summary the first EP felt very DIY indie but the album's definitely pushed further in the rock direction.
How did the songwriting and recording process for Letters I Should Have Burnt evolve compared to your previous work? Were there any new influences or experiences that shaped this album?
Riley and myself moved in together to an apartment in December last year so our writing has become far more collaborative than it has been previously. Being able to constantly bounce ideas off each other both lyrical and musical has meant we've been able to write songs that I don't think either of us could have come up with alone. Finishing up high school last year and moving on to adult life has definitely changed how we write and what we write about. Our process has become a lot more of sitting down and just playing together till we come up with something we like whereas it used to be that we'd send each other recorded demos and voice memos. Being able to share ideas without recording demos has given us both a lot of confidence to try new things, I think partly because we know we have the other person to tell us if something sucks .
The album title, Letters I Should Have Burnt, suggests a deep, personal narrative. What themes or stories can fans expect to hear in this new collection of songs?
We felt that the common thread between the songs on this project was that they all felt like things we'd wanted to say at various points in our lives but for whatever reason had never really been put into words. A lot of them were ideas or experiences we couldn't really let go of or forget about. The album became a collection of all of those feelings (or letters) and we thought instead of burning them we'd show them to the world.
You’ve mentioned that your sound draws inspiration from bands like Arctic Monkeys and Nirvana. How do these influences manifest in the new album, and are there any new influences that have come into play?
We've tried to draw from a pretty broad variety of inspirations in this project. We didn't want it to sound like a copy of the stuff we liked so we've tried to merge as many vastly different influences and cram them together so when it's all in the big mixing pot we call our band we don't really know what it is anymore. If you look really closely into that pot I'm sure you'll see a bit of arctic monkey floating around though.
As a band based in Naarm/Melbourne, how has the local music scene influenced your sound and the creation of this album?
We've been lucky enough to get to see, work with and become friends with some really talented local bands. I suppose since we moved to Naarm/Melbourne and seeing what a lot of other bands were doing we felt a bit more pressure to set ourselves apart sonically.
Your live performances are known for being highly dynamic. How do you translate that energy into the recording studio, and what can fans expect from your album release shows?
It took all of us a bit of time to get over the so-called 'red light fever' and be able to put all of our energy into recordings so getting past that and forgetting that our neighbours can probably hear us recording was probably the biggest hurdle.
Our Album launch show at the Toff on the 7th of September is gonna be a big one (we hope) we're putting a lot of time into making the best live representation of the songs as possible. We've got a really great Audio engineer who helped with recording drums for the album mixing the show so we're really looking forward to seeing how working with him helps bring our studio sound onto the stage.
What challenges did you face while creating Letters I Should Have Burnt, and how did you overcome them?
We spent a long time piecing this album together and we've learnt a lot throughout the process. We got to what we thought was the end and realised that a bunch of the earlier stuff we'd made wasn't really up to par with the standards we'd set for ourselves so it took a bit of rerecording certain things to bring everything to a point where we were happy to share it with the world.
With the album release on the horizon, what are your hopes for how listeners will connect with this new body of work?
Given that the album covers a pretty broad range of experiences we're hoping that there's something special in there for everyone, a song that really hits home. One of my favourite things about talking to fans and friends about our music is hearing which songs are peoples favourites cause everyone usually has different answers and hearing how different people can connect their personal experiences to mine through our songs is something that's really special to me.
Looking back at your journey from the release of your EP to now, how do you feel you’ve grown as a band, both musically and personally?
Well, my [Tal] voice has changed a lot, it's a lot stronger now than it used to be. I really wouldn't have called myself a singer when we first started making songs, I really just liked writing but I've become a lot more comfortable with my voice since that EP and I'm hoping that's evident in the album and in our upcoming shows.
Can you give us any hints about what’s next for Lovely, Lonely, Landfill after the album release? Any upcoming tours, music videos, or other projects in the works?
We're planning on playing one or two shows a month in Melbourne for the next little while, and spend some time bringing this album to as many people as possible. We'd love to do a bit of touring next year if things fall into the right places.
Given that we're still quite fresh to being a band we really want to lock in our performance skills before any touring. We're hoping to bring as many people as will listen to us along on that journey with us.
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