It’s been four months since we last spoke, how are you doing?
I’m doing great thank you! Honestly just more excited than ever to finally be playing shows again and it’s looking like we’ve got quite a few things lined up for the end of the year so that’s news we all wanted. I miss playing live and touring more than anything in the world and to be honest it’s the reason I do what I do and I can’t wait to see my people at these firsts shows back in over a year!
Describe how the last three months have been in three words.
busy, rewarding, explorative
What have you been up to?
I’ve been working really hard to finish the EP over the past few months and that will be out in a couple of weeks which is super exciting! Other than that I’ve just been writing a lot and collaborating with some friends on some projects which is something I didn’t really have the time for before lockdown so that’s been a grazer avenue to explore.
Tell us about LAYKS.
The idea for LAYKS started when I got home from Los Angeles in late 2019. I had recorded all of this new music which had an entirely different energy and sonic influences than anything I had written before under my own name. I had considered the idea of rebranding and changing my name for a while and kind of had LAYKS in my back pocket for a few months. Then when covid hit in march last year the world went quiet and I went to work, I poured all of my time, love and everything into finally bringing that vision to life and honestly I’ve never been prouder of anything I’ve done. In just a few months of the first two singles being out it accomplished so much and i was being heard all over the world, it’s just so surreal to me that people in places like Japan and Australia even know I exist! It’s cultivated this really lovely following of the sweetest humans!
Congratulations on the release of Cowboy, what’s the story behind it?
Thank you so much! It’s absolutely one of my favourite tracks I’ve written and I was sat on it since August last year when we walked into the studio and pretty much wrote and recorded it in one day! It’s a song about being honest in love and the idea that nowadays the concept of telling somebody how you feel and wearing your heart on your sleeve isn’t necessarily the most in vogue the “coolest” thing someone can do. It’s kind of a playful and slightly satirical take on how confusing love can be like the song is pretty much me saying “hey call me old fashioned, but i like you and i want to be with you if you want the same thing then great, if not then what are we doing?” so it just explores the idea that those traits are kind of dying off in people, much like how the cowboys slowly died out at the turn of the 20th century.
What were the challenges and triumphs you faced in recording it?
I think it’s the most natural song I’ve written as far as everything just flowing out really freely during the writing process but the biggest challenge sometimes when you sit down to record a song like that is having a very clear idea in your head and not necessarily being able to capture it sonically and that is definitely a problem i always run into.
You’re heading back to Abbey Road to record… What’s your favourite Beatles song of all time?
That’s a tough one! but I would have to say twist and shout, it always reminds me of taking family trips down to the coast when I was little and I could honestly listen to it on repeat for days on end!
You have a new EP coming out, what are your favourite tracks from it?
I think my two favourites at the moment are cowboy and a song called walk away which has a very 80’s post pop vibe to it! I basically went in with a couple of reference tracks and said “I sort of want the production to feel like an indie movie” and that’s what we went for!
What have you been listening to recently?
I have been loving the new Haim album and kelsie ballerini, been listening to keshi and alec benjamin religiously too!
What are you looking forward to next?
Shows shows shows! I have 2021 pretty much booked solid at the moment so I’m hoping and keeping my fingers crossed every day that it all goes ahead but I honestly just cannot wait to be back on stage with my brothers!
