INTERVIEW: Lunafruit — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

Lunafruit

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THE tremendous Lunafruit have set time aside…

to talk about their latest single, Rise, and what its story is. They talk about meeting one another whilst playing as session musicians in the same studio; how they split their time between Barcelona and London – the guys highlight some upcoming musicians worth a shout.

Lunafruit reveal what they want to achieve by the end of this year; whether there is any more material arriving soon enough; whether they get any time to unwind away from music – the guys each select a song to end the interview with.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Hey! Good - our week has been very full and very exciting. We’re in pretty intensive rehearsals for our summer tour at the moment, so really enjoying getting creative with our tracks in a live setting.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

Sure thing. We’re Lunafruit; otherwise known as Elliot (Guitar, Vocals and Percussion), Sophie (Vocals, Keys and Sax) and Archie (Bass, Vocals and Sax). We’re a trio that sometimes has extra guests and our sound is somewhere between Pop, R&B; Soul and Funk.

Rise is your new single. What is the story behind the track?

Rise is a simple tune about that hazy time between sleep and waking up. We wrote it very quickly in a couple of hours on a summer evening whilst recording in Spain last year. We tried to capture that sense of simplicity in the production of the track - and we’re super-happy with how it’s gone down so far.

Lunafruit formed after the three of you met in your role as session musicians. Were you playing for the same artist – or did you happen to meet at the same studio?

Yeah! We were all working at a studio called Abubilla in South London a couple of years ago and realised we shared musical taste and wanted to make the same kind of music. So, we founded the project and here we are!

You spread your time between South London and Barcelona. How do the contrasting areas affect your music? What is Barcelona like for music and gigs?

The two cities bring a really different energy to our songs, which were written between the two whilst Sophie was based out there this year. Obviously, in greyer days in London, Barcelona brought out a sunnier side to the tracks and we were really inspired by going to see lots of Latin-influenced music out there. Barcelona’s music scene is a lot smaller than London’s but full of diverse sounds from around the world. The two balance each other perfectly.

I understand there might be more material later in the year. Can you reveal whether that might be an E.P. or another single?

Yep - we’ve got an E.P. in the pipeline for later this year.

Do you all share tastes in music? Do you recall the artists you grew up around?

Archie listens exclusively to Funk and Disco and resents the band for not letting him wear sunglasses while he plays bass.

If you were sent to a desert island and could only take one album – not nicking this from any radio show or anything! – which would it be and why?

Right now, it would be George Benson. We’ve been listening to a lot of his stuff doing rehearsals and it’s been providing a lot of energy and inspiration.

What do you hope to achieve before the end of 2018?

By the end of 2018, we want to have played a lot of shows, met lots of people and started some collabs. Also, Sophie wants to complete her Grade 3 castanet.

Have you each got a favourite memory from your time in music – the one that sticks in the mind?

Archie once played the recorder with his nose on T.V. Don’t ask.

If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?

Vulfpeck would be dreamy. Our rider would include a lot of Penguin bars.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Play, play, play. Even the bad ones when no one’s listening.

Where can we see you play? Do you have any gigs approaching?

We’re off to Scotland for some shows there as part of the Edinburgh Festival in August and then we’ve got our homecoming show at Kansas Smitty’s in London on 4th September.

IN THIS PHOTO: Midas Hutch/PHOTO CREDIT: Fabio de Frel

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Too many to mention! At the moment, we’re really into Midas Hutch, Poppy Ajudha and Emma-Jean Thackray as a starting point.

IN THIS PHOTO: Poppy Ajudha

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

We’re pretty tunnel-vision on our project at the moment but, when we want some time, out we love going out for a good old-fashioned boogie - and a lazy day in the park always helps.

Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Sophie: I Am in Love - Jennifer Lara