INTERVIEW: Lunacre — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

Lunacre

___________

MY last piece of the day…

is a chat with the superb Lunacre. I have been speaking with the band about their latest single, Love Being Lost, and what it is all about. They chat about their forthcoming E.P., Pearl Tabloid, and what it was like putting it together; which new acts we should keep an ear out for – they tell me how the band found one another.

I was curious to know whether any tour dates were coming up; what we might expect from a typical Lunacre set; which older artists they take guidance from; whether they get chance to chill away from music – they select some songs to end the interview with.

____________

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

Jacob: I'm great, thanks. Finishing a big project this week is giving me 'last day of school' feelings.

JP: HECTIC, but nice - it's not so hot now.

Ben: Fab, thanks. Went to Cornwall for the weekend.

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

Jacob: I'm Jacob; I play bass in Lunacre and, when I'm not doing that, I'm working on a PhD in Musical Instrument Design.

JP: I'm JP and I play drums and do singing bits (and like to experiment in the studio).

Ben: I’m Ben - lead singer of the band, also the main songwriter and producer.

How are you taking to the heat at the moment? Is it encouraging songwriting and creativity?

Jacob: I feel like my brain has been gently melting, but in quite a nice way. It's encouraged creativity in the kitchen: I now know several new recipes with watermelon in.

Love Being Lost is your new single. What are the origins behind the song?

Ben: Love Being Lost came just after a bit of a ‘writers block’, when the frustration of not being able to commit any ideas into song ideas peaked and became the lyrical gateway into the track. The chorus came first; the lyric and melody came into my head and after figuring out the chords and baseline…the rest of the track unfolded.

It was one of those great times when the musical answers seemed really obvious and the lyrics came really clearly for the most part. The first demo had a typically overlong middle 8 section before the final chorus, which our guitarist Scott put under the knife to make the whole song more concise…anyway…really excited that it's out in the world now.

Pearl Tabloid, your E.P., is completed. When might we see that? What sort of themes inspired the music?

Soon. We’re reworking the live set at the moment and, once we’re a little further along, we’ll release the next single and start doing shows. This E.P. tracks quite a personal journey and Love Being Lost is both the first single and the opening track. There are some specific things I wrote about in the lyrics, but I’m hoping people can find their own meaning in the songs.

Last week, a friend told me what he thought Love Being Lost was about: it wasn’t exactly what I’d been feeling when I wrote it, but the overall sentiment was very close. I loved that the lyric was abstract enough that it left room for interpretation.

Was it fun putting the E.P. together? Did you write a lot in the studio – or was most of it realised before coming in?

We took our time with this E.P. Some of the songs have been around since we started the band and have almost, but not quite, made it onto one of our first two E.P.s. Some of the tracks are much more recent, having only come about in the last couple of months. The result of this is that it has contributions from both current and past band members.

Our first guitarist, Sam, has a big instrumental moment on one of the tracks; a lot of the work our friend Benjee put in before he took a break to go away and study Sound Design has made it into the E.P. - as well as obviously featuring a lot of work from the four current band members.

How did Lunacre find one another? Did you all know each other from way back?

Jacob: Most of us go way back. Me, Ben and Sam, who's not an active member in the band since he moved to Berlin, used to play music together at sixth-form. Lunacre started when we all finished university and got the old band back together. That was when JP joined. We've been playing together as Lunacre for nearly five years now.

Ben: I met Scott at music college in Leeds and Benjee through some friends in Bristol. Jacob and I met in a music lesson at school and did a pirate-themed cover of Stayin’ Alive with banjos in it.

In terms of older music; who do you count as influences and idols?

Ben: Radiohead, Blur.

Jacob: Colin Greenwood is probably the biggest musical influence for me as a bassist. Maybe this is less related to what we do in Lunacre but I'm a massive fanboy for Jarvis Cocker and Björk.

JP: I was always into big sounds and lush productions. The early Pink Floyd records were a huge inspiration for me. More modern stuff, I guess, was most things Ninja Tune and Warp Recordings were putting out in the mid-noughties.

Do you think there will be tour dates? When can we catch you play?

Ben: A.S.A.P. - probably autumn.

In terms of excitement and buzz; what is it like being up on stage? What might we expect from a Lunacre set?

I love playing the songs live. It’s such a direct way of communicating them to people and it’s very exciting because it can be slightly different every time. The songs take on a different life at a gig.

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

Jacob: Our launch party gig for our last E.P. was amazing. We had put so much time into the E.P. itself as well as making sure the gig would be a great event. It was such a good rush of relief and gratitude when loads of people came to support.

Ben: Some of my fondest memories are of when we first started jamming together and establishing the sound and vision for Lunacre. It was a time of great musical and personal development and I feel like we made some really strong bonds and had great fun.

JP: Probably playing some awful Nickelback tune on the guitar as a kid.

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

Jacob: I'd love to play a show with Mac DeMarco. He seems like a fun guy and his recent album is full of beautiful songs.

For the rider: ice-cold kombucha tea, stilton mini cheddars and seasons 1-9 of The Simpsons on the T.V.

JP: It'd have to be someone with an outrageous line-up. Like Parliament Funkadelic, maybe? Tequila on the rider for me - always a catalyst for fun.

Ben: I think, at our last gig, JP put tuna mayo on the rider…we never got it. I’d love to support Björk and I’d ask for soya chocolate milk on the rider.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

JP: Love what you do and don't hesitate to keep putting yourself out there!

IN THIS PHOTO: Jack Watts

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Ben: Check out Jack Watts (Horrorscope).

Jacob: The Fish Police and Too Hot for Candy are two bands who have been supported by the charity Heart n Soul, who provide opportunities for young people with learning disabilities to get involved in music and the arts.

JP: Really loving a guy called Mark Hill at the moment. Also, Forest Swords' album from a year or so ago is still getting a lot of airtime for me.

IN THIS PHOTO: Forest Swords/PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Phung for DJ-Kick

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

I like to leave the country and turn off my phone – but, honestly, working in music comes with its calming moments so I don't always feel a stressful build-up behind back-to-back workdays!

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).

Jacob: It's got to be Cactus by the Fish Police. It's available from their Bandcamp.

JP: I'd love for you to play Pink Floyd – Breathe (In the Air) x