Last Friday was a good day, with not one, but two new Lois Leon songs released into the world. If you’ve spent any time on this blog, you may know I’ve written about them before, here and here. This time is a bit different, though. These tracks mark Lois Leon’s debut as a full four-piece band rather than a solo project. Full disclosure: I’m actually playing guitar on both tracks. While that probably makes me more than a little biased and in no position to offer an objective review, this is my blog, and I only write about music I truly love. So, setting my own involvement aside, I want to talk about these songs purely as a fan… because at the end of it all, that’s what I am.

Anyone familiar with the previously released stuff will recognise that the ’90s alternative and shoegaze influences that ran through singles like “Stuck”, “Slow Motion”, and “What Do I” are still present and correct, and that Lois’ voice is still as up front, direct, and alluring as ever. They’re also loaded with the same melodic and lyrical flourishes that first caught my attention a good eighteen months ago. What I first loved about What Do I in particular was that it kinda stood out in comparison to stuff other people of a similar age were making. I think that’s still there with these two songs as well.

Turn Me Over

This one is a personal favourite of mine, with a beautiful, understated arrangement. When I try to picture it visually, I see the individual instruments like washing hanging on a line in the wind – gently moving about, always in flux, leaving room for the vocals to breeze through. And that’s exactly what they do here. The lyrics struck me as being strong the first time I heard them, with a gorgeous melody, and the instrumentation is sympathetic to both. I like how uncluttered it is as an arrangement, with a lovely subtle earthy acoustic acting as the glue running through the whole thing and holding it together.

Kill The Moon

While Turn Me Over is airy and bright, Kill The Moon starts out a little claustrophobic, with a certain swagger and something darker lurking beneath its surface. Sonically, it’s more dense and heavier in places but there’s still a real fluidity to it, with Madison’s bass dancing around the guitar in the chorus and Lewis’ drums playfully dropping out. I still get a thrill from hearing the Space Echo open up on the last chorus (“you’re just like me!”) and the outro guitar part. Because these are largely live takes with everyone playing in the same room, there’s an energy, confidence, and raw feel that comes straight through the speakers. It’s funny, because I haven’t heard them for a while until writing this today, and they very much feel like ‘recordings’ to me. There’s a lack of artifice to them that I like a lot. The sound of people making a noise in a room together. It’s kind of the best thing a person can do. Almost everything else in life is overrated, but you put some people together in a room with some instruments or paintbrushes or whatever and magical things can happen. And I think there’s something quietly magical about both of these. Don’t just take my word for it though. Go over to Spotify and have a listen.

I wanted to get a little more insight into both songs so I sent a few questions over to Lois through WhatsApp. I know what I think about the songs and the band in general, but I was interested to hear her take on stuff. I’m aware that it’s a massively cringe-inducing thing to try and answer questions when you know the person asking them, so I asked that she just approached them as if she was talking to someone for the first time…

ISY: Tell me about the two singles. What are they about, and how did they develop?

I think Turn Me Over was the song that made me realise I might actually have something to say as a songwriter. I played an early acoustic version to Adam and our friend Mark. They both just looked at me in complete silence. For a moment I thought they’d hated it but it turned out they actually thought it was really great. Adam picked up his guitar and within a few minutes we were shaping the song together. It became one of our first collaborations and it felt like everything clicked into place.

Not long after, I played him an early version of Kill The Moon. I wasn’t completely sold on it myself, but Adam heard something in it straight away. Looking back, those sessions marked the beginning of a songwriting partnership that really helped shape the music we were making.

ISY: What’s the difference between performing on your own and playing with other people? I guess from both a live perspective, but also for recording…

Performing on my own was always quite a strange experience for me. It took a few years of writing songs to build up the confidence to start playing live but once I did I immediately fell in love with it. In a way I always imagined the songs in a band setting. Even though I was playing acoustically, in my head I filled the gaps with drums, bass etc.

Playing live with a band allows such a different dynamic. There’s an amazing feeling of excitement when you get to share the little details of playing live with other people… the build up, sorting the setlist, making merch and the crazy moment right before you walk on stage. They’re so much easier when you have other people beside you to also revel in them.

The same applies to recording. Being in a band offers a completely new sense of fun to the process. Some things just fall into place. I couldn’t imagine a better group of people to be making music with.

ISY: Why put both of these songs out together?

These two songs are the first we recorded as a band. We recorded them both together and wanted to get them out as soon as possible. They feel like a good representation of who we are as a band. They sit at opposite ends of our sound but still feel like they belong together. I think it was out of excitement more than anything.

ISY: What are the influences that seem to be coming out in the songs?

I take inspiration from a wide range of bands, including Veruca Salt, R.E.M., Sleeper, The Doors, Radiohead, The Verve and Garbage. The list is pretty endless, really. I try to listen to as much different music as I can, and I think each song reflects those influences in its own way. Our sound never feels fixed. It’s constantly evolving, and every time we play live or write together, it seems to take on a new shape. I don’t think we’ll ever settle on one particular sound and I quite like that. It means there’s always room to experiment and surprise ourselves.

ISY: What are the plans for the rest of the year? Do you have any specific goals for the band?

We’re heading back into the studio in August to record more music which will be really fun. We’re also looking to play as many shows as we can.

We’ve got a lot of songs we’re excited about and there’s definitely a bigger picture beginning to take shape. There’s a nice flow of new material and it’s starting to feel like we’re building towards something more substantial. But for now we’re focused on getting back to recording and seeing where the next few months take us.