photo by Ciara Giagola
After their early summer breakthrough release of Eventide, Lilac Lungs have been gearing up towards an upcoming tour. We were able to catch up with Emily (vocals) and Johney (guitar) on Eventide and what's next for the band.
Thanks for chatting with Photopassed! For anyone that hasn’t heard music from Lilac Lungs – how would you describe Eventide to a first time listener?
Hi there!! Lets see. We classify ourselves as Alternative Pop. We love the highs and lows of music. So some songs have a more dark approach, as well as some that have a very happy and upbeat feel to them. Basically, we just write what we think sounds and feel right for the song, as long as its within the ‘Pop Rhelm’.
Did you follow a specific formula when recording Eventide? Was it a complete group effort or do individuals bring ideas to the table and you work from those ideas?
Emily (Lead Vocalist) and John (Guitarist) start with writing basic structures, lyrics, and a few melodies. Get a few of the kinks out and then, they bring the song to Terrance (Bass) and Matt (Drums) to put their flare into it.
Favorite song off the album?
This question is like asking ‘which one of your kid is your favorite??” haha! Each song is very special to us. We put as much love into one as we did the other. I really don’t think we could choose. We will leave that up to the listeners.
Favorite song to play live?
Again, they all are their own characters. Their own beast to tame. There is something very special about dancing with an audience. Nothing can beat that feeling. We get to really do that with ‘Fine’, ‘Uh-OH’, and ‘Guard Dog’. But, in the same sense, there is something very special about being very intimate and real with others. Taking it down a bit. Although in ‘Us vs Ourselves’ it gets very intense at the very end of the song, The bridge really comes down and is just Emily’s voice and Piano.
Which of your songs means the most to you?
We have a song off of our self-titled Ep that is called ‘Tranquil’. Emily says, it is one of the first songs she ever was very real and intimate about her mental health issues such as anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. A lot of our listeners, and many more people out there who haven’t heard of us, deal with a lot of these things, and we love nothing but to remind them that they are not alone in this battle that they fight.
Would you think of performing any of the tracks off Eventide as an acoustic live song? If so which song do you think would suit that best?
I think ‘Guard Dog’ would be very interesting to hear acoustically. Maybe even ‘Fine’ as well. We have been looking forward to diving into that and trying to figure out an acoustic set for futures shows.
Three tracks off of Eventide – Us Vs. Ourself, Guard Dog, and Fine – seem to go from the lowest lows to a hopeful high, how important was the track listing order to you when finalizing the album?
We wanted to make this whole album an experience, track by track. Taking you on a ride. From up-beat high energy, to slow bass driven songs, we really put our all into making that happen. We were inspired by life itself, and all that it brings.
What song do you remember most from your childhood?
We all come from different up bringings, and with that came different music tastes and music memories. From Michael Jackson to Rush or Chumbawamba to Jimi Hendrix, music has always just been so grand to us. I think its very wise for a musician to broaden and listen to as many genres of music as possible.
What hobbies do you turn to when you're feeling "burnt out" or unmotivated to work on music - to help respark the passion?
Going and watching other bands perform, or being a part of a quality live show. Getting inspired off of other musicians who are putting their all into their craft. We live for that. Maybe it’s almost a… haha jealousy thing. In the best way. A spark that kicks you out of that lul, and reminds you ‘Hey, I gotta get back to work.’
What venue or city are you most looking forward to conquering in the future?
All of them. We are so on fire for touring. A few of us in the band have never toured before and we are looking forward to meeting new people, creating memories, and growing as artist.
If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, on a song who would it be and why?
Michael Jackson. he’s… just the best. A true and iconic inspiration. We actually use to cover one of his songs, ‘ Beat It ‘, for a little while.