Jen interviews Lazy Colts to find out more about the cinematic alt-folk group.

Cinematic alt-folk group, Lazy Colts have today announced the release of their brooding new single, Twenty Two, the second taste of their debut LP, Trojan, set for release on August 5.  They’ll be hitting the road in August to celebrate the new LP, kicking off in Melbourne on August 6 and moving on to Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney then wrapping up in Katoomba on September 4.

 Twenty Two is a reverent and reflective ode to youth and the naivety that dictates the relationships formed during that time.  Emphasised by the pulse of young blood that dictates the arc of the song, the organic nature of the drums, piano and violin resonate under lead singer Lacey Cole’s effortless vocals.  Acoustic and raw, Twenty Two encompasses country and folk influences to illicit a rich blend of sound that is lush and satisfying.  Of the single, Cole remarks, “Essentially, Twenty Two is about the grand ‘undying’ sentiments that hallmark your first cracks at a serious relationship.  It’s about perspective, initially, the lack of it, and then the revelation that the reason you’re in your situation – however great or bad it is – is also the reason you will get through it: you’re only 22 years old.”

 Lazy Colts is Lacey Cole, Michael Bridges, Sinj Clarke, Craig Collier and David Keys.

 Hi Guys, I am looking forward to the release of your debut LP, ‘Trojan’. Is the excitement building up for you as the clock ticks down till release day?

Its been a long time coming so we are definitely very excited to get it out there. We all feel very lucky to have a record we are all happy with that kinda shows what we’ve been up to the last few years.

Your sound is unique with a mix of country and folk and an organic resonance with your instruments of choice. Is this a sound that you were aiming for or were you planning to write and play the music and see what sound suited your band?

The sound of Lazy Colts is essentially the car crash of influences and personalities that make up the band. We all have different tastes and influences so what you hear in our songs is the sound of us finding a middle ground we’re all happy with.

How does your writing process go, is it a whole band approach?

I normally bring a song to the band as a bare bones melody and chord progression then the guys disfigure it until no one would recognise it as the thing I dragged in a couple of hours ago. By the following week we nearly always forget what we did and spend the rest of the writing process trying to recapture that initial mutation but a lot of the time we end up with something different again. Certain members of the band are more into this ‘groove quest’ part of the process than others but it seems to work out most of the time. That being said there are definitely some abandoned/forgotten song ideas sprawled in the gutters around our rehearsal space that will probably die there.

Your second single from this LP ‘Twenty Two’ has a real slow nostalgic feel to it and coupled with the music video, it’s meaning shines through. Being about perspectives, or the lack of it when we are 22, was it written from personal experience in retrospect?

There is definitely a personal nostalgia in Twenty Two. It’s a fun song to sing as it throws me back to a time when I’d managed to tether my own life to the plot of some romatic tragedy in my head. Actually, that was pretty much the modus opernandi of my early twenties. Thankfully there is another perspective in the song that kind of extinguishes that overly earnest strand of the narrative. It suggests that I’m never quite convinced of myself even when I’m saying things outrageous like “as long as I live I’ll be loving you darling”. I remember that moment when a new relationship stepped into uncharted territory and I’d start getting my cues from movies, or books or other love songs to try and navigate through it all. When you attempt to conflate fiction with reality like that it’s a pretty sure-fire way to lose your grasp on the latter. It’s a fun world to reflect on and I’m generally a pretty sentimental dude so I doubt it will be the last song I write that will explore that territory.

The music video is such a great visual support for the song, who came up with that idea and was the movements and actions of the actor scripted or did she just do things that she thought was good? Seems so natural.

Sarah Adamson, the director of the video came up with the concept of filming a response to the song from the subject’s point of view. She loved the idea of juxtaposing this musical love letter written by this overly romantic – kind of tragic – dude with footage of a twenty two year old girl being bored at home. It’s as if the girl in the clip, played by Evelina Milward, listened to this guy pour his heart out and was kind of like “that’s sweet” – which I know as the guy in the song is some serious nightmare material… Its probably worth adding that Sarah is my wife so she probably had some vicarious thrill in crushing my youthful romantic self. As far as who came up with what Evelina did in the clip- from what I understand Evelina, Sarah and the hair and make-up artist Samantha Patrikopoulos listened to Drake all day and walked around the house trying different things which Sarah then cut together in the edit.

Your album Trojan was recorded in a Church, that definitely adds to the resonance of the songs. I have listened to the LP a few times now and am struggling to decide on my favourite to listen to yet! I think the one that I connect to the most is ‘Higher Ground’. Do you have one you connect to the most?

Awesome! That’s great that you like Higher Ground. I think that’s our violinist Michael’s favourite. I think ‘Like Never Before’ is the song I fall into the easiest when performing live. It’s a strange song, in that I’m not even sure what its really about, but it feels true and natural for me when I sing it.

Can you pick a song other than ‘Twenty Two’ and explain the meaning and what was the inspiration behind the song?

The song Absent Gods & Painted Horses is a fun one. It was written a few years ago when I was travelling around America. I was passing through Texas and caught a local singer-songwriter‘s show at The White Horse which is a great bar in East Austin. The song is essentially the story of how we met and organised to hang out and play some music together. As it turned out she was going through a break up with a literal cowboy from Montana and in between playing each other songs she would talk about this guy and I would tell her about this girl I had been seeing which had recently ended. We talked all night about relationships, music, religion, addiction, Cormac McCarthy and horses- pretty much the loose themes of a Lazy Colts record. The song was there to be written and I think I wrote it the next day on the way to Louisiana. I love how epic it feels yet it is just about a night where two people played each other some songs and had a chat.

 

 

I must say that Nicholas Potts did a great job on the artwork. I love the stars in the background and the way that the colours of the buildings are. Was this something that you planned or did Nicholas came up with the idea? Clearly the Trojan Horse is a great concept.

 

 

The idea of a trojan horse as the image for the album we felt was a fitting introduction for the band’s debut and worked on multiple levels. Nick is one of my favourite illustrators and we asked him to do the art work for the album because we new he could bring something to it that would help frame the music in a way that highlighted the themes and textures of the album we were most excited by. I beleive listening to the album with cover art in mind distils your experience of it. We wanted an artwork that balanced our country and folk influences with some of our more unusual textures. Nick brought the noir/sci-fi aesthetic to the imagery and also gave it a movie poster feel which suits the cinematic aspect of the band’s sound really well.

You are heading on a tour after the release of your album, can you tell us what your audience can expect from your shows?

We are on the road this August with a National Tour to celebrate the album release. We have been working on setlists that capture the dynamic aspects of the album yet retain a sense of momentum and energy. There are a couple of reworkings of some of the songs off the album which are translating really well in the live setting. We’re all psyched to play to new crowds as it is our first time playing out of Sydney. It’s gonna be a great time.

You are renowned for playing loads of shows, what is your favourite thing about playing local shows in Sydney?

It’s a great feeling when you feel a connection with the audience. Whether it’s the music or the lyrics or both its nice to know you are sharing a moment with the people in the room.

Wish you all the best for the release and your tour. I shall see if I can come at one of your Melbourne shows.

Thanks Jen we’d love to see you there, thanks for the chat.

Thanks,

Jen

Directed by Sarah Adamson (The Preatures, Gideon Benson, Matt Corby), the video clip for Twenty Two is a filmic representation of both the vulnerablilty and the joy of being young.  Starring Sydney-based model Evelina Milward, the film seeks to balance the song’s morose male dialogue with a feminine depiction of happiness and beauty.  The tone is both nostalgic and immediate; an authentic depiction of youth’s resilience and wonder.  Speaking about the clip, director Sarah Adamson says, “I saw this great opportunity to lovingly poke fun at the sincerity of the song.  I had this picture in my head of a girl listening to this love song some boy had written her but not really caring as much as he thought she would.  She’s doing all these other funny and weird things a 22 year old girl might do when bored at home by herself.  She is only 22.  She knows there’s nothing to really worry about.”

 Lazy Colts’ debut album, Trojan is a fine example of the state of Australian songwriting.  Broad, triumphant, and satisfying, yet devastating, emotive and raw, the group haveput a mirror to the human experience and Trojan is the result.  Mixed by renowned engineer, Mark Lawson (Arcade Fire, Timber Timbre), the release has been two years in the making and calls upon a variety of influences including The National, Nick Cave and Bruce Springsteen.  Recorded in part inside a local church, Cole reflects on the process, “I’m not sure the songs would sound the same if they were written and performed in a living room or garage.  There is definitely a reverence or awareness of the space and the mood the empty church sets which lives on in the album…Trojan is set against grand backdrops of religion, myth, violence and politics, but the songs themselves are more personal, focusing on relationships and the fleeting moments between people.”

 

Lazy Colts will be hitting the road on a national tour in August to celebrate the release of Trojan.  Giving fans a taste of what to expect from the shows, Cole enthuses, “Audiences can expect energy, passion, dynamic arrangements and musicianship.  The rest of the band bring an element of sophistication and skill which strikes a nice balance with my more unhinged vibe.  All in all, it’s a good time, it’s like rays of light through storm clouds.”

LAZY COLTS ‘TROJAN’ NATIONAL TOUR

SAT 6 AUG | WESLEY ANNE, NORTHCOTE | 18+

SUN 7 AUG | LABOUR IN VAIN, FITZROY | 18+

SAT 13 AUG | SANCHO’s DIRTY LAUNDRY, CANBERRA | 18+

SAT 20 AUG | THE BEARDED LADY, BRISBANE | 18+

SAT 27 AUG | FRANKS WILD YEARS, THIRROUL | ALL AGES

SUN 28 AUG | THE OXFORD CIRCUS, SYDNEY | 18+

Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au | 1300 GET TIX | All Moshtix Outlets

SUN 4 SEP | HOTEL BLUE, KATOOMBA | ALL AGES

Tickets available from www.stickytickets.com.au

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