FIVE MINUTES WITH: LYLO
LYLO are a five-piece band from Glasgow. Their second album, Post Era, was released in 2018 to great acclaim, blending shimmering indie with jaunty jazz elements to an 80s-inspired backdrop. Ahead of working on their next album via Zoom, due to a member of the band being based in Berlin, DM’s caught up with them for a five-minute chat on Glasgow’s music scene, their favourite Docs, and how they’ve got through this challenging year.
1. Tell us about LYLO?
LYLO formed in Glasgow around 5 years ago now, which is pretty wild to think. Myself and Jack loosely knew Michael from growing up, and we decided to get together to flesh out some songs we had all been separately working on. And, now here we are! LYLO currently consists of Justin, Jack, Michael and Thom.
2. Your music blends so many genres from jazz, indie, electronic, punk (and more). Where do you draw your influences from for your sound?
When recording the last record we were still very new to the idea of doing it ourselves. We learned a lot from the process but we didn’t have many limits to what went into the melting pot – just different stuff we were all really into! Since then we’ve probably honed in on what works for us a bit more; building songs up from shared moods etc. The new record involves more collaborations too which is exciting; some fresh voices which allow different perspectives. I think it also has more of a euro sound. Michael is living in Berlin at the moment but the rest of us must miss that place.
3. Where do you take inspiration for your style?
Oh tough one! I guess for us it’s maybe dressing to adhere to a luxurious lifestyle we don’t have, ha! The bargain bucket edition. Also, maybe more a growing understanding of what suits us instead of copying something that looks good on someone else who has a different context. But it’s always fun to try things out, although to be honest, all of our friends dress very well. I just copy them!
4. What style DMs are you wearing at the moment?
A pretty wild array of Black Chelsea Boots, pairs of both Green & Black 1461s and some Clifton Slip On Sandals.
5. The past year has been tough on the music industry, what challenges have you had to overcome?
We had planned to take a bit of a writing hiatus over the past year regardless of what ended up happening. I guess an obstacle for us was the fact that it didn’t feel like the time to write at all for a period. There was so much going on, I think we were all just a bit stunned. We were all fortunate enough to be in a stable situation to write music over the past year so it feels strange to admit to some challenges. Gotta appreciate the small things!
6. What are the top 5 songs you are listening to at the moment?
7. You’ve previously worked with Dr. Martens Presents collaborator Raissa Pardini on your music video ‘Nothin’ New’. How did the artistic partnership come about?
Raissa is a good pal! We met her in Glasgow a few years ago and then stayed with her in London, so we were already friends before she moved here. We were very much into her designs. THEN, when the time came to release ‘Nothin’ New’ she floated the idea of doing a video. At that point we lived around the corner, so we just went round one day and did it in an afternoon, then had a wee party. She is very inspiring.
photo credit: NeelamKhanVela
8. What’s next for LYLO? What are your plans over the next 6 months?
Recording our new album is top of the agenda! We will hope to play some shows around releasing it too, fingers crossed. But, we’re working on a different way to showcase these new songs with everyone. It will be special!
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