Interview with The Lilac Hour

We never start a song with a specific narrative, idea or image. I have no idea how people write lyrics first and put music to them afterwards. The chords, the riff or the melody always come first. The feel of the track is simply determined by my mood. If I’m angry, I’ll crank up the gain on my amp and thrash a riff out. If I’m feeling relaxed, I’ll strum some chords on the acoustic. The words will write themselves.

Our new track, “Call Me” (out Friday 22nd July), started off with a chilled chords progression and grew from there. The story it tells is totally made up and driven entirely by the music, but we think the lyrics fit really well.

I grew up listening to a very eclectic mix of music. One minute I’d be listening to Fleetwood Mac and ABBA with my mum, Stiff Little Fingers and Oasis with my dad the next. I therefore draw on rock elements like heavy guitars and riffs but also the kind of melodies you’d more often find in pop music. Have a look at our Spotify radio to see what I mean:

I also have a playlist dedicated to songs I wish I’d written. THere’s artists ranging from Elton John to Rage Against the MAchine on there. Check it out: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6xzvfZgiwWkxLbfUg3Voic?si=71de6df5bf494437

Sounds a bit basic but I remember seeing the Green Day American idiot music video when I was 8 years old and thinking these guys with the black eyeliner and red tie are literally the coolest people on the planet. They’ve had a pretty serious decline since then but that’s what got me into rock music.

I’ve already got a day job, but it’s only to pay for the music!!

What advice do you have for our fans out there that want to create
music?

People who are critical of you doing something creative are only scared you’ll succeed.