Rapid-fire Questions
1. What have you been listening to lately?
We always listen to a bunch of different music just to keep it fresh! On the way down to one of our recent shows, Leon and I chucked on a yacht rock playlist with the likes of Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan. We’ve been gearing up for the UK lately too, so that means we've been pumping British artists like Broadcast, Prefab Sprout and the Sundays.
2. My good friend got married this weekend and I forgot his wedding gift at home. Can I lie to him and tell him that “Cheesy Love Song” was written specifically as a wedding gift?
Haha, yes you can! I think the thing that I personally like about that one is that the lyrics can be interpreted in a bunch of different ways, originally they were written more to represent the love and camaraderie between two friends, sticking it out for each other. But if you want to walk down the aisle to it, that’s about the highest honour you can get!
3. If you opened a restaurant with your current cooking skills, what would be on the menu?
Two minute noodles and leftover pizza. But seriously though, cooking a wholesome meal and the whole process that goes with it can be very rewarding and lift your mood up. Similar to music, if you put in some love you get something good back. But yeah, we are by no means good cooks.
4. Which album or artist first made you fall in love with music?
I know for our drummer, Noah, that would have to be Stevie Wonder. I mean, the man’s a virtuoso. That music connects him to his Grandfather and similarly for the rest of us, our favourite early memory music has some links to nostalgia. For me, I remember buying Lonerism on CD and listening in my mum's car years ago.
5. What trend do you think is due for a comeback?
I work with kids outside of the band and it seems like Rubik’s cubes are really coming back strong. And to be fair, they are pretty cool. I can get the first 2 layers but get stuck after that. I recently got a pair of penny loafers which I am worried are too small for me, but I definitely see those around and coming back in style.
6. What makes you irrationally angry?
Accidentally hitting my head on the car boot door. Mumble rap. Overpriced meals. Just to name a few…
7. I think The Kinks were better than The Beatles. What is your most controversial music opinion?
Haha, seriously! I mean, fair play. They are pretty cool. But not THAT cool. But to be honest, my somewhat controversial opinion is that the Beach Boys are better than both of those bands. So there you go!
8. Do you think you could pull off wearing a backwards Kangol hat?
Yeah, I mean, why not! The little kangaroo logo is super fresh. Love it.
9. What is on your anti-bucket list of things you NEVER want to do in your lifetime?
I don’t think any of us are keen on trying super hard drugs, haha. Besides that you know, not much. I love living life to the fullest and getting as much depth of emotion whether that be good or bad to the fullest.
10. Any Sydney bands that you think we should check out?
Check out Shady Nasty. You won’t be disappointed. They just played the Great Escape with us, too. Their style of music is really hard to explain, but it’s like beautifully angry emo rap with super interesting chords and beats.
Isaac Gutierrez for Born Loser Mag: I believe the last time we spoke was in may of 2021! How have you been?? How is the tour going so far?
The Lazy Eyes: Yes! We’ve been going well. So far the Aus shows of the tour have been super gratifying. They feel super wholesome and people have been packing out the rooms and singing along. Very surreal and inspiring for us!
Congratulations on the release of your debut album, Songbook! How does it feel to finally be able to share that with the world?
It’s a big relief. We’ve been working on and off on the album since the inception of the band which was in late 2015. So many firsts were learned the hard way and really the record encapsulates us growing up and learning how to be a band.
What were the main influences/inspirations behind the album?
When we started the band we were just learning about the psychedelic Aus scene and really that coincided with us wanting to do that ourselves. Bands like Tame, Pond and Gizz are obvious influences we wore on our sleeves when we started playing and recording the album. Since then there have been many other influences that have crept in albeit more in a subtle light like classical, rave and dub music.
What was the writing/recording process of Songbook like?
All of the songs were written by Harvey and I seperately or sometimes together. They were written during our high school years and we started on the journey of recording on any off time we had. The recording was a similar process where Noah would lay down the drum tracks and from there, Harvey and I would sit with the songs and add in layers and bounce around ideas and mix it until completion.
What are you most proud of on this album? Is there something that you’ve learned through the process of making Songbook that has stuck with you?
Personally I’m proud of how authentic SongBook is to us. We didn’t try to change ourselves in any way, hide influences or pose to be someone we are not. We just stayed true to our colours and worked our butts off to make recordings we were happy and proud of.
Something that stands out to me about your music is all of the layers, and the little details that make your music sound lush/complete. When you’re working on a song, do you plan what you’re going to layer beforehand? Or do you just listen to the recording and feel it out in the moment?
Definitely the latter. Because the album was recorded in layers, one at a time, it gave a lot of time to sit in every stage of the song and be conscious of whether there is anything that sticks out that we should add or remove. Usually there will be a sound in our head from somewhere in our psyche and then we’ll use whatever tools we have to try and chase it and add it into the tapestry of sound.
I’m very interested in how your songwriting process works. Is it an individual or collaborative process?
It can be both! The way it works for us is there are no rules to it, there’s no time limit, no theme going in, just when inspiration strikes you sit with it and try and work it out into a fully fleshed thing. It’s gotta be natural!
The music video for “Imaginary Girl” came out not too long ago, and I absolutely loved it. I think that the aesthetic of the animation fits the song perfectly. How did the idea of doing an animated video for the music video come about?
Thanks! Harvey always envisioned the film clip being animated for that one. So again, it was that thing of having some sort of vision and then finding people to help bring it to reality. George the video director and animator did a fantastic job at capturing the emotion and aesthetic we were aiming for.
Can you talk to us a bit about the song?
I think the song is about living in a fantasy world and dreaming about all these fantasy things that make up you. Really, it can make you feel lonely and she is just an Imaginary Girl in the end. But at the same time, when we do write our songs, we usually have no meaning or anything going into it, just the music, and then afterwards you can analyse it however you like and however suits you.
What has your memorable onstage moment been so far on this tour?
At our hometown show in Sydney, Harvey and I went for a crowd surf during the set. Boy, was it fun! The room was brimming and it was just a great energy and vibe in there. Really wholesome to see so many familiar faces at the home show.
Can we expect a US tour anytime soon?
Surely one day! It’s so expensive, haha.
What can we expect to see from The Lazy Eyes in the near future?
New music.
To wrap things up, do you have any questions for me?
Pineapple on pizza?
Not for me, but I don't judge!
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions! It’s always a pleasure!
Anytime! Have a good one ❤️
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