Expert Lovers approaches pop hooks with a fierce, hard-nosed attitude that translates to invigorating live shows. The band became known for its stage presence while performing around the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and now includes members from both NYC and LA.
The group blends British-style Indie Rock with Alternative and New Wave—"Indie with angst" as they call it. We had a chat with them as part of our Get To Know series...
Hey Guys! Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about the group!
"We're a three piece based in New York & LA that bonded over a passion for playing high energy rock and pop songs to live crowds. We play every show like it's our last, and we try to bottle that energy into our records."
How did you meet each other and when did you decide to start making music together?
"The three of us met through mutual friends in the local New York scene. We really kicked things off in late 2019 with a show on the Lower East Side and kept gigging around the city up until the pandemic hit."
Is there a story behind the band name?
"I wanted an intriguing, impossible name and had been jotting a bunch of ideas down in my Notes app for like a year, and one day came up with it. Can anyone be an expert at love? Probably not."
Where are you from and do you feel it has inspired the sound in any way?
"We formed in New York and I really think this shaped our music. We wanted to make something raw and gritty, so the focal point of our sound is thick, heavy guitars. That said, we also wanted to make pop songs that reflected our reverence for pop music from the 80's and 90's."
What’s your earliest musical memory?
"Both of my parents were indie rock musicians in the Minneapolis music scene in the late 80's/early 90's, so technically my first show happened while I was still in the womb. Beyond that, I vaguely remember going to some of their concerts as a toddler, which might explain some of my hearing damage."
Who are your biggest inspirations musically?
"I love British 80's art pop (Prefab Sprout, XTC), but that only makes its way subtly into our sound. I think our most obvious influences span everything from The 1975 to Hippo Campus to Queens of the Stone Age to Third Eye Blind. We're sort of anchored to the guitar, and for me that's always been my lightning rod, but our tastes have expanded as we listen to anything and everything that we come across on streaming platforms. It's probably one of the most exciting times to be a creator."
How would you describe the sound in a few words?
"Pop hooks with a fierce attitude."
What’s been your stand out moment so far?
"Releasing our first single, '400 Horses' last spring. It was really a just-in-time situation across multiple studios. We were fortunate to get it all done the weekend before the lockdown in New York, and once it was released the response was really positive. We can't wait to start playing it for fans in the future!
You've just released your new track ‘Can’t Let it Go’! Tell us a little about it!
"The song is about holding on to a past relationship that in retrospect maybe could have worked out if a couple things had gone differently. It's about clinging to those feelings so tightly that you rewrite history."
What’s your favourite lyric from the track?
""I cannot recognize what you cannot give me." It really sums up the tension of the song—getting caught up in memories and taking that to mean that maybe there's something salvageable in the here and now."
What are your plans for 2021?
"We're going to continue releasing a new song every 4-6 weeks, which is a goal we set for ourselves last spring. Artists have to be relentless in this day and age to get visibility. Beyond that, we are cautiously optimistic that we can begin playing shows again later this year. We're currently based in both New York & LA, so we've expanded our geography and are hoping that leads to even more live opportunities."
'Can't Let It Go' is out now.
Listen HERE @expertloversmusic
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