[Exclusive Interview]: Larkins on Creativity in Isolation, Growth, & Music
Larkins may just be my new British boy-band crush. With the energy of Bastille and the dreaminess of The 1975, this Manchester group is definitely the emerging act you need to add to your discovery playlists. After they released their critically acclaimed EP Hit and Run earlier in February of this year, they returned with an amazing single called “Are We Having Any Fun Yet?” which is the admittedly the question of the year that we’ve all been cynically asking ourselves while we’ve been stuck at home. The song is pretty depressing lyrically, but nothing about the song gives the notion that we should be feeling depressed. In fact, with it’s sweet-tempo, up-beat tune and synths, and choir-like voices, it feels like it’s more of an empathetic anthem. It’s beautifully recorded, especially for the summer when all plan on going on socially distanced getaways to leave our homes and escape reality for a little bit. The song goes:
“And he waits for the sound of the train to stop
It's like the second hand on the clock
Is movin', movin' in slow motion (Mmm)
Are we havin' any fun yet?
She waits, but she knows he's about to say
It's two years, four months, three days
Since they went and fucked it up
Are we havin' any fun yet?”
One of my favorite songs, “TV Dream”, is such a charismatic track that hypnotizes you with it’s amazing tune, strong vocals, beautiful melody, and high-energy production. I cant’t help but get up and start dancing and singing along, belting our the lyrics loudly. Their music has that way of enchanting you. In addition, Larkins has an impressive range of sounds for their music that toys with rhythms, instruments, and experiments with the pop-rock sound that is so refreshing to hear. It’s as if they brought another wave of the exploratory act we’d been waiting for.
Now, the boys are getting ready for releases to come, which are expected to be a bold, adventurous, and exciting bodies of work. The band was named in the NME “100 for 2020” at the top of this year and are now garnering attention from outlets such as The Line of Best Fit, BBC R1, Beats 1, Alt Nation, and KROQ, just to name a few.
I feel really lucky to have had the chance to interview Larkins as they are on the up-and-up, and I am rooting for them all the way to the top.
Here is Our Interview:
[NM]: How did you get started in music and why music?
[L]: “I don’t think there was ever a point where I made the decision to do music as a career. I think it was always something ingrained in me from a very young age. I’d be listening to pirated cassettes in my dad’s car and kinda grew up listening to loads of 60s stuff and it just always seemed to surround me and became kinda my ‘thing’ from a very early age.”
[NM]: How would you describe yourself using 1 word or phrase?
[L]: “Almost famous.”
[NM]: While in quarantine, is there anything you feel like you’ve learned so far?
[L] “I’ve been doing a lot of cooking and trying to learn some new recipes. Obviously we’ve been writing and recording loads from our bedrooms so lockdown has definitely given us time to sit and practice writing, especially the production side of things. We've been exploring lots of different sounds and vibes.”
[NM]: How have you continued to be creative during this time?
[L]: “Lockdown has definitely introduced us to lots of new ways to communicate with fans and to approach releasing music. It kinda forces you to write and to find new ways to get around not being in a studio with all of your equipment. We’ve been able to actually sit and reflect on music for 10 weeks which has helped us so much creatively.”
[NM]: What is your detour?
[L]: “We play a lot of ultimate frisbee when we’re on tour, Josh got us into it and it’s kind of a ritual now that we find a beach somewhere and have a big game with our crew.”
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Thank you guys again, for taking the time to chat, and I’m really excited to be sharing your music with others. Everyone, definitely be sure to check out their Spotify and to follow them on Instagram.