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Photo by Mischa De Stroumillo

Alex Loveless: Interview

May 5, 2021 | Culture, Music

We caught up with London based musician Alex Loveless after releasing their debut EP to discuss influences, love and hair dye.

It’s been a crazy 12 months for everyone, have you found the lockdowns been good for your creative process?

Well before lockdown I worked at a club throwing parties / DJing and it was only until that stopped that I began making music. But it was only in the winter of the second lockdown when I was living alone that I really started making a lot of stuff. 

You’ve just released your debut EP, how long has this record been in the works for?

I think putting out a demo EP is often the first step for an artist. I made most of the tracks in the month or so before it came out. “Tease Me” was literally made the day I uploaded it to my distributor. I couldn’t be bothered messing around with it anymore and trying to make it sound like I knew what I was doing, so I just let it go. 

We can hear a pretty eclectic mix of styles in your work, from psychedelic pop to trap, who are your major influences?

I really do like everything.. when I look at my EP I can notice a lot of late 90’s / early 00’s pop/rnb/rock .. I like syncopated rhythms in percussion and I think that comes from a lot of Latin music I’m into. Some of my favourite artists would be The Weeknd, Jamiroquai, Alice in Chains, Lil Peep… But I really do listen to a lot of random stuff…

When you sit down to start writing and recording, what’s the first thing you pick up to get the music flowing and what instruments do you play?

I think I write most stuff on guitar, I’ll usually just be messing around and hear something I like that clicks and it all usually comes at once. The recording / producing etc. is challenging at first, very methodical compared to lying in bed playing guitar whining about something on your mind. 

 You’re a London based artist, do you feel you’re part of the “Scene” in the city? Any of your contemporaries we should check out?

 Not particularly, which I’m glad about. Although I do have friends who make music too. Harve makes this amazing kind of deconstructed R&B which has a real gorgeous neo-soul influence. Arlo Parks just put out her debut album, she’s obsessed with words and makes these insanely well rooted pop songs. My friends in the band Deep Tan I know from throwing parties and they’re about to put out their first EP, they make this hypnotising post-punk guitar music.

Is it fair to say your sound is a little bit sultry? Is this record a soundtrack for young lovers?

I guess so. I just think nothing gets my attention quite like love. I remember being so upset finding out how many love songs were actually about drugs as a kid, but I guess the fact that they’re interchangeable in writing goes to show that there’s not much else to write about other than something or someone you’re into.

We’ve heard you like dying your hair, what colour can we expect next?

No… I am growing out my dark gorgeous curls… Although I did think about buzzing it yesterday… Practicing patience… But yes of course platinum blonde for the summer runaway.. 

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