Q: Tell us a little back story behind your newest single “Atom by Atom”.
LO RAYS: Atom by Atom is about feeling lost and not knowing who you are. After moving to Glasgow I got into a very negative headspace and put a lot of pressure on myself. Suddenly I was incapable of doing things that I did before, and things that I had prided myself being – confident, brave, social – I just wasn’t anymore. I hadn’t struggled with mental health before and it left me feeling like I had lost control over myself and my own life.
Q: We think it’s pretty impressive that you recorded your music video entirely by yourself. Tell us about that experience.
LO RAYS: I recorded the music video with my phone in my living room during the 3rd lockdown. I had this simple idea of picking glass out of my mouth, so I made movie prop ”glass” out of sugar! Even though the video is home-made I’m extremely proud of it. You don’t need a huge budget and a big production for expressing yourself!
I’ve been trying to overcome my perfectionism and challenge myself to try new things without being overly critical and worried of the outcome. It’s not helpful being critical of something even before it’s created; it killed my creativity and led to low self-confidence. Perfectionism also started to slow me down in my music journey; always waiting for the next, perfect song and ending up releasing nothing. This music video is my way of breaking away from that thought-process!
Q: What draws you to you alt-rock/dark pop?
LO RAYS: I love the unpredictability of bands like Arcane Roots and Enter Shikari, and how there’s always a new element to listen to. I love how the intensity can go from 0 to 100 in a heartbeat. I’m all about good melodies, which is why I have always loved listening to pop music too.
Q: What are your biggest struggles as a band?
LO RAYS: Finding a creative direction that everyone is happy with, which never actually happened! Recently I decided to take sole creative control, which has worked better for us as a band.
Q: When did you start writing music?
LO RAYS: I played clarinet when I was a kid and wrote my first ’song’ when I was 8 with it. It was only one line long! I started writing more frequently at 15, when I started playing guitar and joined my first band.
Q: What are your musical plans for the next 12 months or so?
LO RAYS: Releasing and recording more singles, I have many songs finished that I am very excited about!
Interviewed by Stephanie Pankewich
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