In Conversation With #137 - Lacuna Common
Oxford indie newcomers Lacuna Common released their debut EP ‘It’s All Talk’ last month - this collection of indie-pop gems is full of youth and untamable energy. They took a moment to talk to us about the release in more depth.
Hey there Lacuna Common - how are you? So your debut EP is finally out here - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
It’s been a long time coming, imagine being pregnant for two years, reckon it’s a bit like that.
It is called ‘It’s All Talk’ - does that have a meaning behind it?
It’s taken from a line in English Weather, kinda represents a lot about what our songs are about. The songs are often based on stories about nights out we’ve had and the conversations with people we’ve come across from growing up in small towns. It’s about taking those moments and having the mindset of believing you can make something of yourself no matter where you're from
Where was the EP recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process?
It was recorded over a few different studios, Rex Studios in London, Fizzi Studios in Wantage, and Alfie’s bedroom in Abingdon. Chris Barker from Willie J Healey's band and Macks Faulkron mixed the songs.
What are the key themes and influences on the EP?
Touch on a lot of everything really, romanticising the mundanities of suburban life, toxic masculinity and our pathetic love lives. I love the idea of pointing at really specific things that not necessarily everyone has done, but can be translated into something relatable for everyone. There’s nothing better in our opinion than grabbing your mates in the crowd, and singing along to a song that means something to you. Those moments are what we're trying to get people to feel throughout the EP.
There is a lot of exploration into living in suburban life on this EP - you are based in Oxford - so what makes up a typical night out for you?
So we are starting off at Alfie’s and Gabe’s for a few beers, whack the big hitters on the speakers, Oasis, Beatles, Roses, Robbie, that sort of thing, then we will be making our way to The Star (best pub in Oxford), drinking mainly Guinness and randomly shouting Alan Partridge quotes, maybe take things to another place like Big Society for some loud music and dancing. James & Gabe are probably queuing up for some sort of food at this point. And then it’s back to ours to play ABBA for the rest of the night.
Apparently you share love for road racing - is this true?
James and Tom fucking hate cycling, but myself (gabe) and Alfie first met at a bike shop where we had our first jobs. We still work in bike shops now. The band formed at Truck Festival in 2016 after a messy few days of seeing our favourite bands and drinking some random Austrian booze we nicked from our boss, it tasted like Airfix glue but it did the job.
And apparently the band formed after a blurry Truck Festival?
That’s correct! We went to Truck in 2016 and saw some amazing bands together after finishing our GCSEs. After that we thought we'd like a bit of the action so booked a rehearsal a few weeks later and the rest is History!
Do you have a favorite lyric on the EP? If so, which one and why?
“What’s the norm, is it scraping for rent, is it spending your weekdays thinking how your weekend will be spent” very happy with that one. Just think it encapsulates a lot of the thoughts that go through young peoples heads while the are trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do with their lives.
Now the EP is out there - what next for you?
Hopefully a summer of gigs, festivals and pints of Guinness, and we’ve got plenty of material up our sleeves ready to go, so watch out. We’ve been recording lots of demos at home and working on a new live set to come back with a bang and can’t wait to see some new faces in some new cities!