Introducing Interview: Lyrah

Following the release of her debut EP Chemicals earlier this year, San Francisco-based artist Lyrah has been featured on the likes of Earmilk, and in popular playlists such as Spotify’s ‘Fresh Finds’.

Recently sharing the GOLDHOUSE remix of her latest single ‘Don’t Make Me’, she creates smooth, sultry dance pop, flowing with luscious, soaring vocals and pulsating beats.

We caught up with Lyrah to find out more…

Hi Lyrah, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself please?
Hello! Nice to meet y’all. I’m a writer/singer/producer in San Francisco. I make dark indie pop music and love to create things that feel like they could be the soundtrack of someone’s life.

How and why did you initially start creating music?
I’ve been making music since I was a kid. I was lucky that my parents set me up with piano lessons when I was three – the teacher didn’t want to take me on since I was so young, but my dad worked it out so that she would give us both a lesson. Piano was my gateway to writing; it started with dark, heavy piano compositions, and then grew into more structured pop songs. For the past five years or so, I’ve been writing for other people as well as stuff just for myself. It wasn’t until two years ago that I decided to go for it and put out my own music – I was getting better at production and could finally capture the sound I had been hearing in my head. I wanted to have the complete creative control to create a vision around the sound and feeling I was chasing.

Your new single ‘Don’t Make Me’ is out now, can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind the track?
I wrote this song during a lonely night at my piano. It started because I was in a mental space of questioning someone’s love; it’s shitty to be in a situation where you feel someone pulling away and you begin to question how they feel about you and what that means going forward. When I wrote this song, I had no intention of putting it out or sharing it with anyone, but when I was picking songs for my EP around the theme of love driven chemicals, it was a piece of that spectrum that I wanted to include.

 

And you’ve recently shared the GOLDHOUSE remix of the track, how did that collaboration come about?
I first discovered GOLDHOUSE through his Billie Eilish remix of ‘Ocean Eyes’. I followed a lot of his remixes after that, so I hit him up when I was thinking about remixes for the EP and he wanted to remix ‘Don’t Make Me’. I knew there was a dancier, more energetic version of this song living within it and GOLDHOUSE nailed it.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Daughter and Halsey, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
Two influences that are constant are Sylvan Esso and Trent Reznor. But a more recent influence would be Sasha Sloan – I absolutely love her writing.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
I was talking about this recently with Parker – who is part of Cassette Tapes — that there is something cool about the SF music scene because it is not the natural place to live for music. And that difference of environment shapes the stories you wanna tell and the ways you write and produce about it. That said, the price of admission to live in San Francisco is so high that it’s unrealistic for some. Many musicians here are like me in that they have a job to support their music. I wish the city could better support creatives and people of all types of backgrounds that are currently driven away.     

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
For right now, I’m not doing any shows so that my energy goes into writing/producing/recording/designing/planning out the next releases. The songs to come are the ones that I am most excited to perform, so when that happens, I hope I give everyone a hell of a night!  

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming artists you’d recommend we check out?
Ooo let’s see. Here are some newer artists I’ve been excited about and the songs of theirs I love most: Banoffee – ‘Bubble‘, WENS – ‘Call’, Luka – ‘Closer‘, Hana Vu – ‘Crying On The Subway’. 

And how do you feel the music industry is for new artists at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
Since the barrier to create music is lower, people are inundated with tonnes of new music. This makes it harder to cut through the noise, but the part that is super interesting is that you can reach an audience that is really into your specific sound.

Finally, what does the rest of 2019 have in store for Lyrah?
All of my new stuff is pushing a darker, dancier direction. They’re living in a space that is dreamy, yet realistically cinematic. These songs to come are my favourite ones yet! You can follow me on Insta or Spotify to hear what’s to come. 

Massive thanks to Lyrah for answering our questions! 

‘Don’t Make Me’ (GOLDHOUSE Remix) is out now.

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GUEST BLOG: Xylo Aria (Music Production For Women)

Xylo Aria is the Founder of Music Production For Women (MPW), an online platform that encourages women to start producing music for themselves. After the success of her first FREE work-shop in London, we asked this inspirational woman to write about her thoughts on the music industry, and what fuels her creativity and generosity.

 

I’ve been thinking a bit lately about why we kill ourselves to be in the music industry, which from afar looks to be an unforgiving, self-centered being which really couldn’t care less about you. I’ll be honest, even at proximity it’s probably much the same, although I’m not sure I’d consider myself on the “inside” by any means. Still, I have to say as frustrated as I get by it sometimes, I still am in love with it.

This is for many reasons. Firstly, my project that’s so extremely close to my heart, MPW (Music Production for Women) as cheesy as it sounds gives me a very strong reason to wake up in the morning. Although it was launched not a lot time ago, the message seems to be spreading slowly but surely, and I often get lovely messages from women all over the world, something along the lines of “I’m so glad I found this, and have been looking for it for a while. It’s very encouraging to see and if there’s any way I can support it I’d love to!”.

This obviously puts a giant smile on my face. If my project helps reduce the self-doubt and lack of control over one’s music that I experienced in anyone else, then it’ll be the best thing. In saying that, it is a struggle. Although I love what I’m doing more than I’ve ever enjoyed anything, it’s a constant battle trying to stay afloat in many ways including financially and (although I feel I’m getting better at this) mentally when you’re trying to set something up from scratch, not having any clue what the outcome will be a few years, or even a few months from now.

And then of course, there’s the actual music side of things. There seem to be a million routes which you can take as an artist these days. Self release, pitch to small labels, pitch to bigger labels, try for publishing (I still don’t really understand what this is if I’m being honest) try for synch, release monthly to keep the flow, release periodically to keep people wanting more. etc. In some ways, it’s the best time to create music because we have so many options available to us; but it’s also enough to overwhelm any sane individual. Whether we are sane, fighting tooth and nail to work so hard to be in an industry which is doing so fine without us is another matter entirely.

Although it seems I’m straying from the point I’m trying to make – and yes there is a positive point – there is a clear reason why we do this. To say we love it seems to be an over-used cliche when it comes to the arts, but for me I guess it’s more the euphoria I get when I’m creating something I believe to be beautiful, as well as when I feel I’m helping people through MPW in a unique way which I somehow have the perfect skills in my opinion to do, is like nothing I get from anything else. And that’s pretty much all there is to it. You can be fighting every minute, and be getting beaten down but know you’re ALIVE while you’re doing it, or you can take the comfortable option and be dying a little every minute because what you’re doing has nothing to do with what you’ve been given the unique skills to do.

Thanks to Xylo for writing this piece for GIHE. Follow Music Production For Women on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington2 Comments

Track Of The Day: Palm Haze – ‘Second Round’

Described as “another story told by the unconscious”, Vancouver-via-Brazil shoegaze duo Palm Haze have shared their latest single ‘Second Round’. Taken from their recent album Rêve Bleu – released via YHS Records – the track is a deceptively calm swirl of sultry vocals and riotous, fuzzy guitar sounds.

Formed of vocalist/bassist Anna Wagner and guitarist/producer Lucas Inacio, Palm Haze blend elements of alt-rock, shoegaze, and trip-hop to create moody, furiously dark noise. The pair lose themselves in the chaos of the loud and the quiet, which they demonstrate clearly on ‘Second Round’. It’s a five minute journey in to the “forbidden paths” of their inner world.

Speaking about their recent album Rêve Bleu, the pair explain: “[the record] will bring up chaotic emotions and thoughts, taking you much further from reality and closer to the wonders of uncertainty. Where could you go? What could you do? It’s a fantasy you fall on accidentally…It’s the kind of dream you’re afraid of, but also tempted towards.”

Listen to ‘Second Round’ below and follow Palm Haze on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: by Philippe Hardardt

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Chastity Belt – ‘Chastity Belt’

On this, their fourth album, Chastity Belt are in a contemplative mood. Guitars are gently, thoughtfully, strummed and lush harmonies mingle with the melody to create an album that is perfect for late summer 2019. 

After their last album in 2017, the band deliberately created some headspace for themselves. They wanted to take some time out from the band, to work and live as individuals rather than as Chastity Belt. This decision led to some solo projects, most notably singer Julia Shapiro’s recent output, but also to a more personal introspection and development. The four members of Chastity Belt have brought this new sense of perspective the album, and it shows. 

While sonically complex, the album sounds sparse and uncluttered, unhurried and pastoral, rather than urgent and urban. Opening track ‘Ann’s Jam’ reflects this with its gentle, almost meandering guitar sound, whereas the strings on ‘Effort’ weave in and out of the guitars like ribbons of sound. It’s a soothing sonic wave, a soundtrack of calm and thoughtful songwriting. It’s not as though the band have suddenly picked up acoustic guitars either, it’s just that the woven intricacies of their music balance out to such an extent that neither electric guitar nor drums dominate. 

The slowly building ‘It Takes Time’ and the beautiful ‘Half-Hearted’ with its intricate, pretty guitars and gorgeous vocal harmonies are both highlights, as are ’Effort’ and ‘Ann’s Jam’, but really, this is an album in the traditional sense: it has been made to be listened to in its entirety, over and over again, until it bleeds into your subconscious and becomes a part of you. It’s a masterpiece that will stand the test of time and will be listened to, and loved, for many years to come.

Chastity Belt is out 20th September via Hardly Art.

Cazz Blase
@CazzBlase

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