Reading band Lilac have crafted a musical genre we’ve never heard of before, “floral indie.” But dispel any preconceptions you have of what indie sounds like, as the band aims to change all that with engaging vocals and big guitars that embrace the spirit of rock’n’roll.
The name Lilac was created before lead singer Beth Atkinson even began making music. When the first lockdown hit during the pandemic, Beth began writing music and shared it with guitarist Lewis. That saw Lilac born then, in 2021, they started thinking about playing live shows and brought in Olly on drums.
And on the floral indie disco sound they’ve crafted since, Beth told us: “We call it floral indie with rock’n’roll spirit. It’s got a lot of hazy reverb sounds and a lot of distorted guitar. Someone once described my singing as ‘big, loud and proper like it’s a rock ‘n’ roll band’ which I think is the perfect description. We like to make sure that you don’t think we’re just another indie band so just when you think you’ve finally understood our sound, we’ll throw you off with something completely different.”
Our latest taste of this is new single Touch, which was released last month. It opens up with effects-ridden vocals that quickly drop into a mellow opening verse. High-pitched, echoey vocals and light piano come in before a moody guitar helps to slowly build the atmosphere. Heavier guitars suddenly jump in as the song bursts into life led by Beth’s delicious vocals in a huge chorus. A cheeky little guitar solo takes over, then cymbal hits and heavier bursts of guitar come in as the solo intensifies. That gives way to a return of the encapsulating high-pitched vocals and powerful instrumentals to bring the track to a heavy ending.
On the track, Beth told us: “I was excited to get this track out because it was the first track that we got to record live drums for. I think this song is more of a reflection of how we sound when we play live with the gritty guitar sounds. All I can say, if you haven’t heard it yet, is make sure you make it to the last chorus because that’s when it hits hard.” You can check out Touch in the stream below (And a little warning before you go and search for ‘lilac touch’ on YouTube, where they don’t have a video yet, as it gets super weird…)
That track follows on from two previous singles, their debut track It’s Illusional and last year’s Losing Myself (In You). It’s Illusional opens up with a light lick, then chords and a little bassline flow into a funky little lick and synthy pulses. Beth’s engaging vocals take over and feed into a catchy chorus featuring stabbing strings, which ends with a return of the guitar lick and synths. The second chorus starts with vocal effects and heavier drums that give it a bit more of an edge, then flows into another chorus. A guitar solo jumps in then the pace drops before building up to a final blast of the chorus and a deliciously chilled outro. Check it out in the video here:
Losing Myself (In You) opens up with light synth sounds then a retro synth lick that feeds into light guitars. Laid-back vocals take over and draw you in and feed into a gorgeous chorus “I think I’m losing myself, I’m losing myself in you.” Heavier guitars come in under repeats of “in you” before another engaging verse and chorus. The pace drops after the second chorus, with light vocals “I’m sinking, falling, barely moving, Can’t I live without you,” then driving drums build up to a final chorus. Check it out in the video here:
Beth tells us that Stone Roses and Sonic Youth have had a big influence on the Lilac sounds. And adds that she grew up bring “brainwashed” by Britpop thanks to the likes of Oasis, Blur and The Charlatans, who all remain huge influences on her music. Compared to Beth’s more indie focus, Lewis has a broad music taste that encapsulates all types of genres.
And on what inspires them to write music, Beth explains: “I would love to tell you that all my songs are super meaningful and the lyrics have these deep meanings, but I don’t think that is true. I write what feels right. Music to me is a feeling. You know when you’ve got something good because you get that feel. When I write with Lewis he knows when he’s got something good because I’ll just be sat there grinning at him. Touch was written during a time when the world was falling to pieces and I think that shows. It’s definitely got a darker feel to the previous two tracks that we’ve released.”
Lilac plan on getting back into the studio to record their next single, on which they promise “the floral indie disco will return bigger and better than before” in early 2024. Also keep your eye out for Lilac gigs popping up here and there.
You can follow Lilac on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
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