Rock and metal music is virtually synonymous with the guitar. In fact, I’m 99% sure that every one of the 1000+ bands we’ve interviewed on this site has featured at least one guitar. But Banbury duo LAKE ACACIA are out to break that mold with a sound built on powerful basslines, synths, drums and harmonic vocals, which they describe as “huge, melodic and ambitious.” And it doesn’t have a guitar in sight.
The band started out as a successful three-piece, but the departure of their lead singer in 2020 left bassist Tim Groethe and drummer Joe Homer with a challenge. It was their first time writing together as a duo but, rather than give up, they kept the band name and set out to reinvent themselves. They experimented heavily to develop a unique live setup and a powerful, layered sound that didn’t require additional band members.
The first taster of this was their debut single as a duo, Don’t Think About It Too Much, which was released in November 2021. And they’ve since honed a sound that they summarise as: “A bold fusion of thunderous, bass-heavy riffs, lush synth layers, fierce, relentless drumming, dynamic electronic breakdowns and powerful, harmony-rich vocals.”
Our most recent taste of that is new single Broken, which was released in October. It opens up with building instrumentals that drop into a lively intro of driving riffs and synths. Engaging vocals take over and intensify over pulsing synths, which develops into a big chorus “We are broken, Words unspoken, Look into my eyes, Break the silence, Tell me why, We are broken.” The synth returns with powerful blasts of bass and big vocals, then a brief pause drops back into the synths leading a lively instrumental section, which sets up a big outro.
On the track, Tim and Joe told us: “The reception has been really good. It began as an intro to our set a couple of years ago and we really liked it and decided to turn it into a song. It has a dancey but heavy vibe to it, which is different from any of the songs prior to it, and it seems that our fans are liking it.” Check it out in the video here:
Broken follows on from two more singles earlier this year. The excellent We Don’t Want You Now counters laid-back verses with powerful singalong choruses. And I Can’t Let Go opens up with a delicious chunky bass riff and has strong Muse vibes as it flows into an engaging chorus. Those tracks follow last year’s debut EP Alter Ego, from which we especially love Hake Hush, which fuses feisty verses with catchy choruses.
The LAKE ACACIA sound is influenced by the likes of Rage Against The Machine, Biffy Clyro, Royal Blood and Audioslave, but their big shared musical inspiration – as we suspected – is Muse.
And on what inspires them to write music, Tim and Joe told us: “There’s no particular topic(s) that drives our songwriting. Each song is based on how/what we’re feeling at the time of writing a song. It tends to lean towards everyday experience which our audiences cold relate to, we wouldn’t say this is purposeful.”
There’s plenty more to come from LAKE ACACIA, who’ll be back in the studio soon and are preparing their next batch of tracks. They’re also in the process of lining up more shows and releases for next year.
You can follow LAKE ACACIA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
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