LOVER Interview - A Collaborative Coven

Shortly after the release of debut track, ‘Eagle to the Prey’, under his LOVER project, we had a chat to Oliver Kirby about music, touring and everything in between!

Futuremag Music: Hey Oliver! ‘Eagle to the Prey’ is a really cool and cryptic song title. What’s the meaning behind the track?

LOVER: Hey mate! Thank you so much I appreciate that. The song is about knowing a relationship is inevitably coming to an end and trying to accept that. I like eagle to the prey as a metaphor for that idea, I think most people have been there and can relate on some level.

Futuremag Music: ‘Eagle to the Prey’ has a great chilled out vibe, do you plan for your future releases to have the same experimental lo-fi sound?

LOVER: That’s definitely a style I was trying to capture, particularly in the vocal melody. I’ve been listening to a lot of indie and lo-fi music and it’s fun to incorporate some elements of that style with more modern drums and electronic sounds. Most of the music I’m working on for the future has different ratios of the same recipe.

Futuremag Music: Who are some of the artists and projects that you have found inspiration in for your own music?

LOVER: This question is always hard haha, I try and keep up with what sounds exciting to me. Early last year when BROCKHAMPTON first came onto my radar, that sound and DIY aesthetic was exciting to me. Same with the bedroom pop wave of artists like Clairo and Omar Apollo. Locally I like what Golden Vessel, Cub Sport and Skegss are building. I find inspiration in these artists not only in my sound but in all aspects of their career – great designed merch, a DIY spirit. I find it all really motivating!

Futuremag Music: You collaborate with Oh Boy and Tanssi in your songwriting, but you also all live together. What is the production process like when you’re all under the same roof?

LOVER: It’s really good. We all come from different backgrounds but find common ground in our love for writing music and collaboration. I lose track of artists all the time so I need those two to tell me Lil Gnar is about to blow up or show me videos of Phony Ppl haha. Writing wise usually it’s Tanssi or Oh Boy finding a cool progression or sound, and then working all together on a melody and structure. That’s my main game, structure and knowing when an idea is strong and worth exploring. It’s a good balance. We keep each other accountable for getting shit done and focusing too. I’m really excited for all the releases we have coming up and the community we’re building!

Futuremag Music: You’ve just been announced as the support act on Golden Vessel’s upcoming East Coast tour. What can fans expect from your set on the tour?

LOVER: Yeah it should be fun! Oh Boy and Tanssi will be DJing and playing percussion respectively. I’ll be singing pretty much all unreleased stuff so it’s a little nerve racking... but I’m feeling confident. It’s the day after we all get back from America haha so we should be in a good frame of mind and have even more new ones to test out!

Futuremag Music: You also directed the Fall/ Winter campaign with DIESEL. What has working with the brand been like for you?

LOVER: It was an interesting experience. It was collaboration between myself, Oh Boy and Joshua Moll (@jayemol) and pitching an idea we had to a DIESEL rep we knew. I had a little experience in photography and agency work but directing and producing for the first time found its own challenges. It was a crazy amount of planning and a lot of things changed, people dropped out, budgets issues etc. I think that’s part of the job though, coming up with creative and practical solutions to last minute issues. I liked the pace of it. I think it’s important and from my point of view to collaborate and work with brands creatively. It’s a win win situation. I was really stoked with how it all turned out and we got a lot of good feedback. Keep an eye out for more stuff like this moving into 2019!

Futuremag Music: And finally to wrap up, if you had to describe yourself and your music as a cocktail, what would it be?

LOVER: Mojito! Chill, refreshing!