When it’s put to Alex Lahey that ‘I Love You Like A Brother’, her first album, is impressively confident it makes her smile. But it is.
“I think that I’m a pretty open and outgoing person,” she says. “You know, I’m not that guy at a party, but I’m pretty comfortable with myself and I’m comfortable with the record that I’m putting out.”
A twenty-something singer-songwriter hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Lahey quickly settled on a witty, self-effacing style of pop-rock on her first EP, 2016’s ‘B-Grade University’, and hasn’t let that slip on its full length follow up.
There is no pretence about Lahey and her writing isn’t reliant on veiled metaphors or cloaked references. Its charm lies in a refreshing air of candour, even if that sometimes extends far enough to startle even her. “At times I actually surprise myself with the stuff that comes out on paper,” she says. “I’m like, ‘do I want to talk about this?’ Or ‘do I want to be so open about this?’
“I think for the most part I’m a very, very normal person and I think the majority of experiences that I’ve had are pretty parallel to a lot of experiences that many other people have had. The way that I process them isn’t necessarily weird or that different.”
Throughout the record Lahey tackles timeless coming of age topics, ranging from heartbreak to self-care, with humour and sincerity. “I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be in good health. I gain weight and I drink too much, maybe that’s why you don’t love me as much,” she sings on I Haven’t Been Taking Care Of Myself.
“We’re all humans and we all have that in common and I think that’s why people connect to art in general, because it’s a reflection of people’s lives and they can see themselves in that,” she says. “I think there’s something beautiful about just being yourself, because generally other people can connect with that.”
Lahey is also concerned with the passing of time and the expectations that come with it, which sometimes she accepts and at other times kicks against. “Forget your inhibitions, don’t look, jump in, every day’s the weekend,” she insists on the opening track, but on Backpack she considers her commitments further: “I know life’s too short to settle down and you move faster than the world spins round.”
Closing the album is There’s No Money, which finds her less optimistic than when she began. It references jobs, mortgages and looking after cats while others progress in their relationships. It’s a classic conundrum for an emerging musician: she has nothing to do (or lose) because she has little to no money.
“I think it’s a really interesting thing and now that I’m in my mid-20s it’s something that I discuss a lot with my friends,” she says. “The whole thing of what are we supposed to be doing? How are we supposed to be thinking? I think we’re really lucky at the moment, where there’s a lot of scope for what that actually means. It’s really fun to explore that as a person, but also in my writing as well.”
Lahey cut her teeth playing sax and singing with pop band Animaux straight out of high school, learning “how to gig and write songs, and all that sort of stuff” with them. The group also familiarised her with the musical landscape of Melbourne, which has in recent years turned out the Smith Street Band and Camp Cope, among others.
Her saxophone years aren’t quite behind her, either. There’s a cameo from her alto on Backpack, and it's one of many instruments she handled during recording for ‘I Love You Like A Brother’. Alongside producer Oscar Dawson, Lahey also oversaw contributions from her live band, which was a conscious decision. Through their involvement they became more familiar with their parts and gained a better understanding of how the material should later be performed.
Studio sessions were juggled between bouts of touring, including a stint opening for Tegan and Sara, meaning time was tight and precious. The pressure was on. “When we were in the studio it was very much like: ‘we need to get this done in this time or we’re fucked,’” she says.
Now that several of the record’s tracks - Every Day’s The Weekend, Lotto In Reverse and I Haven’t Been Taking Care Of Myself - are out in the world, Lahey admits that heat has subsided. “It’s at a point now where if people don’t like it, that’s cool,” she says. “And if people like it that’s awesome. But at the end of the day it’s totally up to them to make the call. The beauty of art and the beauty of music is people make up their own minds.
“I hope that some people don’t like the record, because it means they’re engaging with it. I’m just at the point now in the limbo period before the record has come out where I’m like, ‘I’ve done my best’. It’s just ready to exist on its own legs and I’m really excited to see how that goes.”
Although ‘I Love You Like A Brother’ has not hit shelves yet, this summer Lahey confirmed that she was already busy writing its follow up. That’s an attempt to avoid the pitfalls normally associated with the awkward second album.
“It’s probably wishful thinking, making sure that I’m prepared,” she says. “But I’m just very conscious that I don’t want any sort of writing or recording process to feel like a chore, or to feel like something I’m doing to please other people. I figured the best way to do that is to start now in the same place that I’m at and be present, and just do what I can and enjoy.
“I don’t enjoy sitting around. I love working and I love writing. Luckily I’m one of the few fortunate people in the world whose work is something that doesn’t feel like work. And I feel very lucky and I don’t think I’ll ever take it for granted. If everyone had that opportunity the world would be a better place.”
‘I Love You Like A Brother’ is out October 6 on Dead Oceans.
Alex Lahey Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed November 08 2017 - LONDON Boston Music Room
Thu November 09 2017 - BRISTOL Louisiana
Fri November 10 2017 - LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
Sat November 11 2017 - MANCHESTER Deaf Institute
Sun November 12 2017 - GLASGOW King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
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