Q&A: LOVER
Australian artist LOVER has released his debut EP, It's A Wild World, recently. Flowing with R&B undertones, the project displays themes of vulnerability, heartbreak, and a dash of experimentalism. “Super Car Racer,” the project’s opener, sets the tone throughout with its dreamy production and LOVER’s crooning vocals hook us into this sonically driven universe. This universe is perfectly painted as a summer day coming to a close, with the sun setting and the sky transitioning into a blueish-purple hue, which can be felt through the second track “Higher Power.” The use of auto-tune on lush piano keys gives it an almost delicate, fantasy-like feeling that makes you wish it was over one minute long.
“Waiting For You,” bleeds with a false image of romanticism with lyrics that emulate an immense heartbreak. On the fence of being an electro-pop banger, the featured artist Cult Shotta, delivers with a verse that significantly elevates the track. “Last Puzzle Piece,” which LOVER says was partly recorded inside his wardrobe, was his first experience experimenting with auto-tune, yet it sounds completely fluid and natural throughout the song and the project. Lastly, the closing track, “Spiders,” gives a glimpse into what feels like his most vulnerable place on the EP. With glitching guitar riffs, hazy vocals, and an overall lo-fi vibe, this song captures the pure essence of sadness.
Do you mind introducing yourself?
Hi! My name is Oliver i.e. LOVER and I’m an artist from Western Sydney, Australia - thanks for reading!
What inspired this single? How did the concept and idea come about for?
Last Puzzle Piece came about at home, I honestly wasn’t thinking about it too much and just found myself singing ‘The Last Puzzle Piece’ over a guitar track. I think It had a nice, open ended type of feel so I just start writing around the idea of meeting someone that changes the whole direction of your life - for better or for worse. I tried to keep it as minimal and imprecise as I could, so people who have had their own ‘last puzzle piece’ moment can picture themselves in the song. I hope so anyway!
What gravitated you to experiment with auto-tune on ‘Last Puzzle Piece’? I read that it was your first time.
Yeah it was! I started experimenting with using autotune as a writing tool - sometimes when I’m writing I get too stuck on vocal performance rather than just writing an honest melody. With auto-tune running live, I can have the freedom of knowing that I will always sound good and just let my simplest ideas come through. This is definitely the case for Last Puzzle Piece, 90% of the song was written within 20 minutes and the vocal in the chorus is actually from one of the first takes! Don’t overthink it!
Your debut EP, It’s A Wild World, is about to come out, how are you feeling about it?
I’m feeling pretty good, to be honest as soon as this project was finished - I felt like something in my subconscious had been unblocked and I haven’t stopped writing since. I’m hoping for the best with this release and just concentrating on getting new stuff done and pushing myself to write better songs each time.
What do you hope to accomplish once this record is out? (i.e if the narrative is getting across the right way towards listeners)
I hope that people can connect with a song or thought on the EP. A lot of the songs bring a sense of calm to me while I was recording them, so I hope that feeling finds its way across as well. Ultimately it’s up to the listener, so we’ll see!
Who are you currently listening to?
At the moment I’m on a crazy wave of 90’s / early 00’s artists or current artists who are capturing that sound. I love some of the new stuff from Jean Dawson, soundtrack stuff from Jon Brion (who worked on my favorite movie soundtracks as well as working on the last two Mac Miller records before his passing, RIP), Dijon and (Sandy) Alex G. The song I’m listening to on repeat is ‘Into My Arms’ by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Aussie Icon right there!!