There's so much more to Say Lou Lou than meets on the eye.
Supreme Scandi-pop with a cinematic edge, the duo's music is outwardly beautiful, intoxicating. Delve deeper, though, and you'll find hidden layers of darkness, a sense of sensual noir which lingers long after the stereo cuts out.
Debut album 'Lucid Dreaming' is out now, so Clash invited Say Lou Lou to name just a few of the Influences which inform their material.
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This Mortal Coil – 'Song To The Siren'
We’ve have had this song with us since the early days of writing for Say Lou Lou, Liz Fraser is one of our favorite voices and Cocteau Twins in general are a huge inspiration. We first heard the track on the soundtrack for 'Lost Highway', when it plays over a very intense love-making scene. The sparseness that somehow creates more warmth and fullness than a hundred instruments, the vocal production and backing vocals, the electric guitar…
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Chromatics – 'Cherry'
This track (and the Chromatics in general) is the perfect mix between melancholy and groove, between nostalgic/retro sounds and modernity. We really admire their/Johnny Jewel’s productions. The airiness and nonchalance in her voice gives off so much attitude and vibe without being necessarily strong or conventionally “good”.
'Glitter' on our album is very much derived from the same world as this track; we definitely wanted the right amount of disco and groove without losing the dreaminess, we feel 'Cherry' represents that.
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Kate Bush – 'Cloudbusting' (Any of her songs really but if we have to choose one…)
We love her, she’s probably our all time biggest idol and influence, although we don’t sound much like her (no one does!). The 'Hounds Of Love' record has so many good electronic elements, the drum machines and synths most prominently, at the same time as so many beautiful organic instruments and genius use of strings.
It feels modern and timeless. We have been searching for that symbiosis in our sounds, of electronic vs organic sounds. She is the master of chants, and interesting lyrical concepts that are ambiguous but at the same time really asserting, they feel personal without necessarily being derived from her own life.
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El Perro Del Mar – 'Change Of Heart'
This is good Scandinavian pop in its simplest form. It has that gut wrenching melancholy and desperation, yet the vocals are eerie and careless. It touches you and drags you in with the heavy, really catchy bassline with an almost religious organ -groove and floatiness together. Its simplicity is inspiring, it makes you want to keep things easy and suggestive, the way Scandinavians do it best: “…a hand in the darkness//I’ve followed for so long…” Never say too much, never tell the whole story.
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Agnetha Fältskog – 'Wrap Your Arms Around Me'
The classic 80’s ballad, super sweet and super sexy. It’s kind of pop-cheesy but it feels genuine, she embraces the cheese and makes it something cool, she’s not afraid of singing words that have been sung a million times. It’s so unpretentious and nostalgic.
The part where she whispers “make love to me” in Swedish in the middle eight inspired the middle eight of our track 'Peppermint', where we whisper the chorus lyrics in Swedish – it felt a bit cheesy at the time but now we’re happy we did it.
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'Lucid Dreaming' is out now.
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