Friends of The Last Dinner Party, Dream Wife and even Wolf Alice who they toured with last year, Glasgow’s Lucia & The Best Boys are cementing their status as one of the UK’s hottest bands. They’ve been in no rush to rise to the top; forming eight years ago, this September marks the long awaited arrival of their debut album ‘Burning Castles’. A lot of things may have changed for them since they formed. But lead singer Lucia Fairfull believes that the band’s je ne sais quoi has always remained. “As a creative, it’s really important to have the space to experiment, grow or even change your mind on things,” she says. “I wouldn’t be where I am now without that freedom. But as much as our sound might’ve altered, I still feel we’ve got that same Lucia & The Best Boys stamp. I don’t think that will ever go away.”
From their first pop forays like ‘Melted Ice Cream’ to their later gritty material and raucous live sets, evolution is something that the band have embraced. Now, their aesthetic is the most refined it’s ever been, centering around a captivating, gothic pop aura. “I was 18 or 19 when I wrote some of our first music,” she says. “But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve been okay with becoming more vulnerable and showing more than one side to myself. I don’t sugarcoat as much in my lyrics anymore, I’m singing more melodically and I’m just really embracing and enjoying writing pop music. Don’t get me wrong though, I do still love screaming down a microphone!”
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The group’s latest singles are impressive. ‘When You Dress Up’ tackles misogyny in the music industry, while ‘So Sweet I Could Die’ pairs relentlessly brooding rhythms with Lucia’s sharp vocal display. But their latest 80s infused offering, the title track to their forthcoming album, might just be their best yet. “Out of all the music that I’ve ever released, it’s the song that I’m most excited for people to hear,” says Lucia. “It was written about emotions your body goes through when you receive bad news. In terms of my writing, it took me to a place that I’d been longing to explore and it really kickstarted the soundscape for the album.”
Delivering their debut is something that Lucia & The Best Boys have been purposely patient with. “We’ve had fans that have been following us for eight years, which does seem like a lengthy amount of time,” Lucia admits. “But we’re happy that it’s been a natural journey and that the album has come together when it should have. It was important that it was done in our own way.” Recorded between Margate and the Outer Hebrides, Lucia mentions that themes of love, growth and finding power in vulnerability sprawl across ‘Burning Castles’. However, one main facet that permeates throughout the album – especially in the visuals crafted in their latest music videos – is Lucia’s rejuvenated sense of identity with her Scottish heritage. “I feel like I’ve found this new lease of life being up north and deep-diving into my heritage and culture,” says Lucia. “The only previous form of escapism I felt I had was songwriting, but now I feel I’ve discovered this new form of it by spending a lot of time outdoors in the countryside. There’s so much magic embedded in Scotland and I wanted to bring a piece of that into the album.”
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Not only does their new music conjure up majestic scenes, but so too do their live performances. Embarking on their debut headline tour this November, playing their new songs live will be the last piece of the band’s jigsaw to slot into place. They’ve already solidified their credibility playing to huge crowds on the road with Wolf Alice. Now, they’re ready to take matters into their own hands. “When we played with Wolf Alice, I realised that the songs we played then, which are now on this album, were made to be played on big stages,” Lucia smiles. “To capture the full world of the songs, they have to be performed on big stages. I’m really excited to be getting the opportunity to play these songs where I feel like they belong.”
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Lucia & The Best Boys will release debut album ‘Burning Castle’ on September 29th.
Words: Jamie Wilde
Photo Credit: Ronan Park
