‘It’s about living in your early twenties’ — a chat with Lontalius about Someone Will Be There For You
New Zealand local Lontalius steals the limelight with his latest album Someone Will Be There For You. This release comes off the back of collaborations with the likes of Brockhampton and Nick Ward, and explores the more stripped back side of things, written in his old bedroom on an acoustic guitar.
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How was Lontalius born as a creative medium?
It was born out of a love for music and the fact that I never seemed to be able to find a band to play with. I started writing and recording music in my bedroom as a young teen and it progressed from there. Drake covers on my casiotone to moving to LA and recording in real studios.
Is this inspiration for Someone Will Be There For You different to your existing work? And how has working with Quiet Luke informed the track ‘Dialtone’.
This song and this album are a lot simpler than my most recent work, I think. A focus on songwriting instead of production. Still the same feelings of nostalgia and melancholy, though!
‘Dialtone’ is a sweet and wistful song about ‘coming of age’ and moving to a new place. And all the complicated emotions that come with that. I had it as a short demo and decided one day to send it to Quiet Luke. He’s an artist I’ve always admired and we’d become friends on the internet. He added something really special to the song. And the first ever feature on a Lontalius song!
What has the creative process looked like for you recently?
This album I took to just writing songs on an acoustic guitar in my childhood bedroom. Keeping things really simple and organic. I felt like I’d gotten away from that in the past few years. I’m lucky to have a studio in Auckland now where I can come and let music play loud and get into a focused mindset.
And what was your favourite part of birthing Someone Will Be There For You?
Getting back to basics! My last album was really production focused, with hundreds of revisions and arangement changes. These songs were written mostly on acoustic guitar, and I produced them with the intention of keeping it simple and not muddying the original idea. It felt good to be in that space again.
And last but certainly not least — what can we expect from Someone Will Be There For You?
It’s an album about living in your early twenties, trying to solve problems and creating new ones, trying to make sense of emotions. Musically it’s quite intimate and natural sounding, but there are a few surprises. I’m excited for everyone to hear the whole thing.
I hope people feel the warmth and intimacy in the recordings. And I hope they return to these songs when life feels a bit overwhelming.