Neu Pick
Loa Loa thrash into life with debut EP ‘IX . V . V . VI’
We’ve got the first spin of the Brighton rabble’s ace debut release, along with a track-by-track from the band.
Every weekday, DIY’s new music know-it-all Neu brings you one essential new release to get obsessed with. Today’s Neu Pick comes from Loa Loa.
Brighton noise-makers Loa Loa are the sort of devil-may-care rabble that happily pay tribute to ‘Monet’ on their single of the same name, before gleefully torching the renowned Impressionist’s flower collection in ‘Lily Burning’ a song later. On the surface, this is rip-roaring good fun, but dig a little deeper beneath the breakneck veneer, and songs like ‘Lily Burning’ coarse with darkness and loss; ‘Wylo’ battles in a tug-of-war with vice.
It’s just the sort of let-loose, unbridled chaos the band specialise in, and their debut EP ‘IX . V . V . VI’ hits hard with a muscular, unstoppable core. Thrashing and veering like a possessed ghost train on fast-forward, it’s the kind of gritty, hard to keep hold of first statement that keeps you right on your toes; a punk-minded dance mat built out of hot coals instead of LEDs.
We’ve got the first spin of Loa Loa’s debut EP ‘IX . V . V . VI’ here on DIY. Listen to the whole blimmin’ bundle of ace below, and keep scrolling for a track-by-track guide from the band themselves.
Only Son
To us, it kind of makes sense to start the EP with our loudest and most visceral offering. We used to start our set with this song, but I started blowing out my voice by the second song, so we save it until last now. I guess ‘Only Son’ is about being forced to grow up in a very short space of time, while trying to live up to your own expectations of masculinity and what it means to be a man. Yet you find yourself buckling under these self imposed pressures and end up being no help to anyone at all.
Landslide
‘Landslide’ is about recognising flaws in your character that have come about as a result of someone else’s actions. It’s also about living in a nightmare long enough for it to feel normal, but you struggle to do day to day things and end up resenting everyone and everything. Fun fact: this song took around 400 live run throughs before we ended up with this version.
Lily Burning
Experiencing the death of a loved one is horrendous. This song is about when your first experiences are near enough back-to-back, and involve going to the same crematorium six weeks apart. I can’t quite describe it but walking into that place for the second time was my entire world caving in on itself. This song is kinda me processing that I guess.
Monet
In 2012 a man called Andrew Shannon walked into an art gallery and punched a hole in an original Monet worth £8 million. I don’t really know why he did this, but the story resonated with me enough to want to write a song about it, and here it is.
Wylo
Everyone needs some form of vice in order to cope. This song weighs up the negatives of being on or off, and which of the unpleasantries seem more appealing to deal with. I never did figure it out, but I guess there are days where you want to feel nothing and that’s absolutely fine. On the other hand there are days where you want to feel everything, in the hope it makes you better; and I guess that’s absolutely fine as well.
Loa Loa will play The Great Escape (19th-21st May), where DIY is an official media partner. Tickets are on sale now. Visit diymag.com/presents for more information.
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