Premiere: Laura Lee Lovely Shares New EP 'Eden' + Interview

Laura Lee Lovely first captured national attention as leader of Christchurch dream pop trio O'Lovely. Since the group disbanded early this decade she's travelled the globe before recently returning to the Garden City to finish up debut electronic EP Eden, produced over a year with friend Simon​ ​Brouwer. Following a string of immaculate singles, Eden's four tracks showcase Lovely's gift for captivating digital pop production with beautifully arranged synths and souring vocal melodies.

Listen to our preview of Eden ahead of its official release tomorrow, and read our interview with Laura Lee Lovely below where she discusses the new EP, tour plans, homesickness and more...

Hi​ ​Laura​ ​Lee​ ​huge​ ​congratulations ​on​ ​your​ ​new​ ​EP​ ​it​ ​sounds​ ​beautiful.​ ​Is​ ​this​ ​your​ ​first​ ​official release​ ​since​ ​your​ ​old​ ​group​ ​O'Lovely?​ ​I​ ​know​ ​you've​ ​released​ ​singles​ ​before.

Thanks​ ​Chris!​ ​Yeah​ ​it​ ​is,​ ​while​ ​I​ ​was​ ​overseas​ ​I​ ​released​ ​a​ ​couple​ ​of​ ​tracks​ ​that​ ​I​ ​wrote​ ​when​ ​I initially​ ​went​ ​solo.​ ​I​ ​experimented​ ​with​ ​my​ ​sound​ ​but​ ​didn’t​ ​have​ ​a​ ​group​ ​of​ ​songs​ ​that​ ​were​ ​all made​ ​at​ ​a​ ​similar​ ​time​ ​that​ ​went​ ​together.

What​ ​ideas ​are​ ​you​ ​exploring​ ​with​ ​Eden?​

Eden​ ​takes​ ​inspiration​ ​from​ ​when​ ​I​ ​was​ ​leaving​ ​London​ ​last​ ​October​ ​to​ ​just​ ​last​ ​month.​ ​I​ ​dealt​ ​with a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​personal​ ​changes​ ​and​ ​growth​ ​in​ ​London​ ​but​ ​still​ ​felt​ ​quite​ ​stuck,​ ​I​ ​got​ ​quite​ ​homesick​ ​and missed​ ​New​ ​Zealand,​ ​I​ ​wrote​ ​'Take​ ​Me​ ​With​ ​You'​ ​around​ ​that​ ​time,​ ​it’​ ​is​ ​the​ ​oldest​ ​song​ ​that​ ​hasn’t really​ ​changed​ ​since​ ​I​ ​wrote​ ​it​ ​last​ ​year.​ 'Modern​ ​Symphony​' ​I​ ​only​ ​finished​ ​a​ ​couple​ ​of​ ​weeks​ ​ago. 'Faster',​ '​Hot​ ​Blood'​ ​and​ '​Modern​ ​Symphony'​ ​explore​ ​themes​ ​such​ ​as,​ ​regret,​ ​lust,​ ​love,​ ​loss​ ​and fantasy.​ ​I​ ​hope​ ​people​ ​will​ ​listen​ ​the​ ​songs​ ​and​ ​interpret​ ​them​ ​in​ ​their​ ​own​ ​way...​ ​Sometimes​ ​I​ ​write a​ ​song​ ​in​ ​one​ ​mind​ ​set​ ​with​ ​a​ ​theme​ ​but​ ​revisit​ ​it​ ​weeks​ ​later​ ​and​ ​change​ ​it​ ​completely​ ​for​ ​it​ ​to make​ ​more​ ​sense​ ​musically,​ ​so​ ​not​ ​one​ ​song​ ​has​ ​a​ ​specific​ ​theme,​ ​they’re​ ​more​ ​emotionally​ ​driven, nature​ ​is​ ​an​ ​inspiration​ ​for​ ​me​ ​too​ ​but​ ​that​ ​comes​ ​across​ ​in​ ​the​ ​instrumental​ ​music​ ​other​ ​than​ ​the lyrics.​ ​I​ ​wanted​ ​the​ ​music​ ​to​ ​sound​ ​warm​ ​and​ ​magical.

Could​ ​you​ ​please​ ​talk​ ​about​ ​how​ ​Eden​ ​came​ ​together?

I​ ​had​ ​just​ ​got​ ​back​ ​from​ ​the​ ​U.K​ ​and​ ​I​ ​got​ ​a​ ​message​ ​from​ ​an​ ​old​ ​friend,​ ​Simon​ ​Brouwer,​ ​our​ ​old bands​ ​had​ ​played​ ​together​ ​in​ ​the​ ​past.​ ​I​ ​was​ ​planning​ ​on​ ​staying​ ​completely​ ​solo​ ​but​ ​when​ ​he​ ​called I​ ​thought​ ​it​ ​wouldn’t​ ​hurt​ ​to​ ​have​ ​another​ ​person​ ​as​ ​it’s​ ​nice​ ​to​ ​bounce​ ​ideas​ ​off​ ​someone​ ​else.​ ​I​ ​was keen​ ​to​ ​get​ ​my​ ​EP​ ​written​ ​and​ ​recorded​ ​as​ ​I​ ​had​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​for​ ​a​ ​while​ ​and​ ​had​ ​a​ ​few​ ​songs​ ​lined​ ​up, we​ ​jammed​ ​and​ ​it​ ​went​ ​really​ ​well​ ​and​ ​we’ve​ ​been​ ​working​ ​together​ ​since.​ ​We​ ​fell​ ​into​ ​a​ ​pattern where​ ​I’d​ ​record​ ​ideas​ ​into​ ​Ableton​ ​or​ ​logic​ ​and​ ​then​ ​we’d​ ​bounce​ ​ideas​ ​back​ ​and​ ​forth​ ​until​ ​we​ ​got the​ ​songs​ ​exactly​ ​how​ ​I​ ​wanted​ ​them​ ​to​ ​sound...​ ​We’ve​ ​set​ ​up​ ​our​ ​own​ ​studio​ ​space​ ​so​ ​luckily​ ​that allowed​ ​us​ ​the​ ​time​ ​to​ ​record,​ ​mix​ ​and​ ​produce​ ​at​ ​our​ ​own​ ​pace,​ ​we’re​ ​still​ ​learning​ ​but​ ​it’s​ ​been​ ​a good​ ​crash​ ​course​ ​DIY​ ​learning​ ​experience.

You're​ ​based​ ​in​ ​Christchurch,​ ​what​ ​was​ ​it​ ​like​ ​returning​ ​there​ ​after​ ​your​ ​time​ ​away?​ ​

I​ ​didn’t​ ​know​ ​what​ ​to​ ​expect​ ​when​ ​I​ ​got​ ​back,​ ​or​ ​how​ ​it​ ​would​ ​emotionally​ ​affect​ ​me.​ ​The​ ​last​ ​time I​ ​had​ ​visited​ ​after​ ​the​ ​earthquake​ ​it​ ​was​ ​difficult,​ ​all​ ​my​ ​friends​ ​had​ ​left,​ ​people​ ​were​ ​really​ ​down and​ ​the​ ​life​ ​had​ ​seemed​ ​to​ ​have​ ​gone​ ​from​ ​here,​ ​but​ ​this​ ​time​ ​it’s​ ​different,​ ​people​ ​seem​ ​happy​ ​and content,​ the​ ​city​ ​is​ ​slowly​ ​starting​ ​to​ ​function​ ​again​ ​and​ ​people​ ​are​ ​social,​ ​some​ ​people​ ​have returned,​ there’s​ ​a​ ​sense​ ​of​ ​hope​ ​and​ ​support​ ​in​ ​the​ ​community​ ​which​ ​is​ ​amazing.​ ​There’re​ ​always gigs​ ​on.​ ​My​ ​friends​ ​and​ ​I​ ​decided​ ​to​ ​make​ ​a​ ​music​ ​video​ ​for​ ​'Faster'​ ​where​ ​I​ ​visit​ ​some​ ​of​ ​my favorite​ ​places​ ​in​ ​Christchurch​ ​that​ ​don’t​ ​really​ ​exist​ ​anymore..​. ​they’re​ ​still​ ​there​ ​but​ ​still​ ​broken...​ ​You’ll get​ ​to​ ​see​ ​that​ ​soon.

Has​ ​your​ ​songwriting/recording​ ​process​ ​changed​ ​over​ ​time?

Yes​ ​it​ ​has,​ ​I​ ​didn’t​ ​know​ ​how​ ​to​ ​record​ ​at​ ​all​ ​until​ ​I​ ​moved​ ​to​ ​Melbourne​ ​and​ ​a​ ​friend​ ​showed​ ​me the​ ​basics​ ​of​ ​Ableton,​ ​I​ ​desperately​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​learn​ ​so​ ​I​ ​could​ ​record​ ​without​ ​having​ ​to​ ​rely​ ​on people​ ​while​ ​I​ ​was​ ​travelling,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​a​ ​big​ ​turning​ ​point​ ​for​ ​me.​ ​I​ ​used​ ​Ableton​ ​and​ ​Akai​ ​MPK49 and​ ​an​ ​APC40​ ​for​ ​my​ ​life​ ​setup​ ​when​ ​I​ ​first​ ​started​ ​playing​ ​solo.​ ​Since​ ​being​ ​back​ ​I​ ​record​ ​all​ ​my vocals​ ​in​ ​Ableton​ ​then​ ​all​ ​the​ ​music​ ​is​ ​sequenced​ ​and​ ​arranged​ ​with​ ​the​ ​Native​ ​instruments Maschine​ ​and​ ​mixed​ ​with​ ​Logic​ ​which​ ​Simon​ ​mainly​ ​does.​ ​I​ ​used​ ​to​ ​record​ ​real​ ​instruments​ ​into Ableton​ ​but​ ​now​ ​mainly​ ​use​ ​live​ ​samples​ ​and​ ​midi.

You​ ​wrote,​ ​produced​ ​and​ ​recorded​ ​these​ ​songs​ ​yourself.​ ​How​ ​do​ ​you​ ​perform​ ​these​ ​songs live?

We’re​ ​able​ ​to​ ​use​ ​the​ ​same​ ​sounds​ ​from​ ​the​ ​recorded​ ​tracks​ ​in​ ​our​ ​live​ ​set​ ​up​ ​running​ ​the​ ​Maschine but​ ​we​ ​add​ ​live​ ​elements​ ​such​ ​as​ ​cymbals,​ ​wavedrum​ ​and​ ​I​ ​play​ ​synth​ ​and​ ​sing.​ ​Over time​ ​it​ ​would be​ ​cool​ ​to​ ​have​ ​more​ ​people​ ​join​ ​the​ ​live​ ​show​ ​but​ ​having​ ​two​ ​people​ ​is​ ​nice​ ​and​ ​easy​ ​so​ ​we’re sticking​ ​to​ ​that​ ​for​ ​the​ ​time​ ​being.

What​ ​have​ ​you​ ​got​ ​planned​ ​for​ ​the​ ​future?​ ​Will​ ​you​ ​be​ ​touring​ ​the​ ​EP?

We’re​ ​definitely​ ​going​ ​to​ ​do​ ​an​ ​EP​ ​release​ ​tour,​ ​it’s​ ​been​ ​a​ ​busy​ ​time​ ​so​ ​I​ ​haven't​ ​got​ ​the​ ​dates​ ​yet but​ ​will​ ​let​ ​you​ ​know​ ​when​ ​we​ ​do!​ ​We’ll​ ​be​ ​releasing​ ​our​ ​video​ ​for​ ​'Faster'​ ​soon​ ​too.​ ​I​ ​want​ ​to​ ​make videos​ ​for​ '​Hot​ ​Blood​' ​and​ '​Modern​ ​Symphony'​ ​too.​ ​I​ ​feel​ ​strongly​ ​about​ ​making​ ​visuals​ ​for​ ​these songs​ ​to​ ​help​ ​people​ ​understand​ ​what​ ​I’m​ ​about​ ​and​ ​to​ ​give​ ​the​ ​EP​ ​a​ ​chance​ ​to​ ​grow​ ​after​ ​its release.