9+1 Q&A with Lexytron

What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.

Lexytron is made up of me as the lead singer/songwriter and Mike who produces my records. I’m from Northern England and he’s a Londoner. We both played in bands – he was playing in an indie rock band up in Manchester and I played violin in a folk band in London (although less seriously than him) – and then we came together musically and it sounded good! At least we thought it did. On ‘Something New’, we wrote our first song together ‘Disco Jenny’, and ‘Every Little Thing’ is a Mike composition which I am thrilled for people to hear because it’s such a lovely song that may (or may not be) about me.

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

‘Something New’ came out on 5th September. It was recorded in our home studio in Auckland and mixed and mastered by Marco Meloni, a London-based musician/producer. It has contributions from a great cast – EVA (a Greek singer-songwriter and pop diva), Neapolitan jazz sensation Letizia Cuofano (Ohana Trio) and the angelic Elen Cowlishaw. Stephen Lake (The Spicy Notes) is an old friend who brings the funk with the bass on ‘Disco Jenny’, and we’ve got the brilliant Gwyn Owen playing flugelhorn and trumpet (The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) on two tracks (‘Disco Jenny’ and ‘Your Love’). I’m really excited for people to hear it because I think there’s some really fun, dark and quirky pop songs on this album that touch on some interesting subjects – romance, desire, heartbreak, rejection, isolation, grief, and social climbing! Musically, I feel this is a more cohesive album than my first one because there is an electronic sheen to some of the tracks, but it’s hopefully as sonically interesting as the first!

Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?

Aside from people that I have observed and/or interacted with from my daily life, my work is littered with cinematic references, whether it’s something like incorporating ‘Knives Out’ into a song (‘Disco Jenny’) or something like ‘Blackmail’ which is heavily influenced by the male gaze on a ‘Hitchcock blonde’. Art is another influence – my song ‘The Veil Of Veronica’ from ‘Something Blue’ was named after a painting of the same name. I am not sure what has specifically influenced my writing style because it’s just something you develop through your school years and we’ve all read countless numbers of books by many different authors, which we don’t tend to revisit – or at least I don’t now. In terms of my musical influences, I played classical piano from age 6 and Mozart was my favourite composer to play. I used the chords of Beethoven’s 9th as the introduction to ‘Gypsy Blue’ (‘Something Blue’), so classical music is definitely an influence. However, the music I love is rock n roll, so over the years, I will have absorbed the song structures from everyone from The Beatles to Blossoms. I was alive during two big musical movements in England – ‘Britpop’ and ‘Indie Sleaze’ (as they now call it), so all of those bands and music that was on Top Of The Pops, including chart music, will all form part of the palette from which I paint.

In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?

Based on what others have said about my work, it is theatrical and original alternative pop, which draws on indie nostalgia but still sounds modern. My lyrics have also been praised for their ‘sardonic wit’ and intelligence, which is high praise that I don’t take lightly. This is the sound of me just being Lexy and I’m not aiming to be witty or clever. I would also add that in Lexytron, we try not to repeat ourselves sonically, which can be the whole branding of certain artists, but a great example would be The Beatles’ ‘White Album’, which is what I aspire to! I’d encourage people not to give up at the first song but to give my whole record a listen to find something they connect to.

Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…

Albums:

The Beatles – Rubber Soul (1965)
It’s really hard to choose my favourite Beatles album, but ‘Rubber Soul’ is kind of the sweet spot for me – enough of the pop sensibilities from their earlier songwriting but with clear advances towards new sonic and lyrical territory. And there are two Harrison originals on it! My favourite Beatle!
Green Day – American Idiot (2004)
For many, ‘Dookie’ is their best work and I’d argue that ‘Kerplunk’ is up there, but I can sing this album from start to finish with punk rock jumps and air guitar! I love the fun and theatricality of it, the ‘warts and all’ storytelling and the Who-esque rock opera epic ‘Homecoming’ in particular. The social and political messaging still stands up today as idiots are getting dumber and more powerful.
The Libertines – Up The Bracket (2002)
This album – while beautifully flawed – was so important for me for a time. I fell in love with the dark romanticism and Englishness of the lyrics and the brotherly way Pete and Carl trade vocals. I’ve followed all their various musical projects since, and I’m a big fan of their last record ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’, but this is where it all started!

Films:

Marnie – Alfred Hitchcock (1964)
As much as I love ‘Vertigo’, I subscribe to the view that this is a flawed masterpiece and might be his best film. I love dissecting characters and there’s so many layers to the characters of Mark (Sean Connery) and Marnie (‘Tippi’ Hedren) and their twisted relationship. While not without its controversies (for one scene in particular and the off-screen relationship between Hitchcock and his leading lady), I think this film was ahead of its time as a psychological thriller and also shows off Hitchcock’s best attributes. It’s the Hitchcock I have revisited and read about the most and heavily influenced my song ‘Blackmail’ (another Hitchcock film title also).
Before Sunset – Richard Linklater (2004)
I love all the ‘Before’ trilogy, but if I had to pick one, it would be this one. We’ve left the ideal romanticism of their 20s and entered into Jesse’s and Celine’s 30s where they are reevaluating their life’s choices, disillusioned yet still clutching onto the few hopes and dreams they have left. I love the way you see them unravel during the course of the movie and how the guard slowly drops. There are some beautifully subtly acted gestures that just make it a film you can watch countless times and see new things and interpret differently. Never have I rooted for adultery like in this film!
Call Me By Your Name – Luca Guadagnino (2017)
I recently rewatched this movie after I read the book and years after I had first seen it and I became fascinated by it as a character piece and the moral questions it poses, such as the age gap between Elio and Oliver. The cinematography is sumptuous, the Sufjan Stevens soundtrack is note-perfect and the acting, in particular Timothée Chalamet, is incredible (that ending!). This film would be like keeping a piece of Italy with me on the island, which is a country very dear to me.

Books:

Michael Braun – Love Me Do! The Beatles’ Progress (1964)
I’ve read countless Beatles books and this is my favourite. The only one I’ve read a few times and will read again. John Lennon said ‘He wrote how we were, which was bastards’. It’s a real reflection of the lightning in a bottle that was 63/64 and you get to be a fly on a wall as Beatlemania unfolds and laugh along with their uniquely charming brand of Scouse wit!
Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell – The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made (2013)
The Disaster Artist – This book was the gateway for me into the crazy cult world of ‘The Room’, which has brought me much joy ever since and the book was hilarious (better than the film, which I also found very funny). I think Tommy Wiseau is one of a kind – I admire that he had a vision to make this film (that was objectively completely bonkers) and he just went for it and had the last laugh!
H.G. Wells – The Invisible Man (1897)
I read this book a few times when I was a teenager and found it a really suspenseful and intriguing read. I’d like to dust off my old copy and see what layers I can uncover now seeing it from an adult lens.

Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?

I got real joy from performing acoustically when I was living in London and it is something I would be keen to explore again, so the easy answer is ‘studio’. Singing in a studio is basically singing for my husband and he’s the best audience I could hope for!

Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?

I had members of my audience once play violin and cajon with me off the cuff on one of my tracks ‘Gypsy Blue’. That song brings out the best in people! See here.

Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?

From this record, I would say ‘Kiss Me Quick’ is probably the most unique song because of its fusion of trip hop, shoegaze and synthpop influences with rock and pop, which is unlike all the other sonic influences on my other tracks. Lyrically, I would say ‘Blackmail’ might be the most unique for its sinister storytelling through a tongue in cheek ‘pop’ filter.

Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?

‘Something New’ came out this September on all streaming platforms. It will be followed by another couple of singles from the album, but beyond that, the universe will decide if there will be a ‘Something Old’, ‘Something Borrowed’ or something completely different.

Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…

You called your album ‘Something New’ as a nod to ‘Something New’, the North America-only Beatles album. You’re a huge Beatles fan. What’s their best song/best album and worst song/album? And do you do any Beatles covers?

Easy for worst – Revolution 9’s a skipper and the original ‘Yellow Submarine’ because it’s only half an album of Beatles songs, even though there’s some cracking originals on it like ‘It’s All Too Much’ and ‘Hey Bulldog’. Best song – that could change often but let’s say ‘In My Life’ (or ‘A Day In The Life’) and I’ll stick with my desert island disc – ‘Rubber Soul’. As for Beatles covers, we sing/play a fair few of their songs – I’ve played ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’ live as Lexytron a couple of times with my violin taking the lead guitar part. That’s another one that’s up there for me. ‘Eight Days A Week’, ‘Another Girl’ and ‘I Feel Fine’ are also ones we’ve played together. I had toyed with the idea of being in a female Beatles cover band. It could still happen! Watch this space!

Photo credits: Mike Grice

Curated by: Christos Doukakis

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