Philidelphia's In Lieu Of Roses recently released slacker rock-inspired alternative/indie rock banger "Commuter'
We caught up with Eric from the band for a quick chat about the release.
Hi Eric, Thanks for chatting with us today, can you please introduce yourself and tell us what you do in the band?
Hey, I'm Eric and I play guitar and sing in In Lieu of Roses.
Tell us a little about your band, how you got together and the story behind the name if there is one.
The band started in a previous iteration that served as a solo project, but briefly before the pandemic, I started playing with Dylan Justice our drummer. Dylan and our bassist Logan Reiling go back a decent ways having played in the Screamo band Binary together. It's definitely created an interesting meld of an indie rock band with a rhythm section based in Screamo/metal/hardcore. So far the three of us have been the consistent member amongst a few lineup changes, including as it currently stands being joined by Aub Connolly on key/vocals/strings/horns, and John Strain on guitar. Dylan actually came up with our name because they thought it sounded cool, and I think we're all a bit morbid hahah.
Tell us a bit about your latest single, what’s the story behind the song?
Our latest single is called Commuter is the story of your average 9-5er pothead. The song starts off with fuzzed-out guitars and a lyrical introspection on the conditionality of everyday life and one’s self-image. It then progresses into a more intense chorus that gets to the heart of the song, asking “Is it wrong that I feel alright?” a question that provokes ever-changing thoughts and feelings. The song concludes detailing the mind-numbing slog of the day-to-day life of an average American, the very cycle that prompted the song's purpose.
What is your writing process like? Do you start with lyrics and then come up with a melody or is it the other way round?
It kind of varies song by song. Our latest single "Commuter" started with the verse guitar riff inspired by some drunken jamming after a block party. If you're familiar with Philly block parties, they go all day.
What bands were you listening to when you were writing this release? Do you think it had an effect on the end sound?
At the time I was listening to a lot of slacker rock and slowcore, bands like Duster, Pavement, Silver Jews, and Codeine. I definitely think it impacted the writing of the song which sounds a bit different than the rest of the EP we're releasing in September.
What can you tell us about the release that the song has come from?
The upcoming release is a 5 song EP called "For Eternity" which will be coming out in September. The name is a lyric in the song "Forest Green" which is about living and forming a family through the uncertainty that comes with global warming. Even with the heaviness of the themes of the EP, I'm still really excited for this one, as we had a fantastic experience recording with Ben Roth and Jon Smith at The Kaleidoscope in Lancaster, PA and some tracking with Sean Reilling at Studio North in Philadelphia. The EP has my favorite production quality of any music I've personally written. We definitely took our time with "For Eternity" and it's something I'm really proud of.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
Dylan also plays in a death metal/grindcore band, our guitarist John is almost a lawyer, Eric got his first electric guitar at 22 years old, Aub runs half marathons for fun, and even though Logan is really tall he can't dunk.
Do you have any shows coming up that we should get ourselves along to?
Depending on when this is released, we're playing at Breadbox in Philly on August 26.
Our release show is 9/15 at Philamoca in Philadelphia with Mt. Worry, Fast Car Slow Car, and Ultra-Lite!!!
Find In Lieu Of Roses online;
Check out 'Commuter' below
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