SouLost are an exciting young band with a fresh new sound that's starting to make waves beyond their homeland of London, England. I was fortunate enough to chat with members Stef, Law, Ceira and Lux about their sound, songwriting and influences. Read what SouLost had to say to HMS.
HMS: SouLost has such a rich and layered sound. My short description would be: a combination of driving alt-rock blended seamlessly with the texture of electronica and dubstep and enhanced with soaring melodic vocals. From what I've heard, I'm curious to know if you've always been experimenting with this type of genre fusion?
Stef: Absolutely! We are all into rock music, and rock is what we have always wanted to play. However we wanted to have a different approach to it, and experiment with all the different influences and sounds which inspire us as musicians
HMS: Give us a brief history of SouLost. How did the band form? Were there a lot of various member changes before you arrived at this fabulous sounding combination?
Stef: I'd say that SouLost as a band has started when I met Law and we decided to work together on a new, modern idea of rock. We found in Ceira the ideal interpreter of the deep, intense feelings expressed in our lyrics and Lux helped us to complete the line-up which improved consistently our live performances.
HMS: Ceira, your vocals are such a refreshing compliment to the music. At times they remind me of one of my favourite female vocalists: Saffron of Republica -
particularly in "The Way I Feel". Are there any specific singers, performers or musical styles that you draw inspiration from?
Ceira: Thank you very much! I draw a lot of inspiration from Freddie Mercury, and have loved Queen and their theatrical side since I was very young. Other vocalists that inspire me include Alanis Morissette, Amy Lee, Gerard Way and Idina Menzel.
HMS: Stef, I've read that you were/are inspired by Prince. Was there a particular Prince song that really spoke to you and perhaps influenced your own writing style early on?
Stef: 'Purple Rain' is definitely one of the songs that really spoke to me, with its legendary guitar solo. Then 'The Gold Experience', 'Chaos and Disorder' and 'Emancipation' are the albums which totally got me into playing the guitar.
HMS: Law, I know you've cited Tommy Lee as an influence. Do you find that SouLost's unique musical direction opens up a lot of possibilities to experiment with various percussion styles and techniques?
Law: This is a good question. Yeah, totally! I have experimented with different percussions and techniques in 'Save Me' and 'Bring You Down'. I'll definitely keep on doing so as long as I feel that it adds something to our music.
HMS: Lux, how did you come to be a part of SouLost? Am I correct in my understanding that you are coming from a punk rock background?
Lux: I met Law at a private party at the Elysee bar in London and we eventually started to talk about music. I could feel his pride and excitement when he was talking about SouLost, and I immediately showed him interest when he told me they were looking for a bass player to complete the line-up. The interest became full commitment right after meeting the guys and listening to their music.
You are correct, punk rock is definitely one of my biggest influences.
HMS: With the release of your latest single "Without Me", and the addition of Lux, your sound has definitely filled out. It feels a lot more organic and more open to endless possibilities in terms of the musical evolution of SouLost. How has the reaction been, with your fans and followers, to your recent growth spurt?
Law: The reaction with our fans has been great! We can definitely see more engagement during our live shows and we really cannot wait to see their reaction to our first EP as a full band.
HMS: Is there a release date set for your latest EP? What exciting things can we look forward to from SouLost in the near future?
Stef: 'The Way I Feel, Pt. 2' will be out on the 1st of September. We will also release a video clip for the single 'Without Me' and support this release with a UK tour which will start at the 229 Club, London, on the 13th of September. As soon as the tour is over we will definitely start working on our next EP. Stay tuned!
HMS: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak to HMS. We are very excited to hear more from SouLost!
Ceira: Thank you for having us, you will definitely hear more from us!
Be sure to follow SouLost on Facebook and their official website.
Richard Leggatt, HMS
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