Guest Blogger: Life Aquatic Band
Hello, Ben here from Life Aquatic Band, a group from Sheffield who likes to make a lot of noise that we sometimes call MUSIC. We’ve just released a new album called “FREE SUMMER” and Elena has been kind enough to ask us to write a few words about the album, where it came from, who our influences are and all that. Thanks Elena!
First things first – this album is a summer album, packed back to back with sunshine songs that we hope will bring blue skies to dark days. I called it “FREE SUMMER” because that’s how I felt when I wrote most of these songs. In the summer of 22’ me and Jaz had just come back to the UK from living in Japan for two and a half years – we came back full of love and ready to enjoy the first HOT summer on record. Without any jobs we camped around, spent a lot of time enjoying ourselves and writing these songs. There’s no wonder they all came out so happy and optimistic.
- Hello, Good Morning!
The first track on the record is also the first track that I wrote. It’s very much inspired by Paul Simon’s Graceland, which I wasn’t listening to at the time, but lives in my head rent free. High-life is also a major influence. Ben’s bass part is a real anchor for the song, and it might be my favourite bass line that he’s ever written. I also love the chant:
SAY YOU WANT IT, GO AND GET IT, STEP OUTSIDE AND FACE THE DAY. YOU WANT MEANING? YOU MAKE MEANING, BY LIVING AND BREATHING EVERY DAY.
That sums the whole album up, really.
- Brunch Mindset
This riff came to me on a trip to the lake district. I get a lot of tunes when I’m out in the hills – I must’ve been hungry for this to come out. To be honest, I’ve wanted to write a song about Brunch for years because I love Brunch, and hate myself for how much I spend on it.
This is my favourite track on the album because it’s Jaz and I’s first proper duet. It was the last track we recorded for the album, but I think it’s one of our best.
- Sintiendo
That summer we spent 6 weeks in Jaz’s family home in Madrid – another reason the songs came off so sunny, I suppose. I love getting to hear Jaz sing in Spanish. She says that this song is about “feeling at one with nature, and feeling happy and content outside.” It’s the darkest song on the record, and makes me think of hot summer nights. We tried to find a reggaeton vibe and found something close, but not quite. Rosalia was a definite inspo.
- Blue Skies
We recorded the majority of this album in Henry’s Nan’s loft in Chagford, Devon. Ten songs in two days, in all, with us only finishing writing them the day before or the day of, and arranging them on the day. Let me tell you this – do not record your music in such a hurry. It was very stressful, and Johnny FK (the producer and engineer) did an amazing job considering the sweltering room.
I think that you really get a sense of the room in Blue Skies – it’s my attempt at a Burt Bacharach/Chet Baker style tune. Tim’s piano playing is a highlight for me, and the brass arrangement he came up with.
- Counting Down the Days
Another track which you can really feel the room in the take – this was the last track we recorded on the first day, we were all getting a little delirious in that hot loft and we very hungry. Henry’s mum, Lucy, had made a mountain of food and I felt a little bad for making them stay in the loft and get the take before they stumbled out, famished.
Jaz wrote Counting Down the Days when we were living in Japan, and it’s one of those songs that came out almost perfectly the first time. Jaz has a knack for that – she’ll pick up the guitar and a fully formed song with just come out. We really didn’t have to do much to arrange this, the band just sat back and let Jaz do her thing.
- Janine
This one was wrote by Henry – it reminds me of the early Arctic Monkeys, guitar-driven and packed with riffs. There’s a good story to it which Henry tells at our live shows about a woman called Janine who kept thinking he was Jesus. I like that the song tells this story… listen carefully and you’ll get a much better picture than I’ve painted.
- Verano
Verano has a lot of energy and chaos, fuelled mostly by the recording session in which we’d all had a few too many cups of coffee. I wrote the guitar riff when I was listening to Khruangbin… I’m not sure how much of that influence comes out in the final take. My favourite part is Will’s drum playing, when we recorded it he played with these straw brushes that fell apart and made the studio floor look like the floor in a barn. I say “studio”, it really was just an attic.
- Teacher
This is another Graceland-inspired tune – I’m not entirely sure where it came from, and I’m not sure who my teacher in the song is supposed to be. It’s a cute song though, and Tim’s harmonies really shine.
- I Used To Write Songs
This is just about as personal as I get with my songwriting. I normally hold a stick to my emotions and shove them back, preferring to write about silly things like Brunch. But, I let myself dig a little deeper on this one, and I think it’s one of the best songs I’ve written because of that. I’m still shy about that though, which is why it’s shoved near the end of the tracklisting!
- Only For the Summer
The last track on the album, and one of the standouts. Only For the Summer really highlight’s Henry’s songwriting skills – he’s great at writing these mid tempo ballads that are very 50s/60s influenced. I hear Burt Bacharach, The Beatles and The Everly Brothers in this. It was the perfect song to end the album as it says goodbye to summer.
Thanks for reading, and let us know what you think! I love hearing feedback from people who’ve heard us, really makes my day. Better yet, let us know if you want to play music WITH us.
All the best,
Ben & LAB
Listen to Free Summer here:
poppedmusic 