Introspective troubadour Lloyd James Fay returns with the release of his upcoming EP Fake Depth, out 8th May 2020.
Opening with forthcoming single Idiocracy, Fay’s tender and evocative vocal is able to soar instantly. Gentle guitar strums are paired with pulsating drum beats, setting the tone perfectly for this intimate, lo-fi rock release. Throughout the EP ambient brushes of distortion are combined with poignant acoustic moments, creating a sound that is both atmospheric and undeniably thought-provoking. Talking about the EP, Fay elaborates, “the theme is reflecting on what the internet, social media and modern technology is doing to society. How we have never been more connected yet at the same time so divided as people silo into echo chambers and fall foul of cognitive biases. Reflecting on the best thing about the internet is that it has given everyone a voice and the worst thing is that is has given everyone a voice. Trying to capture the zeitgeist of this moment where a celebrity narcissist is the most powerful person on the planet because of Twitter. And from a personal point of view, my journey from being an internet utopian to a dystopian.”
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Lloyd about the latest release, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
I write in many different style and genres. With my previous band, Thula Borah, we covered everything from alt-rock, prog, heavy metal to post-rock and beyond. It made sense to me to have the more intimate, acoustic music I write to be my solo stuff that I would release under my own name. I’m inspired by the classic folk and singer-songwriter genres from the 60s and 70s through to its current modern manifestations and proponents, so I’m drawn to write in that style.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
It’s hard to describe. Music is just how I deal with life. I would have no personality without it, it is everything to me. It was actually hearing Nirvana ‘Unplugged In New York’ that almost instantly made me want to learn guitar and be in a band. Since then writing and recording songs is what I spend most of my spare time doing. What drives me to push it out publicly is a bit of a mystery to me too. I’m sure a psychoanalyst would say it would have something to do with craving validation and I’m sure they’d be right. But it’s just a vocation and deep compulsion, if I write what I think is a half-decent song, I like people to hear it. Friends have written really beautiful pieces of music that will never be released and I can’t understand their ambivalence. If I’d written it I’d be shouting from the rooftops.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
I hope it is not too much of a cliché to say that life itself is the greatest influence on my creativity. What is going on in my life, whatever I’m obsessing over and discussing with friends tends to manifest itself in my music. I would say books tend to influence songs thematically, if not lyrically too. I’m quite a sucker for incorporating whatever book I’m reading into songs I’m working on at the same time. David Lynch is a big influence too. I subscribe to his idea of getting the mood, imagery and the ambience right, trying to create a feel that connects and generates feelings rather than being too literal or cerebral and presenting things in a way that are easily explainable. My taste in music has changed over time in the way I hope most peoples does in that I have become more and more open minded. I have learned that it is silly to dismiss entire genres, there is great music in every genre. I am yet to have a great breakthrough with country and western but I bet that is just because I haven’t heard the right artists yet.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
To some extent yes. I wanted to group together some songs I had written about internet culture and the impact modern technology, in particular the internet and smart phones are having on society. We are in the midst of this historical change and I don’t think we can fully understand it yet. I genuinely think Donal Trump would not be president if it was not for Twitter. It has changed everything. I think we need to reflect on the negatives that come from social media and everyone being able to contact everyone almost instantly around the world as well as the positives.
What was the last song you listened to?
For whatever reason I am stuck on House of Pain’s second album ‘Same As It Ever Was’. I’ve got that on repeat listen but my bluetooth speaker has just ran out of battery so I’ve just started a YouTube playlist and so ‘Demons’ and ‘Humiliation’ by The National have been playing as I write this.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Each serve their own purpose. Streaming and mp3s are great for being on the go and wanting to access music instantly. I am sentimental about CDs as I grew up with them. ‘Unplugged In New York’ was my first CD. I can remember getting most of my favourite albums on CD. I still occasionally buy them to support local or touring bands and I’ll still buy my very favourite band’s CDs so that in any situation I’ll still have access to their music. It doesn’t feel right to me to not own a physical copy of my very favourite music. Vinyl hasn’t played a huge part in my life, though I do have some special boxsets, again by my favourite bands and there is something special about vinyl packaging and the sound quality is best.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Again, they all serve their own purpose. Spotify is great for being on the go and accessing such a huge library of music. Bandcamp is great for actually supporting artists as you can buy directly from them and know your money is going to them without some middleman taking a huge cut or the artist only getting something like only £0.003 per listen. Soundcloud is great for sharing music and putting little extras out there such as demos and live recordings.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
Well, you’ve certainly touched on the biggest challenge there. Another is resources. Without the right backers, influencers and cheerleaders it can be difficult to be heard above the rest. A lot of it is financial backing too. Money has gone out of the music industry with streaming, downloading and so much free content. It is difficult to find resources to help support you reach new audiences. It certainly helps to have the right contacts in the industry or have connections and financial backing.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
The best places to connect and keep up-to-date would be Twitter and Facebook and to discover more music I would say checkout my bandcamp or Spotify and go to Soundcloud if you want to hear even more stuff such as live sets and demos.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Yes. Folks can keep their eyes open for the video for my new single ‘Idiocracy’ and I’ll be releasing another single and video before the EP is out in May. I’ll also be announcing festival and tour dates soon.
