Interview: Love Rarely
Love Rarely by Jess Bowden
Emerging from Leeds's thriving alt-scene, math rock/emo quintet Love Rarely have quickly turned heads with their intricate soundscapes and emotionally raw lyricism. Since the release of their debut EP Lonely People, the band has caught the attention of fans and critics alike, blending math rock, screamo, and emo into a fresh, genre-defying sound. Recently signed to Big Scary Monsters, their latest single “Mould” showcases a new level of maturity and complexity, exploring themes of mental health and the pressures of creativity.
In our chat with Love Rarely, they open up about their creative process, the evolution of their sound, and the challenges they've faced navigating the music industry. With their unique ability to marry intricate melodies with powerful vocals, Love Rarely are quickly establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
You’ve recently signed with Big Scary Monsters, which is a significant step for any band. How has that experience been for you, and what opportunities do you hope it will bring?
It’s been great so far. All creatives will tell you that dealing with the admin/planning/marketing side of a release can be incredibly draining & take up valuable time that would be better spent focussing on material. Having BSM help us with that side of things is insanely helpful for us. Plus they’re genuinely really nice people which makes interacting and planning things super pleasant.
As a band emerging in 2024, how do you feel you fit into the broader alternative and emo scenes, and what sets Love Rarely apart?
I think our versatility does us favours in terms of fitting onto a variety of lineups. I think that’s probably what sets us apart generally in that we have super pretty light sections and very aggressive parts, usually glued next to each other. That contrast has always been super appealing to us as songwriters.
Love Rarely blends math rock, emo, and screamo in a way that feels fresh and energetic. How did you come to develop your unique sound, and what inspires you musically?
I honestly don’t really know how it happens. We don’t choose to write things in a certain style/sound. It’s just naturally the way that we write music & play guitar. With Courtneys blend of aggressive/soft vox it adds another layer to the sound that I think is what makes us unique.
Your music often deals with complex emotional themes, from love and loss to mental health. How do you channel those personal experiences into your songwriting?
I’d say that every creative is channelling personal issues etc when they create. Or the majority, so I think a byproduct of this is that a lot of the material becomes about your own personal life & the issues you may be facing. It’s incredibly cathartic, and also feels great to see people taking their own messages from the material & being helped by it in some way.
Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind your latest single "Mould" and what message you're hoping to convey?
“Mould” is about the pressures to create. Whether they appear internally or externally. You can encounter very negative emotions when going through the creative process, feelings of doubt, isolation, anxiety etc. & so it feels only natural for that to be the centre theme to some of our writing.
"Whiplash" serves as the B-side to "Mould" and carries a similar thematic weight. How do the two tracks complement each other, and what’s the significance of pairing them together?
The idea to pair these two tracks occurred because of the contrast between them. We feel this is an opportunity to showcase the extreme variation that Love Rarely has to offer. With the super pretty parts of “Mould” & a catchy chorus, to the pure aggression & anger represented in "Whiplash". Also, the thought of "Whiplash" being a secret song just felt right and felt super exciting to us, to give our listeners a secret song that sounds that way & feels that intense. We’re also really proud of the continuous music video that leads from “Mould” into "Whiplash". The two sit so nicely next to each other in our opinion.
With intricate melodies and time signatures playing a big part in your sound, how do you approach writing and arranging songs as a group?
To be honest, we generally write separately in the most part. Our two guitarists both enjoy writing separately (leading to the contrasting sound between songs), and then come together to help to put the finishing touches on each others songs. Once they’re both on board with a song and feel it’s ready to go, the rest of the band will hear it and add their own parts & slight tweaks. I’d say there’s no way to write that’s perfect, and for that reason, it’s important to find a way that suits you the best.
With so many influences, from math rock to screamo, how do you decide which direction to take a song? Do you tend to follow a set process, or is it more instinctive?
It’s definitely more instinctive. As I said earlier when writing we really don’t intend for a song to sound a particular way. We just write what comes at the time, and then go back over time and add/tweak/improve on ideas.
Both "Mould" and "Whiplash" explore mental health and the pressures of the creative process. How do you personally navigate these challenges while still making music?
Not perfectly haha. It’s absolutely a challenge, especially with the pressures of work & home lives on top of that. But obviously it’s completely worth it when you get to release date and feel proud of the work that you’re presenting.
The band took some time away this summer to work on new material. How did that break influence your creative process, and what have you learned in that time?
That period was purely about digesting the response to the first EP and making sure we feel prepared to release something of equal or better quality in the aftermath. We definitely learned what it is specifically that people like about us, and that helps you feel a bit more validated as a band and like you have something to offer.
Since your debut EP Lonely People, how do you feel the band has evolved both musically and personally?
Our songwriting method has improved & gotten streamlined. As I said above it’s also given us the confidence to just trust our instincts and not really stress too much about whether something is too “out there”. We’ve also taken time to improve our live show since then which has been a big step for us in our attempt at impressing new potential fans.
Collaboration is such a big part of being in a band. How do you all work together creatively, and what’s your approach to navigating different ideas and styles within the group?
It takes a lot of patience and making sure you hear each other out. We’ve also learned that it requires trust and faith from other members that the “vision” is actually a good one. That process can be difficult as an idea may not sound great to start out. Only when it gets closer to the finished product does it sound like a “song”. That actually happened with “Mould”.
You’ve already performed at several festivals and supported bands like Loathe and Static Dress. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your live shows, and how has the crowd response been?
We’ve always been super tough on ourselves and getting the Loathe & Static Dress shows that early (within our first year) felt quite overwhelming. If I’m being entirely honest I don’t think we were quite ready for shows at that level. Those shows were probably our 7th & 8th shows. But in recent times we’ve definitely improved and feel a lot more confident in our live show, like we’re able to put the show on that we want to & that justifies the money that people spend to come to out. Our recent tour was received really well and we got a lot of love and support from our Burn It Down Fest set which felt validating.
The music industry is constantly changing, especially for emerging bands. How do you see the future of Love Rarely evolving, both in terms of your music and how you connect with your audience?
I guess only time will tell, we have a lot of faith in the stuff that we put out and feel that if it gets heard by the right people, they will definitely be into us and with that we could grow a solid audience. But that’s difficult and will take a lot of time/effort to come to fruition.
What has been the most rewarding part of your musical journey so far, and what are you most excited about for the future?
I would say the reception to our debut EP is what has been most rewarding. That includes getting signed by BSM as that pretty much came from them seeing us live and then getting hooked to playing the EP. It’s also close to half a million overall streams which is just so ridiculous to us, we never imagined it would get close to that amount. We all like to say that stuff doesn’t matter, but I can’t lie and say that. The fact that people actually care about/enjoy your art is literally the best feeling in the world.
Looking ahead, what’s next for the band after these releases and your upcoming shows?
We’re still in the process of making decisions about timelines etc but the main thing is just to keep writing and getting a solid bunch of songs together. What we do from there & exactly when it happens is still to be determined! Always writing.
Finally, what have you been listening to lately? Any new or old favourites that have been on repeat?
Static Dress, Loathe, House of Protection, Sweet Pill, Ethel Cain are the ones in solid rotation at the moment.
Love Rarely’s latest single “Mould” is out now via Big Scary Monsters.
