Lloyd's House - ‘The Masochist’ review
Lloyd’s House by Oli Erksine
Lloyd's House's EP, The Masochist, is exactly what the UK indie scene has been missing. In recent years, the genre has seen a resurgence, harking back to the heyday of indie sleaze. But too often, the popular flavour of indie is a laddish, production-line variety. Thankfully, Lloyd's House bucks this trend, embodying all the reasons why I was drawn to the genre in the first place: bright guitars, pop-driven melodies, and a sense of very British ridiculousness. The EP is a shining example of where indie needs to go.
Lloyd's House is the brainchild of vocalist-guitarist Lloyd Ledingham, who casts a warped lens on the world around him. Their eclectic EP, The Masochist, features four tracks that are part pop, part art, and always complete jams. Ledingham describes the EP as "about giving people the hooks and catchiness we all look for in good pop songs, without sacrificing deep nihilistic themes about relationships and our place in the world as individuals." The band is completed by guitarist-vocalist Eilidh O'Brien, synth player Reece Robertson, bassist Aaron Bisset, and drummer Sean Mitchell.
The EP opens with "Ribbons", released as a single in August. The moment I heard the track, I had the urge to jump out of my office chair and groove along. To say the track is catchy is an understatement. I dare you not to want to sing and dance along. Lloyd's House prove their ability to write hooks from the get-go, and their ability to structure them in a way that goes beyond pure pop, with sonic nods to the likes of Perfume Genius. Lyrically, the track is a perfect example of the nihilism of Ledingham's songwriting.
Following "Ribbons" is "In Houses", which sees the band in full-blown art rock mode. With heavier instrumentation, it could even be considered punk. It's the most energetic track on the EP, which is no mean feat for an EP as jam-packed with energy as The Masochist. The "in houses” hook is clearly designed to get the crowd at the local indie night jumping in a manner as close to a mosh pit as any self-respecting indie kid is willing to get.
The third track, "The Back of My Brother", my personal favourite track on the EP, starts off sounding like it could have been birthed by Belle and Sebastian during their Dear Catastrophe Waitress era, before ending up sounding like the band are emulating Maxïmo Park at their most frenetic. It encompasses everything that sonically makes a good indie track: it's slightly self-deprecating, dreamlike, and the kind of song you imagine going through the head of a university student dressed like an extra from a Wes Anderson film as they frantically pedal their bike to get to a lecture on time.
Closing the EP with the title track "The Masochist", Lloyd's House are at their most neurotic. The track explodes with bright, stabbing guitars before descending into a classic Lloyd's House melody. It is also the first track where the bass stands out, normally the stoic glue that holds everything together, but here it takes centre stage. As the track progresses, the melodies age with it, becoming more desperate and melancholic until the very end of its almost five-minute run.
With The Masochist, Lloyd's House have laid down the blueprint for what modern indie should be. It calls back to the genre's past without being overly nostalgic, packed with diverse instrumentation, the kind of pop hooks that make you want to move, and whimsical lyricism that’s neurotic, nihilistic, and frankly absurd. If more indie bands took their cues from Lloyd's House, the genre would be in a much better place.
The Masochist from Lloyd’s House is out now via Wish Fulfillment Press and available on all good streaming platforms. Catch them supporting PAWS on 13 December at the Sebright Arms in London.
