Lucius and Sebastian are The Hate Eighties - a pair of musicians who record music under a number of different guises, but are this time round looking to unleash their debut album under The Hate Eighties.
Chatting to Female First, Lucius discusses the forthcoming record, what to expect from the duo going forward, where they find inspiration and much more - read on to find out what he had to say.
For those who may be new to your music, how best would you describe your sound?
Our music merges lots of different elements of modern music so as to express the sense of the fractured personalities we sometimes develop in this current capitalist society. Pop culture mashes together the new and the nostalgic and sometimes we're never quite sure who we are, or who we're supposed to be.
What challenges have you faced in the music industry so far?
This project is super fresh, so we've not yet faced any real challenges other than making the music sound exactly how we want it to with no budget. The next step is engaging with people online and in the world, sharing all of the other video and audio content we've made for this project, finding people who are into our ideas and sounds.
How difficult would you say this career path is in terms of making a name for yourself?
The home computer and the internet are two things that have helped to level the playing field for creative people, to some extent. With a computer and a half decent microphone you can record your music for next to nothing, you can create videos of yourself performing really easily and if you connect to your audience then your work can spread like wild fire. It's a great time to be a creative person.
How important is it for you to have creative control over the work you produce?
I would say it's the most important thing for us. It's one of the main themes running through the project. Imagining a future in which we have the time and resources to create, explore and master the things we are passionate about. A future where creativity is free from the restraints of commerce.
Where do you draw influence and inspiration from for your work?
The music we've written before this had a tendency to come more from personal experience, whereas this work is grounded a lot more in observation and statement. We've been inspired by a lot of different things in the creation of this. Books by Jodi Dean and Mark Fisher, the comedy of Chris Morris, the seemingly never-ending stream of madness that comes from the world of marketing and advertising.
If you could collaborate with anybody going forward, who would you choose and why?
This is a total sideline, but I'd love to collaborate with Trent Reznor on a reworking of his debut album with Nine Inch Nails. All of the songs would be arranged in a major key and the lyrics would be given a more positive slant. It would be called 'Pretty Great Machine'. Trent, you out there? Let's hook up and do this thing.
Tell us a random, funny fact about you that not many people know.
I can kick myself in the head using a weird flicking motion. This is a fun thing to do lightly, but can be problematic if you're incredibly drunk and decide to beat yourself up in a nightclub.
Do you have definitive aims or goals for your career?
The plan is to release another two albums after this one. The second one is about 75% complete and we're sketching out ideas for the songs on the third one.
Last year we were asked to write a soundtrack for the fashion magazine, Hope St. It was a really enjoyable project and we're really happy with what we managed to produce in such a short space of time. If we could get more work like that, collaborating with exciting creative people and groups, that would be great.
Where do you hope to be this time next year?
This time next year we will hopefully be answering more questions from your lovely selves in the lead up to the release of our second album, to swathes of adoring fans! Touring around the world and have some music included in films, computer games and theatre. We'll wait and see...
What should we expect from you in the coming weeks and months?
We'll be unleashing our website soon which will be full of amazing videos, articles, stories and radio shows from the world of The Hate Eighties.