Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Four piece alt-rock outfit, Lost//Youth join us to talk all about their latest EP release, ‘Chasing Shadows’.
Influenced by the likes of Foo Fighters, Fleetwood Mac, Tracy Chapman, KALEO and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the band came together in 2021 and have a passion for creating a diverse, eclectic and nostalgic sound unique to the group.
Their latest EP release, ‘Chasing Shadows’ is a concept album that takes on an exploration of love and life, focusing on the patterns that have led to darkness. This is one part of a two part project that explores the concepts of both lightness and darkness, their polarities and how they intertwine.
Themes on this EP focus on dark emotions like anger and heartbreak and explore how we move through these emotions, learning lessons and healing in the process.
Listening through the EP, you will be captivated by the intensity of emotion in the journey at that Lost//Youth will guide you through.
You can listen to ‘Chasing Shadows’ below:
Tell us a little about how the band came together.
We’ve recently realised how many times we almost met each other. We’ve been to the same concerts and festivals and even had a ton of mutual friends but it took a while for our paths to cross.
Faghri, Charlie and I have played together for a while, with my solo project, but as the music started to change and we began to find our sound, we decided to start a new project to represent that.
Teddy joined us a little over a month ago, just before our national tour, but we’ve actually all crossed paths with him in some way before. – Alanna
Who are your biggest musical influences?
It’s always interesting when we’re on road and the aux cable is being passed around.
Like many people these days, we each have influences that span many genres but there are certain sounds that we are drawn to.
It’s funny though, because when we write together, we are always on the same page sonically, despite these different influences.
Tracy Chapman, Hozier, Ben Howard, Stevie Nicks – Alanna
Foo Fighters, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith – Charlie
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Khruangbin, Beatles – Faghri
Pop-Punk/Punk Rock music like Blink 182 and Neck Deep – Teddy
How would you describe the feel of your music?
It’s always been hard for us to describe our music because it doesn’t feel like just one thing… but the common theme is always emotion.
We’re not really a band that makes dance music or chill music or any particular genre of music…
We hope to make music that makes you feel something, that makes you feel less alone, in these shared human experiences.
You are releasing your new EP, ‘Chasing Shadows’.. tell us a little about how this EP came about.
We recorded with our friend Judy Vos, who is an amazing musician in his own right.
We had lots of ups and downs during the process, but we learnt a lot and it unlocked a love of recording within us.
We can’t wait to get into the studio again.
It’s been quite a journey.
Some of these songs, I wrote years ago but I felt I had to hold onto them until I found the right people to bring them to life.
And the boys always have this knack of playing exactly what I never knew the song needed. – Alanna
What do the songs on ‘Chasing Shadows’ mean to you?
The record is about chasing someone/something that isn’t good for you.
It’s about recognising those patterns within yourself and promising to let go of them.
We wanted the EP to take you on a journey, exploring the stages of loss and arriving at a more positive place by the end of the record.
It’s the first chapter in a two-part project we have been working on, based on the concepts of light and dark.
What is your creative process like, when you are creating your music?
With these songs, Alanna brought the ideas to the band, and we bent, shaped, and moulded melodies to have the music reflect the words – Charlie
Recently, we’ve started writing more as a band.
I’ll probably always write some songs alone, but some of our new favourites have been born in this way.
The boys will start messing around with a melody and I’ll realise I wrote something at 3am the night before that somehow fits perfectly, and that’s how a lot of our newer songs have come around.
Has there been anything along the releasing process that you would do differently next time?
This EP took us a while due to delays (some covid related, some life related) and we think the next record would benefit from a shorter, more immersive approach.
We also want to make sure we have time to sit with the mixes and not feel pressure to rush releases.
What would success in your music look like to you?
Being able to play shows around the world and knowing the music means something to people.
We all have the dream of hearing a stadium crowd singing our songs back to us… at the end of the day it’s about connecting with people and knowing we can support ourselves while doing so.
Is there any message that you would like to share with your audience?
We love ya and we’re working as hard as we can to always give you good honest music – Faghri
If you have a passion for music, it’s never too late to start learning an instrument. The pursuit of music is a lifelong journey. – Teddy
Thanks for the support so far, we love you guys and we can’t wait to share more music and shows with you soon – Alanna
Where can people go to find your music?
You can find us on pretty much everywhere at @lostyouthofficial or Lost//Youth
Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.