Emo punks Layover recently unveiled the video for lead single ‘Slumber’. This track is indeed from the Birmingham quartet’s forthcoming EP ‘Your Laughter Never Leaves’, out via Fox Records on 4th May 2018. The band give us an insight into what can be expected from their first studio recording with this track by track guide…
Hunger Pains: “It was the first song we wrote for the EP. We class it as a bridge between our older Pop Punk style, and our newer Emo vibes. Originally Brad and Dom were messing with the idea. It just kept developing over time. Even though it’s our oldest song, we still changed parts of it over a year after we first wrote it. So we’re super happy with how it’s developed.The song is about how I (Luke) was in a really bad place with my mental health. And the guilt that surrounded me about dealing with it whilst my Mum was struggling with the late stages of terminal cancer. Lyrics like “I’d never want you to know just how much I was hurting, ‘cause it’s nothing compared to what you’re facing” show how I was hiding a lot of the things I was struggling with at the time. Things such as self harm and suicidal thoughts, even though in hindsight it was something I shouldn’t have been ashamed about. It's something that we have tried to express openly on the entire EP. This song is one of our most energetic songs, and it’s so fun to play live because of it.”
Coffee and Fluoxetine: “This song was pieced together in two halves. We had the first half of the song, and were joking around with some tappy guitar parts for fun. But we ended up really liking it, so it stuck. We’re really stoked on how the song goes from a Pop Punk vibe to a bouncy Emo style at the end. It's similar to Hunger Pains, and it’s one of the songs that’s most enjoyable to play on the EP.The title of this song is in reference to how I used to take my Anti-Depressants along with coffee in the morning. And even though the song itself is mostly about relying on people too much to cope with my mental health, it is written about a particular friendship with someone that happened during one of the worst parts of my treatment. And how a lot of people struggle to help their friends who are going through a bad time.”
Hollow Me Out: “We’ve always loved having short songs, so this song was super fun to write. We’re so proud of the interesting rhythms and time signatures we used, without it sounding too strange. I’m also super happy with how the vocals came out too. Musically, it’s just full of interesting patterns and rhythms, especially on drums.I feel really lucky to be able to fit vocals over some super talented musicians. And the fact they let me pour my heart into even songs like this with a more instrumental focus I’m very thankful for. We’re super proud of how the first half of the song is very focused on the instruments. Whilst the second half becomes more vocal focused, as it ends up being sort of like a short highlight reel of what we can do. Which means it’s incredibly fun to play live.”
Slumber: “I wrote this song about the loss of my Mother. More precisely about the night I was told via phone call about her passing away. Throughout the song it’s written as a kind of open letter to my Mum. It's indeed detailing my regrets about not spending enough time with her or telling her how I felt enough. I have always been unfortunate enough to buy in to the stigma around expressing emotions in Men. And at the time of my Mum’s passing, I was always very awkward and almost ashamed of being open emotionally with my family.This is something I’ve moved past, as I’m now extremely comfortable with admitting when I feel weak. And this song was definitely the turning point for that. There is definitely still reference to my mental health in this song. In the lyric “I stare at your ashes and wish I was taking your place”, which is in reference to the strong suicidal feelings I had at the time. Mostly dealing with the struggle of having to see someone I love pass away. Whilst also having difficulty with my own thoughts on mortality and death.”
Your Laughter Never Leaves: “This song was the last song we wrote for the EP, and initially it was a little rushed. We ended up piecing together loads of little ideas we had for other songs into one piece. We also ended up with one of our favourite songs on the entire release. The chorus of this song we believe is super powerful and catchy. And musically, there are a lot of really cool melodies on the guitar that compliment the vocals so well.I’m personally super proud of the call and response style of the guitar and vocals in the intro. As well as the way some of the higher lead style parts of the chords in the chorus sit under the vocal melody. Mostly, we’re just really proud of the mood and the vibe this song conveys. Especially in a live setting. It is both somehow chilled out yet bursting with energy at the same time, and it’s very cathartic to play.”
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