I’ve always reflected on 19 as a rather unremarkable and irrelevant year of life. The hype of turning 18 has worn off and you’re still a teenager, so you end up toeing a weird line of ‘almost adulthood.’ But looking back, some of the best lessons I’ve learned in life have come from decisions I made at 19. Whether it was a spur of the moment decision to travel, form a new friendship, or end another, my takeaways from 19 are more plentiful than I previously assumed.
Up-and-coming band 19&YOU was quick to remind me of this. From their journey to bandhood, which involved chasing loves and crossing global waters, to the hyperbolic nature of their newest single, “BORED,” their music reminds listeners that growing up is for taking risks and learning from them. Throughout their newest single, straightforward lyrical deliveries like “I think that you’re just bored” are contrasted by 80’s-esque synths and gritty guitar. “BORED” highlights the back and forth nature of young loves and short attention spans. One moment, you’re ready to cross an ocean for one another, the next you’re wondering what you saw in them in the first place.
Teeming with witty perspectives and the drive to make it big, 19&YOU is the perfect band for any indie-pop lover. LADYGUNN recently had the chance to sit down with the band and discuss ‘BORED’, their developing sound, and their upcoming Spring EP.
As a band do you feel like you all have found your sound/how would you describe your sound?
Our sound is constantly evolving and maturing the more we write together. At its core, we would describe our music as energetic melody-focused pop with an emphasis on live instrumentation.
How did you all piece together ‘BORED!’? Did it start with a sound, a lyric, a feeling?
BORED! was one of the last songs we wrote together while in Sydney. The inspiration for the song came from the main guitar line Jack created, which went through several variations before we found the one that’s now on the record. That line informed our creative decisions for the rest of the song and everything else fell into place naturally. Something we really love about “BORED!” is the gritty guitar chug during the chorus. The contrast between the super dark chorus and the pretty pad sounds in the verses is what makes the song feel unique.
You described the song as satirical and hyperbolic, could you elaborate on that? What are you aiming to emphasize through its ‘sass?’
BORED! Is a lighthearted and exaggerated commentary on the drama of a breakup. The song was made from us just having fun and relating over our individual breakups. The lyrics being over the top is what makes the song effective and relatable. It’s something people can scream along to and feel understood by. We’re always trying to find the balance between telling real stories and making art that emphasizes universal feelings.
You’ve all said 19 is a transformative year of life – what’s your best/craziest/most impactful memory from being 19?
For Cam and Jack, it was our first time living in a foreign country and the first year where home was not the place we grew up. 19 is the age where we started having the responsibility and accountability of being adults. We moved away from home, started paying for rent, and entered committed relationships. At the same time, the reality of life hadn’t fully set in and there was space to be spontaneous. We would do things like set off fireworks, pull all-nighters, and watch the sunrise at the beach. Those are special firsts we’ll always remember fondly.
The band sounds like it came together through a series of leaps of fate and chances — when was the moment you all knew you had to make a band?
Before we were a band, we were just writing together in a small flat in Sydney for fun. There was no structure, pressure, or expectations other than to create something we loved. Once we built our catalog it just so happened we had all of the right pieces. It was really special that each of our lives just happened to align with starting the band. We just loved making music together too much to let it end.
Your debut EP is coming out in Spring, what can we expect to hear/feel on it? How excited are you all? How long have you been working on it?
Half of the EP was finished when Noah was visiting Sydney. The rest was finished overseas via zoom. The songs have been done for quite a while but getting the whole project together has taken time. It’s so important to us that everything is done to the best of our ability from graphics to music videos to branding. While all the songs on the EP are super-specific stories, we are always conscious to tell them in a way that is relatable. We want people to feel like in a way we’re telling their stories too. The record is definitely pop at its core, but it’s filled with massive live drums, heavy driven guitar tones, and dreamy 80’s synths. There’s just as much room to cry as there is to drive with the windows down and yell with your friends.
We’re so incredibly proud of it and are ecstatic to share it with the world.
Anything else you wanna add or tell your fans?
Music and art have a way to connect people across the world through shared feelings.
Our goal is to not just create music we love but to create a world that fans can step into. We want our records to be an experience for people, from the visuals to the lyrics, we hope people find a beautiful escape in our music.
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photos / Charles Letessier
story / Kinsley Cuen