Detroit indie rockers Lilac Lungs are proof that hard work pays off. The band, who only formed back in 2015, just celebrated the release of their debut full-length record, Eventide, a first for all members who until now, have only ever recorded EPs. Since their formation, Lilac Lungs have seen quite a bit of success, from opening slots with artists such as Emarosa and Slaves as well as festival appearances at Arts, Beats, and Eats, Detroit River Days and Port Huron, MI’s annual Blue Water Festival, but all of that didn’t come without some hard work and determination, and Eventide is proof of that. For this release, the band not only spent quite a bit of time honing in on their sound, but also took a few risks, and the result is a very human and relatable release.
With Eventide out now, Lilac Lungs are getting ready to announce upcoming tour dates for this summer! Get to know them before they hit your town below.
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about Lilac Lungs for any readers who might not be familiar?
Hello! We are an alternative/pop band from Detroit, Mi. The band started in Early of 2016. There are four members in the band Emily Torres (Lead Singer), Johney Birrell (Guitarist), Terry Elizondo (Bassist), and Mathew Jones (Drums). We’re all very excited for what the future holds for the band, and we can’t wait to share our music with anyone and everyone we can.
You guys just released your new album, Eventide on May 12th! What are you most excited for listeners to hear on the album?
We are very excited to be releasing our first full length album. This is all of the band members’ first time recording a full length album of more than just a 5/6 song EP. It feels incredibly satisfying to finally be releasing it for people to hear. It’s definitely been a long time coming with this one including long nights of extreme hard work. We can’t wait to share it with the whole world!
It being your debut full-length, did you have any major goals in mind for the songs on Eventide?
We have a lot of goals for the band in general. As for this being our first full length, we just wanted to reach as many people as possible with it. We’re extremely proud of what we have created and we’re in love with every song on the album. For this album cycle we’ve pushed ourselves as artists and as individuals to the limits. We’ve spent a lot of time and money, and we’ve risked a lot of things in our personal lives to get where we’re at. We couldn’t be happier with where the band is headed and we couldn’t be more excited to share this album with everyone.
Were there any stories you wanted to tell or messages you wanted to convey on the album?
The central theme of the band is what inspires us to create. That is having hope and faith for a better tomorrow during rough times. It’s inevitable that every human is going to go through tough times living on this planet. As humans we must have faith and hope that tomorrow is a new day, and to be grateful and appreciation for what we do have in this life, because it’s all only temporary.
What would you like listeners to take away from Eventide?
We hope that listeners can take different things away from each other. We want everyone to have a different experience while interpreting our art. Our supporters are the most important thing to us when it comes to our band. The only reason why we have people listening to our music is because of them, and we want our supporters to feel as appreciated as possible.
You recently released a video for “Uh-Oh” from the album. What inspired this track?
It takes a very real issue – ’Family issues’, but is woven into up beat and happy sounding music. Suggesting that things really will be ok. We really wanted it to be an easy transition to speak on it. So, Emily took the saying ‘Uh Oh’, a common thing for young children to to say, and turned it into an almost satire.
Are there any songs on the album that you’re particularly excited for listeners to hear?
We inspire to create songs that we’ve never heard before. Now, that sounds kind of silly, but so many artists are just looking to copy whats popular in todays world. As for us, we strive to create a different experience for each song, we inspire to create a different feeling and emotion to go along with each and every song, even different parts in all of the songs. So, this is going to sound cliche, but we’re excited for people to hear all of the songs.
With the Eventide out now, you played a hometown show coming up on the 12th. What was the highlight of the show?
For this show, we really went above and beyond to create a very professional and moving experience. We’ve spent hours and hours planning every single aspect for this event and it really was a very special evening that we’ll remember forever.
Do you have any plans to hit the road following the release of the album?
DEFINITELY. We plan to release our dates for our upcoming tours this summer very, very soon.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for setting this up for us! It was awesome taking the time to answer your questions! Thank you so much for all of you that are reading this, you (our dear supporters) are what keeps us going. Thank you.
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