THE brilliant Lacuna have their eyes set on a big 2025.
Kicking off the year with a sold-out headline show at King Tuts a few weeks ago, they catapulted their growing momentum with the release of the brilliant ‘Shelley’ last week – a long-time live favourite that captures the essence of the band and their captivating live energy.
Since emerging a couple of years ago, the six-piece have carved out a reputation for their rich storytelling and melodic flair, expertly crafting intricate and dynamic soundscapes that often lull the listener into a false sense of security before taking flight. And the new single is no different – opening in understated fashion before unfurling into three minutes of infectious chaos. Filled with harmonies and dynamic rhythms, it marked a cathartic and wholly uplifting return.
To coincide with its release, we got in touch with the band for a quick catch up.
Tell us how you got together and started making music?
The band has grown a lot since its beginnings, with us now having six members. It started with Emily when she was in high school, with Jack joining in the song writing process soon after. Then, after a drunken night out in Slouch, Sean and Will joined. We gigged and wrote as a four piece for a while, when we asked Olivia and Amie to join the band. Lacuna has taken many forms as a band and its growth has felt nothing but natural. This goes beyond just the six of us, with people such as our friends at Crowded Flat, our resident fiddle player Abbie Nye and our producer Luc Grindle being core parts of us making music. To each of us, Lacuna now feels like such a core part to our being as people. The family and energy we’ve created around the band makes it such a joy to make music.
Who are you influenced by?
We are influenced by so many artists. To list a few: Adrianne Lenker, R.E.M., Wunderhorse, Laura Marling and so much more. However, each of us come from such different musical backgrounds that it’s tough to focus on one specific influence. We write our songs very collaboratively, with the song first stemming from one person’s idea. From here we each find and add our parts, each individually drawing from their own large pool of musical influences. This means each song is a sort of amalgamation of influences and identities that always, well so far, seem to work.
We are also a very visual band, being influenced by people like Robert Eggers and David Lynch. We feel a really close visual connection with how we make music, with paintings, films and mood boards often becoming associated internally by us to our tracks. For example, our song Sinking Woman was heavily influenced by the painting Ophelia by John Everett Millais.
Tell us a bit about new single ‘Shelley’?
Our upcoming single is one that we wrote one week before our first ever headline. It was written very organically just before we went on a tea break. What started as a jam quickly formed into the song Shelley. It was different to anything we had done before and brought with it air of excitement, so we decided to debut it at our headline the following week. Ever since then it has become a staple at our live shows, with the energy and performance of the song resonating with many. It’s the first time we have played with the idea of character in relation to song, with the character of Shelley being open to interpretation. All of us hold this song close to hearts and we cannot wait to finally have it out in the world.
You’re part of quite a closeknit scene of bands in Glasgow. How has this helped you grow as a band?
This really has been essential for our growth as a band. There are so many people we think about when asked this question that it would be impossible to name them all.
If Glasgow’s music scene didn’t have the community feel that it has then being a musician would feel very overwhelming. Everyone is so supportive and well whishing. Music brings people together and the love for it can be felt throughout the city. It’s a bunch of people doing what they love together. Festivals like Tenement Trail and House Guest really put an emphasis on this community.
Do you think your sound has evolved since you started?
Yes, our sound has gotten a lot more expansive than the early days of the band. I think this stems from not wanting to box ourselves into one set genre or style. We like to test new waters and see how it goes. Having said this, no matter how far we deviate from the original style, the essence and feeling of the songs still feel connected and intertwined. There’s a nostalgic quality we tap into when we write together. As one of our friends said, its music for listening to on the train, especially long journeys and we feel it has always felt like this.
What are you looking forward to most in 2025?
We can’t wait to get more music out and to play live more! We can’t seem to stop writing songs and we want to get them recorded and out there. We will be playing Bute Fest this year, which is something we have all wanted to do for a while now! Expanding outside of Scotland, as much as we love it, is something we also want to focus on this year. We love being part of this band and every new year feels like a new chapter that we cannot wait to begin.
