Starting from the beginning on any project can be incredibly frustrating, but for Lapels it has been a blessing in disguise.
Speaking with singer, guitarist and songwriter Andrew and lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Nathan from the band, we uncover more about how the band came to fruition as well as their rocky road to the fast lane.
Since their formation in early 2018, the East Midlands-based four-piece have been enjoying a lot of rewards in recent months following their signing to Marquee Records but that hasn’t gone without a lot of hardship.
Before releasing debut single ‘Waiting Lights’ in the summer this year, the band were taking it steady on the pub circuit with a few releases but they felt to get the most out of their new deal, it was best to start fresh.
“We put out singles before the record deal but we took them all down and we decided we wanted a fresh start which is why there is only two on there [Spotify] at the moment.”
This new slate has in turn kick-started new hope for Lapels as they rack up over 100,000 streams in the space of six months.
“It took us by surprise really,” comments Andrew with a gleam of excitement on his face. “We always believed we were going to do well because we knew that when we recorded them that we got it right and we spent quite a long time working on them so we believed in what we had. It was just nice as it has taken us by surprise that it’s happened as quickly as it has.”
“We’re more used to a slow burn,” Nathan interjects. “And not as big numbers so it all took off quicker than we thought, which has been very exciting,” adds Andrew.
Lapels’ latest single ‘All Things Down To You’ delivers a stronger, grittier, more mature edge in this track, which depicts the momentum and drive needed to achieve your dreams.
As Andrew explains further, it’s all about not being lazy and having the ambition and energy to do the things you want in life.
He said: “The lyrics are a bit nondescript but at the time I was trying to write it, it wasn’t working for me. I couldn’t seem to get it right so I just ended up trying to write to myself about it so I went to Nathan with it and we stayed together for a couple of days at his Dad’s house and just had a couple of beers and finished the song there. By the end of it, the song was more about a generic term like if you need to do something you just need to get up and do it. Get on with it, sort it out. It’s a bit vague really but it’s more about just doing something about it.”
Nathan adds: “It was a nice one to write really because as it happened quite quickly over a couple of days together as normally some songs can be a bit of a nightmare and take ages to get right, but it sort of came together pretty quickly so it was a good one for us.”
Now under the wing of a record label, the band’s calendar is beginning to get fuller as the days go by. Lapels have put the leg-work in during lockdown and they are now ready to take a step up to the next level.
“We’ve got a lot of recording done and we’ll be looking to put out all of the singles,” comments Andrew. “And then onto an album at some point – hopefully next year. We have recorded the album,” discloses Nathan as he makes it clear the boys aren’t going to be dilly dallying around in 2022.
The pandemic, as much as we hate talking about it, Lapels feel like they have been pushed back to the beginning of a board game. “It killed the momentum,” explains Andrew. “Then we got signed so we had to get rid of everything from Spotify pages and things like that so we had to start again. Even the online stuff – we had to build that up again.”
Despite the doom and gloom, there’s a silver lining to having a fresh start. Next year the four young lads will be chucked in the deep end which we highly doubt they won’t take it in their stride.
“In our situation I definitely think we’ve come out better off for it in a strange way,” Nathan says respectfully as a lot of other bands were not so fortunate. “Getting the deal during the pandemic was a big bonus and having the chance to start again and record our stuff properly has made it much better quality production wise and we had the chance to revisit songs we’d done before so I think our material has benefited from it as well.”
Andrew adds: “Stylistically, it gave us time to think about what sort of band we were…for the first few years when we were gigging we did a lot of different material that was all over the place. At times it sounded like a completely different band and it didn’t really work so we had a long time to think about what works for us, what we like, what naturally comes to us and just create a proper band sound. I think we’ve done that now, finally, it’s taken us a good couple of years behind the scenes to hone that sound but I think we’ve got it now.”
Now Lapels have got their foot in the door, they have their sights set on improving and gaining a bigger fanbase. The record deal came at a surprising time for Andrew and Nathan who are evidently grateful for the position they now see themselves in. With the full backing of the label behind them, the band have all the right tools at their disposal. If you are interested in watching them live, you can see them in action at the Water Rats supporting Louis and the Shakes on December 9th.
