Cambridge three-piece LAY / BYE are sure to turn heads with their blistering new release ‘ACTIVE!’.
Indie/alt rock has been done, hasn’t it? I don’t mean to sound glass-half-empty, but in a genre that’s so well-trodden, how do new bands stand out? My take will forever be – be authentic, do it your own way and if nothing else, do it very well. So, enter LAY / BYE!
LAY / BYE, consisting of James McGonigle, Christy Hoyles and Alex Brown are a new band who’ve evidently put in some serious groundwork ahead of time; they’ve been in the studio moulding a sound that’s way bigger than the sum of their parts. In a way I’m not surprised that LAY / BYE mean business, because in former projects these three have each played to thousands of people at festivals like 110 Above and The Great Escape. But being road-hardened doesn’t always translate to studio finesse – and that’s where LAY / BYE have got something extra.
‘ACTIVE!’ feels like an indie rocker’s call to arms. The opening riff is gargantuan in size, the melodies are instantly memorable, and the pulsing drums have a life of their own. The guitar and bass tones are another immediate win – they sound aggressive, taunting, and rich, to the point that a six-piece band would sound lack-lustre by comparison.
Credit has to go to LAY / BYE’s determination to push their instruments to the limits, and to Robin Schmidt (Sam Fender, Nothing But Thieves) for tastefully containing the chaos. Appreciation must be given to that instrumental bridge section, too, the guitars take a detour with a beautiful chord change, and the drums (somehow) refuse to give in!
Lyrically, LAY / BYE are no scrubs, because when you dive through the dirty pool of guitars, you’ll find some heart on sleeve lyrical gems. The opening lyrics “Can you help me” offers some tenderness tenderness amidst the fiery instrumental backdrop. On the lyrics, the band said: “With themes ranging from love and heartbreak to self-criticism and resilience, [our] songs resonate with audiences of all ages and backgrounds.”
‘ACTIVE!’ is the band’s second ever single and the first of an upcoming four song campaign. My advice, hop on board and enjoy LAY / BYE now, before everyone wants a piece of them.
Check out ‘ACTIVE!’ by LAY / BYE below:
