Toby Furlong
I’m a writer hailing from the distant land of Norfolk. With a deep love for vinyl, currently standing at over 100 in my collection. When it comes to picking a favourite artist, it will always be the sounds of Trish Keenan and Broadcast.
With their third LP ‘Underneath’ out now, we chatted with Floodlights’ Louis Parsons on their growth, touring and the Aussie scene
Floodlights have been making waves ever since 2019’s ‘Backyard’ EP. With ‘Underneath,’ the group’s talent lies fully realised. Ahead of the release and upcoming tour we caught up with vocalist Louis Parsons who discusses life on tour in the UK, how it feels to mature as a group and Australia’s claim to the 2020’s indie-rock throne.
Lovely to get the chance to speak to you Louis, obviously fairly fresh of the back of 2024’s European and UK tour. Is there anything in particular you like about touring the UK? And when you play a unique venue like ‘King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut’ does it almost generate its own special feeling?
Thanks for having me! There’s a lot I love about touring in the UK. Each time we fly over its a stark reminder of how isolated Australia is from a lot of the world. Playing our music in new places with different cultures and people is a surreal experience.
It’s interesting to see how our music resonates with people from other parts of the world, especially given that our lyricism can have a strong sense of where we are from and reference nuances of our culture and society. Driving into new cities and connecting with new people through music is totally thrilling.
Ahh the famous King Tuts, it was a real pleasure to play here. The history in King Tuts was palpable as we walked up those iconic stairs for the first time and the energy when we played was wild too.
Do you notice a big difference in the atmosphere/crowd reception when you play in Scotland or Manchester compared to your Australian shows?
Our shows in Australia tend to be bigger crowds for obvious reasons and I feel like gigs here seem to have crowds that are a little more rambunctious. UK crowds were amazing though, I felt a real intensity in the audiences that seemed to fuse with our performance and generate a strong sense of theatricality and moodiness which I loved. No crowds are better than others, just different but that’s what I like about playing around the world, the diversity. It creates unique experiences.
I’m curious: what was spinning on the Floodlights record player when it came to recording this album? Has this shaped the album’s sound at all?
Oh, the list is endless. I don’t think there was one record that specifically impacted the making of this album but I guess influences do bleed through over time. We listen to music from all over the world and from many different genres. I was listening to a lot of Cat Power, Dean Blunt, Mazzy Star and the Pogues but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Making the transition from Spunk Records to [PIAS] is naturally a huge step forward for the band. Did [PIAS] and its incredible roster of musicians cross your minds at all when shaping the release?
Not particularly. When we are making music, although it may sound corny, we just write what makes us feel good and try not to compromise our sound for the business of things.. [PIAS] have been amazing though, big shout out to all the team working on this release.
What stood out to me about ‘Underneath‘ was the huge shift in the approach to the cover art. What is the philosophy/inspiration behind this change?
We named the album ‘Underneath’ as the lyrics in this record are rather introspective and speak a lot to the secrets and feelings that lay below the surface. It is rather open ended so people can also apply their own meaning.
Ava Clifforth who created the stunning artwork conceptualised an outer-worldly sphere of hibernation and evolution which really felt relevant to us as a band. There is a strong sense of imminent change and adventure to this artwork which I love. I feel ‘Underneath’ is the best music we’ve created and I think it’s a result of being so close with one another through shared experiences and we really do feel like we are standing on the shoulders of change, ready to leap forward.
I mentioned in my review that the indie-rock scene is usually dominated by location or scene. Do you think the way the 2020’s have gone so far (for the band and others) that Australia has a pretty good claim for being a hotbed for a lot of the best indie emerging from the 2020s?
I think Australia definitely has a great claim! Being so isolated it can be hard for our music to reach the rest of the world but I think amazing bands like Amyl & The Sniffers have led the way in putting Australia music back on the international scene. We have a thriving music culture here in Melbourne and I’m proud to be part of it!
I would love to know how a track like ‘Horses Will Run’ came about, particularly how that beautiful piano playing found its way onto the track?
I remember I was listening to a few songs whilst driving in the van across the UK. I loved a few of the chords and their progressions and began to sing a melody in my head to them. I altered the chords a little then showed Sarah who began playing the piano line. We spent our days off writing music at London’s Gun Factory, a studio in Hackney, where this song was written.
Ash wrote some beautiful lyrics while visiting Dublin during the tour about the grief of losing her Dad, and reconnecting with the place that he was from and feeling that connection to him there.
Are there any Australian musicians past or present that have had a big impact on the band?
There are many, but to name a few: The Drones, Amyl & The Sniffers, Nick Cave, The Triffids.
5 long years down the line from the sensational ‘From A View’, what has been the most notable evolution in the creative process when it comes to the song writing or instrumentation since your debut record?
We’ve become very close friends and refined our identity and sound as a band which always takes time. We always want to have a sense of change and evolution which is why we try and challenge our first line of thought when writing songs.
It’s a very collaborative process and as we’ve become more in tune with each other, our songs feel more cohesive, yet retain a sense of multiple minds at work. Having Sarah join the band a few years ago has really helped our song writing evolve. We love exploring new techniques and layering different instruments to generate unique sounds. I think we’ve also improved our ability to embolden our lyrics with intentional instrumentation.
Back on the road next week and kicking off the official tour come May, I imagine the excitement in the band for the journey ahead must be incredible! What are Floodlights most excited about to come in 2025?
I can’t wait to get back on the road, playing live is my favourite part about being in a band and I can’t wait to share the new album in its live version and connect with people around the world. This is what I’m most excited about, Letsssss go!
Listen to ‘Underneath’ here: