In the song “pity party,” lovelytheband sings “You see me smile, but I wont be happy,” a line that seems to sum up the electronic tinged pop rock songs that fill the band’s debut LP, finding it hard to smile. Released August 3, lovelytheband has already gained a loyal fan base through their songs’ (particularly ‘broken’) melancholic lyrics sung over upbeat catchy riffs.
I called Mitchy, singer and founder of lovelytheband, to talk with him about the album’s release, upcoming tours, and the band’s new found success.
It’s the Thursday after the LP has came out, and I catch Mitchy at home in Los Angeles, enjoying a nice day off the road, resting and about to get lunch. Even though it’s a day off from touring, the band is still playing that evening, doing a set at their record label for the staff. lovelytheband has just had a career highlight, playing Lollapalooza, a dream come true for Mitchy, and the rest of the members, and is sharing in their success with the home that supports them.
Starting in 2016, lovelytheband was formed when singer and guitar player Mitchy Collins was working on the songs as a studio project and brought together Jordan Greenwald on guitar, and Sam Price on drums. Rounded out live with the help of their friend Blake on bass, recreating the band’s sound they crafted in the studio, the group has rose from a studio project and smaller clubs to high profile festivals and large audiences within a short two years time.
Their first single, “broken” debuted in July 2017, earning over three million streams on Spotify, and topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart April 21, 2018. Staying on the chart for nine consecutive weeks it ended up peaking at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11, 2018.
The band’s first release was an EP entitled everything i could never say…, and featured several of the songs that would be carried over onto the band’s debut LP, including “broken.”
Both releases are available through all streaming sites, as well as in print as physical copies on both Vinyl and CD. I asked Mitchy why not all the songs were carried over from the EP to finding it hard to smile, and he said it was to keep some things special for that first release they are still proud of, and want fans to discover it as well as the new album.
Recently the band released their second video, “these are my friends,” the second single for the album, mixing in eye catching visuals to the already sonically catchy tune. A process the band can’t wait to do more of, the band hopes to have more videos released soon. Already nearing 200k views on YouTube, “these are my friends” is catching up the almost six million views that the official “broken” music video has earned since being published a year ago.
Currently on tour throughout American and Canada promoting the album’s release, lovelytheband are set to go to the UK for the first time in October, performing alongside the band 5 Seconds Of Summer. With a large audience overseas, the band wants to be able to travel and reach as many of their fans as possible.
-Aaron White (@FozRotten on Twitter)
lovelytheband performs at The Asbury Lanes on Sunday August 19. Click here for tickets.
