INTERVIEW: Alae On Their New Single ‘Lucy’ And How 2020 Has Helped The Band Grow

Alae. Photo supplied.

New Zealand band Alae have just released their latest single, Lucy, their third release in a string of recent singles. It follows the singles Summer Things and Hit Me Where It Hurts, and is a nice middle ground between the two releases.

Lucy replicates the feeling of being at a music festival and just letting go; something I’m sure we’d all love to be doing at the moment! I spoke to Alae lead singer Alex Farrell-Davey about how the year has been so far for the band, and how they’ve managed to use the time spent in lockdown to prepare for better days.

Ben Madden: Firstly, I wanted to start by getting you to introduce yourself and the band!

Alex Farrell-Davey: Hello! I’m Alex and I do the singing bit. On keys we have Allister (Meffan), on drums we have Jayden (Lee), and holding it down on ze bass is Marika (Hodgson).

Your latest release, Lucy, replicates the feeling of being at a music festival, something that for obvious reasons isn’t possible right now. What’s your favourite music festival-related story?

In all honesty, I feel like our festival stories aren’t appropriate. So many shenanigans.......

With 2020 having gone the way it has, how have you managed to channel your creative energy both personally and as a band, given you’re not able to perform live?

Live performance is a huge part of the game, but it’s not the be all and end all. Being cooped up inside was good for certain things like practicing guitar and listening to more music, to find influences.

You’ve mentioned you see Lucy as tying together your previous singles Hit Me Where It Hurts and Summer Thing, can you explain to me a bit more about what you mean by that?

Our new music is a bit left of field when compared to our album. It was a strange change for us. During the final stages of the recording of the new singles, we had to figure out how to smoothly transition from A to B. Lucy felt like it was a nice middle ground.

I’m someone who isn’t living in New Zealand, so what’s something that might surprise me about the music community in NZ?

That there’s a whole lot of muso’s! For a small place, it really packs a punch. The scene is very diverse as well. Get over here when ya can!

Who in New Zealand should we be keeping an eye on that people might not have heard of?

Balu Brigada - medicine (Ya welcome)

How has this year changed your perception of what it means to be in a band, if it has, and do you think it’s made you more appreciative of being able to play live?

I think my perception of being in a band is always changing. Lockdown has made me appreciate the interaction and the understanding of the bond that has formed and is always developing.

Finally, where do you want the band to be in 5 years?

I want us to all be happy.