Written by Stephanie Kleanthous
Illustrated by Jennifer Backman
We sat down with East London born and raised artist, Luc Seacroft, who has just dropped his new EP titled, ‘What Do You See?’
While aiming to produce a different sound with each new project, the genre of this EP specifically is “somewhere in the lo-fi art-pop, eclectic, strong 60s element, layered, modern” genre, Seacroft explains.
Glass of red in hand, he expressed that the closest he came to really having ‘a sound’ was when he heard the album Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys. The emotional quality inspired where he wanted to take his own music.
I asked Seacroft if living in Hackney has inspired elements of his music, he explained:
“People tell me my music is ‘very chill’, to me it’s kinda anxious and slightly aggressive at times. Although not everyone hears that, I feel this is due to being from Hackney.”
The title of his EP, ‘What Do You See’ is taken from lyrics of one of his songs titled, ‘When You Look At Me’. Seacroft claimed while this song is much more melo-dramatic and heartbreak focused, it became a “gateway” to the question on his EP. It can be seen as both a loss of self and yearning for truth.
He leaves the question of his identity with his listeners as this is something he was avoiding:
“When I realised I was avoiding identity, I indirectly made it a topic to delve into. Usually your first EP is a ‘this is me’ statement, I found that uncomfortable and wanted to flip the idea on its head.”
In the future, however, identity is something he’d like to incorporate more of. He appreciates artists who “directly involve their sexuality and stuff, although for me right now, these themes are things I’ve come to indirectly and i’m unsure of how to do it myself just yet.”
Although avoiding the subject of his own identity in this project, he stated that queer artists such as Sophie (producer), a trans woman with a “unique sound” have inspired him. He loves how her productions are “completely pop and completely un-pop at the same time. That’s something a lot of LGBTQ+ artists do well.”
With an aesthetic that is colourful yet relaxed, I wondered if visuals were equally as important as music to Seacroft. He stated that they’re always on his mind throughout his process: “the songs are coloured for me, it’s a big part of how I think about it and the way I make music. It’s the natural extension of it.”
Due to the colourfulness of his tracks, he added a lot of blue. This seemed like a “tying together of it” to him. It incorporates the retro idea of feeling ‘blue’ or sad while still being “a strong colour to look at but also look into and see as a form of nothingness.” Yves Klein’s fixation on blue also inspired his interest into the abstractness of the colour.
So what can we expect next from Seacfroft?
“I don’t intend to do the same thing, I probably won’t be doing something so completely different that it doesn’t make sense but I don’t really want to repeat this EP. I like artists who change, I feel and hope that i’m one of those.”
Links:
Spotify – click here
Soundcloud – click here
Instagram – click here
