Lucas is a “lo-fi” musician based out of Madrid. He recently released his debut album “light comes in, you’re forever” under the moniker Unlove. On May 31st it’ll be released on cassette via Z Tapes. His music fits equally well as a soundtrack for late night staring at the ceiling or sunny days on the beach. In this interview he talks about his process for recording the album, what it’s like being a musician in Madrid, and dealing with trying to get his music heard by the world.
Q: You just released your first album. What’s the backstory behind it?
A: “light comes in, you’re forever” is a collection of songs which have no apparent coherence, but I think it all made sense in the end. They’re thoughts, experiences and moments that I try to encapsulate in songs. I remember the day before publishing it I had my doubts and was just about not to release it, it felt like showing myself naked to the whole world, it was very scary really, but I’m glad I got that out of my system, now that I released it I feel pretty empty, but relieved.
Q: What’s your process for writing and recording your music? Did you self record the entirety of your new album?
A: Yes, I recorded and mixed everything. The process for this album was very messy and unorganized, “no”, for example, was a song I wrote about two years ago which didn’t really fit in my band, “swept away (another sunrise in briny beach)” was written a year ago when my girlfriend lent me her ukulele, then one day I decided to make a solo album and bought a mic. I spent two or three months writing and recording the album, I would write a song and record it, and while recording it I would listen to it and say “hey, a nice keyboard could fit this part” and just add it on the go, I had a lot of fun and learned at lot, it was my first time with electronic music too, and I had a “anything goes” philosophy with the album, anything that I liked made it into the album. I wasn’t worried that an electronic track wouldn’t fit next to an acoustic one and next to a 60’s like song.
Q: Are you originally from Madrid? How is the music scene there?
A: Yes, the music scene is pretty small but very kind and welcoming, everyone gets along, it’s mostly Emo and Screamo tho, there isn’t a “pop” or “lofi” or whatever you want to call it scene, so the album made little to no impact here, my friends liked it tho, so there’s that.
Q: You utilize the internet a lot in your own self-promotion. What has been your experience with trying to get your music heard?
A: As I said, I knew the album wouldn’t be as listened as much as I wanted to if I just promoted it over here, so I made a Twitter and started following the artists I liked and started tweeting, I also posted it on a couple sites and I think I got really lucky, an awesome label, Z Tapes, took interest in the album and now it’s going to have a physical release and that’s really crazy. I’m fascinated with how kind people have been thus far, I’m receiving lots of messages from people telling me how much they liked the album and it all means the world to me, hell, people are even giving me money!
Q: Why do you choose to write music in English as opposed to Spanish?
A: I always thought English was a very musical language, the way you can say a lot with so little. I love Spanish too, I sing and play in a couple bands (Saint Clementine and Verano while we’re at it) and one’s in English and the other one in Spanish, as for Unlove, I really didn’t think it through, it just seemed right, it came naturally. I studied English all my life and even lived a year in Bath so I’m not forcing it or anything, even though I’m well aware my English isn’t perfect, I’m happy with the album’s lyrics. Now that I think of it, maybe I wanted to create some kind of barrier to my close friends and people from my environment hoping they’d never take a close look at the album. Anyway, I’m comfortable singing in English and I’ll keep it that way.
Q: Since this album was written over a long period of time do you see it as a sort of time capsule for these memories?
A: Totally, I wanted to make an album I could revisit in five years and remember who I was at that time, it’s a portrait of the person I am, the person I think I am, I didn’t want to impress anyone or try to appeal to people, I just wanted to make honest and sincere music and I think I did, whether it’s good or bad is up to the listener.
Q: What helped you separate an Unlove song from being either a Saint Clementine or Verano song? When you write a song do you have it specifically in mind for one band or another?
A: When I’m writing music for my bands I have another mindset, I have to take keep in mind the other instruments, and the ideas of my bandmates, which are always great, but with Unlove I have no limits, I don’t think “I can’t add this keyboard or this electronic drums because I won’t be able to play it live” cause I don’t think I’ll ever play these songs live, maybe I do it sometime, but I’ll figure something out and they won’t sound the same. I think people associate music with albums and live concerts and that has a negative effect in the artist while his creating something. They are separate things and I personally don’t think that you have to “prove” anything playing it live after releasing it, the album is the work of art, the live show is a different experience. So with Unlove you could say that the mindset is “no rules, no boundaries.”
Q: Do you get discouraged at all after having put so much work into an album and only having a relative handful of people listen to it? Or, for you, was this never about people listening?
A: It may sound cliche but I made this album for myself, we musicians are probably the most egocentric people you’ll come across, and I don’t think that’s inherently a bad thing, I talk about myself, or about people I know who are, in the end, part of my environment and define who I am. For me the greatest lyrics are from artists who are talking about themselves, who are being honest and are figuring things out, and the best thing about music is that people connects with it when it’s pure, because we’re all little humans with the same set of emotions and fears and we’re incredibly different from each other and identical at the same time. I’m not getting to the point of your question, to sum it up, I didn’t make it for anyone who isn’t me, but I want people to listen to it because I’m very proud of it, and if this album means anything to anyone, if someone listens to it on the bus to school, after work, just after meeting someone who you know (because you know) will be important for you, at the end of the summer, anytime really, then that’d be just perfect.
Q: Some musicians choose to write extremely personal lyrics while others have a tendency to distance what they write from their personal self. Which of those two styles would you say you tend to lean more toward?
A: I think I switch styles a lot in this album, and if you read the lyrics it’ll be very clear, there are some lyrics that are more straightforward than the others, for example, “no”, “swept away (another sunrise in briny beach)” and “fix me up”, while the rest are more conceptual and abstract, like “kylo ren” and “instagram witches & brand new grimoires” but I don’t think they’re less personal, in the end they are all written by the same person and I can’t help but be really intimate and open when I’m making music. However, it’s far easier for me to explain I song like “no” than explaining “kylo ren” because when I write lyrics that are more abstract I let the unconscious part of me take control and pour everything out, but that’s not less me, god I’m awful at explaining things.
Q: How did you start making music? Are you self taught?
A: I started playing guitar when I was 14 or so, had this really amazing teacher for a year when I was living in Bath, his name was Guy I think, which I always thought was pretty funny, then I tried with another one when I went back to Madrid but all he wanted for me was to learn blues scales and boring stuff so I quit. I learned by playing a lot of nonsense and learning my favorite artists songs, so thanks Ultimate Guitar and Guitar Pro.
Q: Why did you name this project Unlove?
A: I think it’s a beautiful word, being english my second language words look different to me and I find that some sound and look really good while they may look simple and common to the rest they amaze me. I believe it suits the music very well, but I don’t want people to think that I’m always sad or that all my songs are depressing, I don’t think they are, some can be more melancholic than others but they tend to be in between emotions, maybe dysthymic but mostly confused, perplexed, I don’t know if this makes sense to you. The name also sounds like a Smiths song (Unloveable) and that’s always good.
Q: If you could collaborate with any musician or band that’s out there today who would you choose to work with?
A: There are way too many, Katie Dey is probably my favorite right now, Mat Cothran and Sam Ray too. I’d also like to join Godspeed You! Black Emperor before I die.
Q: Do you worry that people might see you as a “one note” band in terms of theme? As you mentioned at first glance it might look like your songs border on melancholic most of the time.
A: I’m not really afraid because as I told you, not all songs have to be sad, and I don’t think the songs in the album are depressing, I can’t choose how a song is going to be, I just let it flow and I don’t force anything because I know that if I try to make a happy, or a sad song, is not going to be honest. I don’t plan anything, if they come out sad then so be it but I’m not planning it beforehand. I can’t say how my next music will be but I’m not worried, everything will turn out ok in the end.
Q: What do you see for the future of Unlove?
A: Lots of music, it’s the only thing I can do half well, so yes, expect more releases and improvement in each one, I’m constantly learning.
Make sure to follow Lucas on Twitter, like Unlove on Facebook, and tumbl with him on Tumblr!
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