Drawing upon a myriad of influences, Lomea has continued to explore the synthesis of duality since his debut release Narratives in 2016. April’s ethereal single ‘You Are Your Memories’ and its hypnotic visuals exhibited Lomea’s ability to skillfully balance light and dark narratives through his experimentation with a combination of digital and analogue instrumentation. The result is a warm, disarming track that solicits introspection from its audience.
We connected with the multi-instrumentalist and fine artist as he prepares for the landing of his second album Echoes in Bloom, due on the 31st of May via Here and Now Recordings.
Tell us about you, how long have you been producing music? What did inspire you to start?
I’ve been making music in one way or another since I was very young. When I was a kid I’d make drumkits from junk lying about the house (empty ice cream tubs and things like that).I learned classical guitar from about the age of 10 and as a teenager, until my early 20s, I played lead guitar in a metal band with friends. For the last 12 years or so I’ve been making electronic music by myself. I kind of miss the collaborative process but being able to express myself without compromising artistically is really important.
The music industry is super competitive these days, was there a moment in your life that you wanted to give up on music? How did you manage to stay focused and achieve what you want?
Yeah, quite a few times! Music for me is an essential outlet though, and I would still be making it even if absolutely nobody was going to hear it. I make the music I want to hear and if other people like it that’s a very welcome bonus.
How would you describe your creative processes? Who writes the lyrics to the songs? Are the music and lyrics written in conjunction, or separately?
Mostly it’s trial and error. Usually, it starts with stumbling upon a chord sequence on guitar or keys while messing about, or a rhythm idea might pop into my head while I’m out walking in the woods. Then I build upon this initial idea layer by layer with guitars and synths, experimenting with FX pedals, found sounds and other things/processes until something interesting starts to come together. Then I spend ages refining this until it sounds like it does in my head. Usually, the end result sounds nothing like how it started. I’ve started tracks as solo guitar pieces which have ended up as stripped back analogue techno, for instance.
Where the inspiration comes from?
All sorts of things. Films, novels, life events, interactions with people, the environment and of course music. I try to listen to a broad spectrum of music and never really think about genre it will fit into when I’m making new tracks, as I find this limiting creatively.
What’s your favourite track from the upcoming album and what other bands/artists are you listening to right now?
Favourite track (at the moment) is probably Reach, the 2nd single from the album, closely followed by the title track. But this changes quite often! I’m really proud of all of them.
Some of the artists I’m listening to a lot at the moment are; Bibio, Cinematic Orchestra, Bill Laurance, Reso, 36, Hammock, Jordan Rakei, Julia Kent, Culprate, Low, Johann Johannsson, Poppy Ackroyd, Emilie Nicolas, Clark, Porcupine Tree, Scott Matthews, Martin Heyne
What’s next for you?
I’m aiming to get a live show together over the next couple of months and work out how to recreate these tracks live in an interesting way! And I’m going to release a couple more things before the year is over. That’s the plan anyway.
