Steeped in alt-country vibes, Sydney-based indie band Lady Lyon have just released their Friends in Hell EP. With jangly guitars and blessed with the soaring vocals of frontwoman Hayley Lyon, the EP is a beautifully varied collection of songs with all the feels.
The songs are all written by Hayley, ranging from personal and self-reflective to calling out misogynists. The instrumentation is lush, and the musicianship is all class.
Listening to Friends in Hell will make you wonder whether you should get loose on the dancefloor or listen intently to the heartfelt lyrics. It delivers in spades on both fronts.
Lady Lyon have been busy performing this year. They had a successful run of shows in July and will be touring again in October and November, in support of the EP. All dates are below.
To celebrate the release of the EP, Hayley has written an exclusive track-by-track breakdown. So do press <play>, crank up the volume and read on.
“Lady”
Writing: “Lady” is the first song I wrote after a long drought of non-creativity. I was playing in another band and giving my all to it and my music and my confidence as a songwriter and woman suffered because of it. “Lady” is the rain and the sunshine all in one for me.
Theme: “Lady” is the proclamation to yourself, I am here, I am someone, I am worthy.
“Millennia”
Theme: “Millennia” is the inner pep talk you give yourself when you know your mind is made up. It’s a song about finding the strength to do what you need to and making no apologies for it.
Writing: It’s funny how a song can change throughout its life. When I first took this track to the band, I was still in the notions of trying to figure out what it was really about, and as time has worn on, like a prophecy, its original intention has been fulfilled and now I hear it from others when they say it’s their favorite song from the record. It’s so unexpected for me and it’s given it such a special place in my heart and our live shows.
“Friends In Hell”
Theme: “Friends In Hell” is a song about friendship and change and knowing the worth of what you believe in.
Writing: “Friends In Hell” is one of those magical three-chord songs that just spilled out of me. One minute I was noodling away and the next thing I blacked out and had written three minutes of pure, unfiltered creative flow, which is the absolute dream. It was only when I started to look back at what I had written, and we’d played it live over the last year, that I started to understand the lyrical references and the melodic changes and how this marked the next phase of my writing. I have always written deeply personal songs, mining my own experiences, heartbreaks, and the relationships around me for stories, metaphors, and reasonings for my own life and the bigger meanings beyond what I can currently see.
Recording: Friends In Hell the EP was recorded in Bellambi at Stranded Rec on the South Coast over two glorious days. The song itself was an incredibly easy birth haha, only taking a few hours to track and a quick four vocal takes. The band had been touring and playing every weekend for 6 months and we hit the studio right in the middle of that so it felt like another gig, or an extension of what we had become so attuned to doing. It’s the sweetest of spots!
“Blaze”
Theme: “Blaze” ruminates on the bitter-sweet realities of life. The muted silver linings and just misses of things working out.
Writing: “Blaze” was written in honour of Blaze Foley, an American singer-songwriter. I saw a movie about his life many years ago and it left an indescribable mark on me. The sadness of his life and the people he touched along the way.
“Charity Bag”
Theme: F*ck you to the misogynists and chauvinist pigs in the music industry. Any industry!
Writing: Originally a slow and sad song, “Charity Bag” became the anthem it is through the band. Undoubtedly the most annoying earworm chorus, it has a special way of making you feel good whilst singing a big fucking no thanks and there is no better feeling.
All words by Hayley Lyon.
Lady Lyon Tour dates
29th Sep – 1st October | Dashville Skyline festival
13th – 15th October | Wingham festival
10th November |Bird Rock in Torquay
11th November | red hill hotel, Chewton
12th November |Brunswick Artists Bar, Melbourne
17th November |The Servo in Port Kembla
18th November |Petersham Bowling Club, Sydney
Friends in Hell from Lady Lyon is available now on all streaming platforms.
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Header image credit: Bee Elton
