After spending the last year releasing a wealth of smooth and enticing acoustic-led delights, US singer and songwriter Thomas LaVine has now returned to deliver his next euphoric offering ‘By The Coast’.
Collaborating virtually with fellow swooner Luna Keller, ‘By The Coast’ sees the pair unveil a beautifully rich and uplifting gem. With each artist taking turns to sing the verses before coming together in a harmonious tapestry, their newest offering is just what we need to guide us through these winter months.
So with the new single available now, we sat down with Thomas to find out more about his endeavors and what he has planned for the coming months.
Words by Chris Bound
Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Chris) Hi Thomas, how are you today?
Thomas) I’m doing well, just trying to make it by like everyone else during these insane times.
For those that haven’t heard of you yet, how would you best describe your sound and who have been your biggest influences so far?
It’s definitely in the realm of indie folk. Atmospheric, ambient sound with clear roots influence. My biggest influences have a bit of a broad range, but the artists that have had the largest impact on my music as a whole would be Andrew Belle, Noah Gundersen, Bon Iver, Novo Amor, and some classics like Tears for Fears and Cyndi Lauper which I’m a huge fan of.
And what would you say has been your biggest inspiration in music so far?
I get inspiration from a lot of things. A really good show or game, being outside climbing mountains or photographing wildlife can inspire me to create something new. Hearing new and innovative music of course gives me the desire to make more music as well. On any given day, one of these may be more inspirational than the other. So, I suppose my biggest influence is experiencing life through those mediums.
You have just released a new single with Luna Keller called ‘’By The Coast’. Can you tell us how that track came about? Is there a story behind it?
I just went on about glorious scenes of nature being a huge inspiration for me, but truly it does seem like when doing regular everyday things are when the songs are coming out for me lately. I was mowing grass and I just kept hearing “Oh oh meet me down by the coast”. I know, it seems a bit unexciting. But I began “writing” the rest of the song as I was mowing the grass. At times, I would stop to record a quick voice memo. When I started recording it, I recorded several different versions before finally settling on one. I knew it was missing something and I thought it could be particularly nice sounding as a sort of duet with a female vocalist. It took months before I found the right one, and that’s where Luna comes in.
And was there a particular style you were looking for when you wrote it?
Honestly, not at all. It is one of the more classic folk tunes in my catalogue now, and not as “cinematic” as I’ve been used to creating. But it seemed appropriate for the song to just be a bit rawer and more organic. I kind of just let this song take its initial shape naturally, and then nurtured it from there.
And what was it like to work with Luna on this?
Luna understood exactly what I was going for, and added her own touch to it, which is exactly what I was hoping for. Totally lovely to work with and for being so young, already comes with so much musical experience. I think she really helped the song evolve and took it where I really wanted it to go. It was worth the wait of sitting on the song for so long. Outside of the music, we’ve shared plenty of wonderful conversations and insight with each other and developed a great friendship through the music.
Are you working on any new music of your own at the moment? Maybe a new EP, or even an album?
Yes! Tons. I have a lot more coming, and I am always writing. An album seems really far away, but perhaps an EP in the near future.
The coronavirus outbreak has obviously affected everyone’s plans, but what have you got in store for the coming year?
Releasing a lot of music and I am going to try to do a lot more virtual lives this year. I also have plans for an Instagram show I’ll be doing with artists I admire.
And finally, what advice would you give to any artist that is going to collaborate with someone else?
Trust the person you’re working with and establish a direction when you come to them. Also, it is so important that whoever you work with has mutual respect enough to have room for unlimited honesty. Honesty, communication, and skill are all very important in a good collaboration. I am quite new to collaborating, so if anyone is considering it I my biggest piece of advice would be to not be afraid of bringing someone else into the world that feels so important to you, even if it's just for a visit. You might just make something truly beautiful.