Words by Paige Cobos
Let’s face it. It is a weird world out there. So many of us feel like aliens walking in the crazy times of today. It makes one wonder, “How would an actual alien perceive this world?” Fresh on the scene from West London is Lava La Rue, a genre-bending artist who has their answer to such a question.
Their debut album, STARFACE fuses various genres of pop, funk, and more into a unique and otherworldly sound that is unlike anything released this year. The album as a whole tells the story of a new being entering this chaotic and beautiful world while carrying on the spirit of their dual homeworlds, London and L.A. Its many sounds and shiny pop hooks will surely make a case that our insane world is both challenging and inspiring indeed.
Off Shelf: With the release of your debut album STARFACE, how does it feel to have it finally out in the wild now for others to take in?
Lava La Rue: Like releasing a really big burp you had been holding in for so long it was giving you a bellyache. Now I have space to eat more!
OS: Let’s go back to the beginning, what was the seed for STARFACE?
LLR: To be honest, my friend Maya Man started experimenting with putting star makeup on my face and it became my warpaint for shows and public appearances. I started developing a storyline behind the person I felt like I became when I wore the star. The first time I went to New York – feeling like an absolute alien witnessing the chaos of humanity mixed with all the love and tenderness – I began to realize how this character could relate to a debut album sonically.
OS: When constructing the album as a complete story, what was the writing process like?
LLR: Some songs came before the album and were the building blocks. Other songs were written like a movie soundtrack/score to a visual animation I had in my head. I started with how the story was going to finish, then I wrote how it started, then we got to have a lot of fun in the middle.
OS: Out of the songs on the album, which would you use to introduce the world to Lava la Rue?
LLR: Starface’s Descent is an intro to the character STARFACE, Aerial Head is like an intro to the artist Lava La Rue, and Shell of You is an intro to me the human.
OS: What were some of your musical inspirations for the story of this album?
LLR: A lot of 80s sci-fi soundtracks. Hyperspace by Beck. Talking Heads. The album Twenty-Twenty by DJO in its entirety and transitions and texture.
OS: How has splitting time between Los Angeles and London influenced your songwriting?
LLR: I could give you some artistic cultural answer but the truth is I’m way more focused in LA. London is what inspires me. When I’m in LA I don’t have all the distractions of home life in London. I’ve got great producers at hand and nothing else to do but make music. London is a blessing and a curse with how spontaneous my life is there. I’ll try to do something productive but bump into an old friend at the cafe then we’ll catch up for three hours walking around the backstreets/park. Then I’ll run an errand for a loved one, get home and clean up. Then suddenly I’ve ended up having dinner at a pub and a Suede cover band is playing and I’ve made a new friend in the beer garden. I don’t drive so in LA I’m just trapped at the studio with no signal and can’t spontaneously end up anywhere without planning it. So I get the job done.
But London life gives me plenty to write about, that’s for sure. I just have to go somewhere else to do it.
OS: Do you have a set story arch for more albums that continue the story after STARFACE?
LLR: if the people want it, it’s already written in the stars.
OS: STARFACE features some collaborations with other artists such as Audrey Nuna and bb sway. What was the collaboration process like while writing this album?
LLR: Audrey was the only person on the album I hadn’t hung out with before she recorded her verse. Everyone else are people I’ve kicked it with, internet friends, old friends who go way way back. But I could just tell Audrey was cool and authentic from the get go. It was all just vibes, honestly. Just studio hang outs or digital voice notes sent around the globe and smoothing out some crinkles and viola! I really just hit up whoever I could imagine being on the song whether they were a rapper, rock vocalist, k-pop star, etc.
OS: There are some live shows lined up for September, how are you gearing up to perform STARFACE live for the first time?
Rue: Touring with Remi Wolf has really set levels of what I wanna give as a performer. She’s a master at her craft on that stage, it’s super inspiring. For my headline shows I’ve been wanting to do something different and turn them into a psychedelic moshpit party with a lineup of artist with STARFACE energy.
OS: What’s next for you after, STARFACE?
LLR: DELUXXXE BABY