INTERVIEW: Douglas Park & James McLees – Lotus Eater

LOTUS EATER will likely become a name that you will soon recognise, and see in a lot of places. Their early career has already seen the Scottish group drop two EPs with a distinct and recognisable sound, and they have also become the first Scottish band in 25 years to join the ranks of Hopeless Records. With so much promise, we needed to find the time to sit down and catch up with the violent new group to get the lowdown on their emerging sound and how they managed to land such a massive and groundbreaking deal. We grabbed time with Douglas Park and Jamie Mclees to find out more.

Can you explain how LOTUS EATER came to be?

Douglas: Well starting off with the name, LOTUS EATER, that didn’t come until way later. We started writing music as an older band. We didn’t know we were going to be rebranding as LOTUS EATER at the time, but we just thought that we needed to. Once we became this new sound we just thought that we should become LOTUS EATER, a few of the guys were in the previous band but we’ve had a few member changes since then. It was during the recording of the first EP that we became LOTUS EATER from nothing.

So what you were you writing before LOTUS EATER then?

Douglas: It was a band called AS DAYLIGHT FADES, we’re not very proud of the name, but it’s alright cause we were all super into metalcore at the time. Some of those members joined into the band now.

In terms of the influences going into LOTUS EATER, what changed from the original band?

Douglas: We were pretty young at the time when the old band started, think we were all around 14 or 17 at the time. But by the time LOTUS EATER was coming about we were all 18 and had kinda grown up a bit, and had found a more mature sound. We tried to join the bandwagon of taking influence from bands around us at the time that weren’t really that big. We were all really angry as well which I think helped.

What were you angry at?

Douglas: I think we had more responsibility as we grew up, we had more say in the world and more to shout about. The older we got the more we had to say, and evidently the more stuff we didn’t like. Member changes as well, and we’re all near Glasgow so having new members helped add new influence.

Being based in Glasgow, how does the city influence you?

Jamie: Basically just trying to be as hard as possible. People in Glasgow are known for being tough, so we needed to be a tough band, so people would be intimidated. Not by the music, but by the presence.

Douglas: It says in a few interviews about how it has the highest crime rate in Europe, and the poverty rate and things like that. We’re promoting Scotland and not just being a band that has a theme. We’re trying to being Scotland with us in the most unpatriotic way possible.

Is that where the whole Gloom tag comes from?

Douglas: I want to say yes, but i’m not really sure, so maybe we should start doing that. I think so probably, I think we all knew it was just all about being dark and gloomy and sinister, so I think that came unintentionally.

What was the inspiration behind Social Hazard?

Douglas: I think we’re all at a good time in our lives where we can all look back and have our own story to tell in the band. So we thought it would be a good idea to vent problems from each member of the band, so that’s what the lyrics are about. We’re venting at a more mature age. Everyone has got something to be angry about these days, and we’re just taking all of ours and putting it in one place.

Which song on Social Hazard stands out the most to you?

Douglas: Looking back all the songs stand out, but Mother stands out the most cause it was my own. We had all had songs our own, but Mother was my own. Even during the writing I had more input than any other so it really felt like my song.

What is the song about?

Douglas: It’s meant to be an over-exaggeration of truth stories. So the neglect of a child and the power of a mother, that’s the basis of it. A mother being so powerful that she suffocates her own child.

How did you guys manage to land your Hopeless Records deal?

Douglas: That was last June, but we had been talking to them for a year before that. It was Dani (Washington, Drums) from NECK DEEP who got us in touch and then we started talking to them for a while. It’s just been a long process, we were talking to them, organising for them to come and see shows, so we then hooked up with the Hopeless guys and it turned out to be pretty cool. We had already written some demo songs for them, but some of them actually ended up on Social Hazard. Well, not exactly the same songs, but i’m just glad that they made it this long!

How did having to impress a label like Hopeless this young into your career affect you?

Douglas: When you’re the only one doing something in one place, you’re gonna want to stand out. We’re the heaviest band on the roster, we had to make a footprint and say something about that. We took that with us as inspiration when we were writing the EP.

Social Hazard is out now via Hopeless Records. The band are featured in our latest digital issue. Subscribe to our Patreon Page to gain access. 

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