Lastelle: True Strength is Delicate
If you dig deep enough into the UK music scene and there really is a wealth of world class music that the seemingly shining light of exposure never really found. Not for any fault of their own, but sometimes breaking through into the ‘mainstream’ can be a task that relies on entirely on luck and being in the right place at the right time. Regardless of this, theses bands remain untouched and undisturbed to see out their musical visions with the utmost care and consideration, for they are the only ones driving the car. There’s none of this looming contractual pressure for success. There is only the love and time you have to put into a project as personal as you want to make it. That’s were bands like LASTELLE really start to shine.
Their emotional post-hardcore noise pays as much homage to shoegaze as it does to breakdowns in their recent Departure EP, and the band also make a clear statement across the six song run time: world class music doesn’t need world class backing. Of course they deserve the booking to take them to the audiences they rightfully deserve to be in front of, but until that happens the band seem content on crafting some of the most perfectly executed conceptual post-hardcore you’ll ever hear and yet somehow they remain unsigned. Seriously, this is talent that shouldn’t be unrecognised.
Speaking with the band paints an honest picture of lifelong music fans getting together to really create something special. With each member either playing in previous projects together or just being around music for most of their life, and as guitarist Rich puts it, “we’re not the youngest of chaps”, so we’ll leave you to fill in the blanks. Regardless of age or image, LASTELLE is a project brimming with delicately orchestrated emotion, and as they discuss the concepts running through their latest release it becomes clear they’re a band looking for more than just a few minutes of radio time.
“I think there is an overarching theme of loss and emotion and grief and moving on. Whether that’s the loss of a family member or someone you care about, and the death aspect of that, or whether it’s separation through relationships and friendships. And that overarching theme is something we have all experienced. Musically we tried to bring in the aspect of these orchestral things and the cinematic stuff with the pianos and violins.”
It takes a few moments before Delicate hits you with it’s distinctly emotive undertones. The EP erupts with melancholy tinged with hope and the beautiful artwork that pairs with it creates an amazing story for music lovers to really get stuck into. “As humble as Rich is, he and Adam, our frontman, should take a lot of credit for [the artwork]. They are both very visual creatives and that has come a lot through the artwork. I know they had a big creative vision and it came out great,” explains bassist Freddie. This is followed by Rich explaining the want for everything to be perceived right and their carefully crafted online presence that gets bolstered by their exceptional music video content and visual work. “I think with LASTELLE, we’re all very serious about it and want to do it the right way.”
With the release of Delicate there is a real sense of longing for the band to finally see the popularity their sound genuinely deserves. With HOLDING ABSENCE proving that music as emotive as this can and will touch thousands, LASTELLE seem fit enough to follow in their footsteps. And there’s is a music that needs to be heard and seen and experienced in its totality. With the incredibly sweet moments of Departure and the duelling vocals of Only Apathy creating a theatricality to really lose yourself in, this is music that can uplift in times that really seem impossible to get through. And we all unfortunately understand how that feels.
“I’ve really enjoyed being able to kick back and listen and think ‘this is something we’ve created’,” is something Freddie reflects on towards the end of our time together. There are few EPs that feel as complete as Delicate does and there are few bands as well formed as LASTELLE are this early into their career. From the visuals to the music videos to the writing, recording, and post production, the amount of care put into their creative output really helps set apart LASTELLE from the rest of the pack. As a result, there is little worry in investing your time and support into them because there will always be a return on investment via the perfectly formed, beautifully sounding, visually stunning material the band do so well at creating. LASTELLE are among the best of the best just hidden from the limelight.
Delicate is out now via self-release.
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