CH.89: If you were to categorize or describe the style of your music, what would it be and why?

L: We’re probably too close to the music to be able to describe it, but some of the words that do get thrown around by others are – ethereal, haunting, dreamy, dark, dream pop. What is funny is when people categorize us as ‘synth pop’, but we don’t play synths! Our sound is created with guitars and vocals (with the very occasional synthesizer in our recordings).

CH.89: Where do you draw your inspiration from?

S: I draw inspiration from life; personal experiences and from people I know or come into contact with. Music; sining and songwriting, for me is very much about putting my inner most feelings out there- its an incredible emotional thing. I would struggle to write about anything remotely happy.

M: All sorts of things- traffic noise, machinery, industrial sounds- chaos really.Reading often triggers ideas for me too, as do films.

CH.89: What made you all want to start a band?

M: I’d been writing songs for the past couple of years with the intention of setting up a side project to my previous band, I just hadn’t come across the right people; especially the right vocalist. Suzie and I started collaborating on music pieces for Soundshoots and from there we started making demos and then LUNGS evolved.  

CH.89: How did the name LUNGS come about?

L: Well we’re a duo. Lungs only operate with two; one cannot function without the other, and thats what we’re like. Plus, we hail from Australia and Brazil, the lungs of the sea and the air respectively. We’re concerned with the state of the earth and want to draw attention to it.

CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about what your creative thought process is like when starting a new album?

L: Hmm, well, we haven’t actually put out an album yet. We do however have a double A side single “Faraway/Loner” available through Hero Records on a lovely black or white 7″ vinyl, and another due out in a few months.

CH.89: What would you want people/ the listener to take from your music?

L: We hope people feel something in the deeper darker part of their conscience, or sub-conscious. We’d like people to get lost in our music.

CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about your lifestyle as an artist and what that is like?

S: I’m actually a photographer by trade. I only started singing again last year with the onset of LUNGS. I’m pretty much putting all my energy into LUNGS now, but will always shoot and create my art. Being an artist is incredibly challenging. I’ve had so many ups and downs creatively (and financially agh!). It got to the point where I’d call my mum in a state of despair so frequently that she finally had had enough and said, “I’m not worrying about you anymore, you always work it out!”.

CH.89: When starting out an artistic task, do you think it is better to have a particular direction/set plan guiding your way?Or, is it better to act on impulse and go from there?

L: I think when you’re on, you’re on. Thats the time to do it. Other times are for reflection, thinking, contemplating. In today’s world thinking and contemplation are completely undervalued. This idea that if you’re not getting a million emails and text messages a day, not running around and being stressed, if you’re not busy-busy-busy, then you’re of no value. Thinking, reflection and contemplation are so important for creativity- its when the ideas bubble! Execution is the easy bit.

CH.89: What is one major lesson you’ve learned as an artist?

S: If you think it, it will happen.

M: Don’t believe the hype.

CH.89: Do you regard personal style & taste to be of highest importance?

S: Mmm, I guess it depends in what its in reference to, but generally no, not really. There are more important things.

CH.89: What do you consider to be the hardest thing about being an artist?

S: Its ups and downs- which is both good and bad.

M: Sometimes its hard to find inspiration and balance.

CH.89: What is one thing you love about being an artist?

S: The freedom.

M: Its a great form of expressing yourself.

CH.89: Is there anyone in particular, any artists that inspire you in any way?

L: There are too many! 

CH.89: What do you think of technology in terms of being a useful tool for artists today?

L: Technology has made certain processes a lot more economical. For example being able to produce music on a computer with one program- that was unheard of 10 years ago! Now its possible for musicians to create a demo or a finished track in their own homes, stick it online and share it with people. The downside is that its made music easier to steal. Our debut single “Faraway” is already available online for free, and it hasn’t even been released! Its obviously very frustrating, especially since we are such a new band and poured our guts into making the single. But hey, what can you do- its a double edged sword.

CH.89: Do you think being an artist allows you to view the world differently from those who don’t follow creative paths?

S: Not really, we are all different people on this earth for different reasons. You choose how you see the world, whether you’re a garbage collector or a banker. If you’re an artist you’re seeing the world just as any other human being does- uniquely. It is your individuality and experience that shapes your vision.

M: I don’t know. How does everyone else see the world?

CH.89: Do you enjoy traveling? If so, do you have a favorite city?

S: I love many different cities for many different reasons, but its in remote places where my imagination really runs wild.  

CH.89: Do you have a favorite author or book?

S: I like Naomi Klein

M: Cormac McCarthy

CH.89: Any future goals or plans for your music?

L: We plan to record our debut album at the end of this year and release it early next year. In the meantime we’re promoting our current single “Faraway/Loner”, and we are just finishing our second single at the moment.

CH.89: What does being an artist mean to you?

S: Freedom of thought.

M: Its liberating and uncompromising.

CH.89: Any last words on the aesthetic of your music?

L: We hope you enjoy it.

CHECK OUT MORE ON: LUNGS