SOURCE – Congratulations on the new single Fjord because it is truly amazing! Can you tell us something about the meaning behind this song, please?
Nikki Layne (Vocals) – Thank you SO much! 🙂 This song came from a vivid dream I had about a solo trek and screaming into the mouth of a fjord (a deep, narrow inlet of the sea) and finding comfort in the sounds of my own echoes. I think feeling lost or stuck is something everyone can relate to at some point in their lives. It’s usually in those moments of solitude that we start to figure out who we are and that our true “home” is within us. Overall, it’s about a journey of self-discovery – realizing the answers we’re looking for have been right there all along…waiting for us to find (or hear) them.
SOURCE – You released your last album Building Castles In Air in 2016 and now you are back with your new single, Fjord. What caused this hiatus between releases?
Nikki Layne (Vocals) – After we released our album (Building Castles In Air) in 2016, our drummer at the time had an opportunity to go on tour with an international act (an opportunity he couldn’t pass up and we fully supported!). We had spent 5 years writing and recording that album, so unfortunately, it was a challenge to not be able to play the songs live. Finding the right committed members to learn all the material felt like an overwhelming task, so we decided to take a break to regroup…and then the curveball of the pandemic happened! That’s actually what prompted us to begin writing & experimenting – just Doug and I – without the support of a full band in our home studio with just us and the computer. We wanted to explore and write songs – to reconnect and get back to the root of why we love making music in the first place! Once life was able to resume some “normalcy” – we got the opportunity to check out Apex Arts Studios in North Hollywood, and that’s where we were introduced to Eric Emery. We had the opportunity to take the ideas we had been working on into the studio. We originally had no idea we would release the songs, but as the production progressed – it was a no brainer that we needed to share this new music with the world!
SOURCE – You decided to work at Apex Arts Studios with producer Eric Emery, what do you enjoy most about his process?
Doug Mecca (Guitar) – Eric is an amazing vocalist in a band in our genre, and explored a lot while tracking vocal ideas and layers, including techniques and dynamics. Eric’s got an insane memory, and he’s crazy fast at production, so we made a lot of progress every session. Guitars got a lot of attention too, experimenting with lots of guitars, pickups, even picks and lots of picking techniques, and all of that really opened up the layering that I think makes this sound bigger where it should be!
Nikki Layne (Vocals) – Yes, piggybacking on what Doug said – Eric is an incredible singer! It’s been a dream to be able to work with someone who “gets” the vocal parts – all the different emotions and characters in the voice. It was great to have him be able to sing his ideas and technique instead of me needing to interpret what he was aiming for. He really pushed me out of my comfort zone and I am SO happy with the takes we got!
SOURCE – Were there key ingredients or aspects that he wanted to focus on for ‘Fjord’ to achieve the final product that the listeners will hear?
Doug Mecca (Guitar) – This song conveys a wide range of emotions and those had vocally to be right. Using a really beautiful warm sounding mic (Chandler Limited Redd), plus letting the vocals be edgier while still preserving the dynamics resulted in what I think is a bit grittier overall vibe. Emotionally that fits the theme. We also got to track with an intentionally heavy guitar tone from the beginning. The contrast with the more ambient layers definitely energizes the final song. Did I mention we used many guitars?!
SOURCE – How did the cover art design with Travis Smith (Seempieces) come about for Lucid Fly? I especially enjoy the different color scheme present for this one…
Nikki Layne (Vocals) – We have always been huge fans of Travis Smith and his art!! He has created album artwork for some of our favorite metal artists – namely, Katatonia (Dead End Kings & The Fall Of Hearts), Periphery (V: Djent Is Not A Genre), Earthside (A Dream In Static), Riverside (Wasteland), Eluveitie (Ategnatos) – he has such beautiful vision, and use of contrast and depth. There was no doubt he would be our first choice and the best person to collaborate with on this project. When I had come up with ideas for the song lyrically, I had also created a mood board to visually capture the mood and vibe that I wanted to portray in the music. The use of the deep blues and blacks was key to capturing the haunting, melancholy vibe. We think he totally nailed it!
SOURCE – Have you filmed any videos for this new release?
Nikki Layne (Vocals) – Yes! We collaborated with a video director / motion designer to create a beautiful lyric video for Fjord and bring Travis Smith’s amazing artwork to life! We just released it on Youtube and you can view it here: https://youtu.be/zvB09JpRIKE?si=5TkkECe4xOsxY6pW
SOURCE – Where do you see the career arc of Lucid Fly at this point? Do you think there are additional steps that need to be taken to hopefully move the band up the ladder in terms of a stronger following for touring situations and higher festival billing?
Doug Mecca (Guitar) – Right now we might say it’s a sort of comeback phase, but in some ways we do feel like we’re starting again. Things change fast in the world – especially since the last time we put out music – so much was different with how to get your music heard, and now the ability to reach so many people through social media and streaming platforms to find more of our audience. This time around, we have a different relationship with the music as art. We expect to put out the most authentic stuff we’ve ever been able to capture, and we believe that’s the truest way to connect with audiences. We’ve leveled up our own discipline for learning our craft and also for only releasing music that completely captures what we feel as we create – from here on out. I can only hope and imagine that’s the ideal combination to get to perform for that audience as they find us, and that it will grow much faster than ever before!
SOURCE – How do you define success personally – and has that definition changed or evolved over time?
Doug Mecca (Guitar) – Success now to us is a “feeling” more than “achievements”. I think that If anyone can feel energized while continuing to regularly do… literally anything… towards some ultimate goal, then to me that’s the definition of success – the actual success is creating a life around the whole process of trying to do something significant.
SOURCE – Is there anything additional that you’d like to mention?
Nikki Layne (Vocals) – Yes! First, we would like to thank you for this opportunity! But also, we would love for fans and music lovers to connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, X, Tik Tok – all the socials! Tell us who your favorite bands are, where the best music venues are, where the best tacos are…HA! Seriously though, we thrive on new music, people, and places to experience. But most importantly keep supporting bands you dig by going to concerts and shows, and simply sharing them with people you think have similar taste. It’s rewarding for everyone involved, and it’s currently the best and possibly only way a band can continue to exist and make more music.
We look forward to meeting you at a show in a city near you…stay tuned for more new music coming soon!
You can find us at: www.lucidfly.com
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