Modernlove.
Photo Credit: David McGeary
A four-man band from Drogheda, Ireland, Modernlove.’s been at it for nearly a decade. The group’s music is undeniably pop-oriented while extracting elements from alternative and indie music. This is shown prominently in hits such as “Hard To Tell You.” and “If You Want To See Me.,” respectively. Making their streaming debut in 2018 with the soft rock single “Us.,” the band has nearly 530k Spotify streams between their 5 singles, not to mention spots on an impressive 4 Spotify-curated playlists, a testament to their widespread appeal. Having been a band since they were fifteen, it certainly seems like the foursome’s found its groove. We recently spoke with Modernlove. about how they started making music, the method behind their madness, and more!
How did you start making music?
We all met in school when we were 13. We bonded over artists like Prince and Michael Jackson and decided to try to jam together. After about a year of doing that in our bedrooms we started gigging and writing together and we haven't stopped since.
What was the last song you listened to?
“Post Humorous” by Gus Dapperton.
What do you like to do when you’re not in the studio?
Most of our time is spent writing and recording music in our rooms. We don’t normally use studios, so it's easier for us to write and record on our laptops. Particularly, when our writing process is merged with our recording process. When we’re not recording or practicing we like to go skateboarding. We’ve been pretty limited since COVID-19 so we haven't really done much besides those things.
Where is your go-to location when it’s time to write?
Whoevers house is free. We drink lots of coffee and try to figure out ideas. We don’t really have a set place where we like to record as long as we’re all together. A lot of initial ideas for songs come to you unexpectedly when you’re out and about so its always a good idea to have your phone on hand to make a quick voice recording.
What was the inspiration behind “If You Wanna See Me.”?
“If You Wanna See Me” was written about admitting to one another that a romantic relationship has run its course but acknowledging it will hurt a lot to see each other out in bars, clubs etc. Lyrically it is very introspective. Musically, the song was written differently to any of our previous songs. We couldn’t physically write together so it was made by sending files back and forth, and subconsciously we feel that this resulted in a much more detached sounding piece. Each member had the opportunity to independently influence the finished piece despite having any lengthy group discussions about the song. We wanted to show our more experimental side with this track by taking influence from electronic artists like Bjork and James Blake.
Who’s your partner in a dream collab?
Jon Hopkins or Imogen Heap. I can’t even imagine what that would sound like but I think we could make it work.
Any future projects for fans to get excited about?
We’ve been steadily recording new tracks that take more experimental routes. And we’ve also been trying to perfect our pop sound. We’ll definitely be releasing more music this year. Hopefully by the end of the year we can get back to gigging again, but with the state of the world at the moment who really knows. We’re definitely going to keep writing and practicing.
