Even though they’ve supported international heavyweights like Green Day and Kaiser Chiefs, wooed fans at the Parachute Music Festival and had a strong showing with singles Cinema Smile and Make Light, Young Lyre‘s internet footprint remains relatively small. That’s bound to change soon as the Auckland five-piece’s charming new EP ‘Nightswimming’ is sure to get people talking.
“We did the whole thing in about three days,” laughs frontman Jordan Curtis, the important point being that you’d never know it to listen. ‘Nightswimming’ is a very polished collection of dance-floor-ready pop rock.
Kicking off with dulcet synth tones and noodling guitar lines, the opening track Little Love is a treat – the songwriting is succinct, memorable and Curtis’ off-beat vocal delivery makes the melodic hooks all the more effective. By the time you get to the EP’s closing track and lead single, Make Light, you’re likely to find yourself humming along and itching to play your favourite tracks all over again.
Young Lyre is the latest incarnation of what was previously titled The Frisk, and before that The Sons of Darragh – so why all the name changes?
“This seems to come up quite a bit,” says Curtis ruefully. “I suppose we have had more [names] than average… I guess we just changed as it felt right, we kind of outgrew the first couple of names.”
It’s not just the name that’s changed; the groups sound has matured and expanded since their beginnings as a high school band playing Rockquest.
“We were a lot darker”, says guitarist and keyboardist Kiran Rai. “We were sort of alternative rock back in those days, but just as our influences changed, we did.”
Indeed a tasteful display of styles and influences can be heard on ‘Nightswimming’, from touches of Bombay Bicycle Club to hints of The Killers. By never drawing too heavily from any one area Young Lyre manage to arrive at a place which has satisfying depth yet still brims with youthful exuberance.
“We want to use this EP as a foundation upon which we can build the next EP or album and that’s kind of what we’re focused on,” says Curtis. “We’ve got a few things [shows] lined up in the New Year, but any proper touring we do will probably be on the back of the next release.”
