Watch out LANY and Lauv, there’s a new resident “sad boy” in the game. Meet LVRBOY, a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic who has a knack for penning gut-wrenching lyrics that will have you feeling a moody sort of mood. The indie-pop artist made a dynamic entrance onto the scene with his debut single, “now that i’m leaving,” which released in September 2019 and has steadily been releasing breakup anthems ever since.
LVRBOY fully embraces sad boy culture in both his music and aesthetic, even his name indicates the type of music you can expect. Dynamic backbeats, elements of electro-pop, catchy hooks, and heartbreaking lyrics characterize LVRBOY’s music and he’ll have you in your feels before you’re even at the chorus. Fans of Lauv, joan, LANY, Jeremy Zucker, gnash, and other resident sad boys, this is definitely the new artist for you.
Having just released his debut EP, “ghost in my room,” LVRBOY is paving the way to be the next bright star in pop music. We recently chatted about the story behind the name and sound of LVRBOY, check out our conversation below.
YMM: Tell us the story behind “LVRBOY,” what was the inspiration for the name and the sound?
LB: LVRBOY was conceptualized in December of 2018 after writing “change my mind” the first day I met my now best friend, STRUAN. Writing it set the precedent for every song I would write afterward. It was different than anything I had ever written and - with my previous project going through so many different stages - I wanted a project that allowed me to be myself more than I ever had before.
If I’m being honest, I thought of the name, LVRBOY, pretty instantaneously. I wanted something that both encompasses who I am but also allows audiences to have an idea of what I’m about before taking a listen. I’m a hopeless romantic looking to help listeners navigate through love while simultaneously attempting to understand it myself.
YMM: You put out your first single, “now that i’m leaving” in September 2019, how have you grown as a musician since then, and what have you learned?
LB: Although “now that i’m leaving” wasn’t the first LVRBOY song I wrote, I definitely feel I have a better grasp on my project as a whole. It was the perfect intro song, but I think I just feel a lot more comfortable now about what I want to say, how I want to sound, and taking chances. There was a lot of preparation that went into the launch of LVRBOY, but the amount I’ve evolved since then has pleasantly surprised me. In addition, I’ve learned a lot about production. I spent three days self-producing a demo called “ny nm (demo)” and released it the next day. It wasn’t perfect, but it was beautifully imperfect. The actual version will come out later this year.
YMM: You released a collaboration with STRUAN at the end of March, what was it like working with him on that track? How did the two of you meet?
LB: I met STRUAN through Noreen Prunier (Altadena/Wide Eyed Ent) right after I moved back to Nashville from New York City. We wrote “change my mind” the first day we met, then over the course of the next few months became each others’ number one collaborators and best friends. A collab was inevitable. We wrote so many possible collab songs before landing on “make it,” but we knew we had it after we wrote it. Production-wise, we wanted to mix both of our music styles, so we co-produced it with my producer, Garrett Miller, then put it out alongside a music video we shot with our friend, Jacqueline Day. It was honestly the most fun time in music I’ve had to date.
YMM: You’ve just released your debut EP “ghost in my room”, how would you describe the record as a whole?
LB: A lot went into this record. We wrote and recorded a lot of songs, most of which pertain to a relationship I had with a girl in New York, and chose the ones I felt served the best as an “introduction to LVRBOY,” if you will. The mini-album (6 songs that are part of a larger body of work to be expected later this year) contains both upbeat songs and ballads, all jam-packed with lyrics from my personal experiences and melodic pop hooks. You’re gonna feel some shit.
YMM: Where did you draw inspiration for the EP?
LB: Most of the songs from the record are about one specific relationship of mine. My lyrics, in an attempt to transport the listener to specific time and place, contain a lot of personalized imagery and, even if you don’t know me, you can tell which songs were influenced by that past relationship. However, in the interest of time and not getting in trouble with any girls, we’ll just say that I wrote the entire record because I’ve been in love before, it didn’t work out and it made me sad. Then I wrote a bunch of songs about it.
YMM: Who should listen to your EP?
LB: Anyone who likes chill-pop break-up songs and/or wants help navigating through their confusing love lives from someone who doesn’t understand love himself.
YMM: Your music is characterized by some pretty emotional lyrics. What’s your writing process?
LB: This is honestly always my favorite question to answer because it constantly changes. Usually, for me, it’s melody first. I sit down, either with a guitar or on the piano, and start mumbling a melody, and, more times than not, I’ll mumble words that coincide with how the music makes me feel. Then I’ll write the lyrics, However, recently (and it’s been super cool), I’ll just be doing something around the house and have the desire to sit down at the piano and I’ll just blurt out a chorus, lyrics and all. That happened with “ny nm,” a song I wrote with STRUAN, self-produced in 3 days, and put it out as a demo. I honestly think I was watching TV when I had the urge to sit down at the piano. I just began singing, “I don’t wanna be in New York no more, I guess you don’t wanna be in love no more.” Then I called STRUAN and we wrote it in 20 minutes over Facetime (this was before we decided to quarantine together).
YMM: If you could choose three people to work with on a track, who would they be and why?
LB: First would be Lauv - as if that is any surprise at all. Not only does he influence my musical style, but he also inspires me to be creative. There are so many great artists out there that are all following a “pop music mold.” The thing I love most about Lauv is he just does what feels right and, no matter what he ends up doing, it still sounds like him. He’s definitely inspired me to take more risks.
Number two would have to be Julia Michaels (I know I know, contradicting statements because they dated and all) because, in all honesty, she is the reason I approach writing lyrics the way I do. When she put out “Nervous System,” the thing that attracted me the most to it was the personal lyrics. She was just saying what she wanted to say, and that was it; I loved it. A collab between her and I would definitely be one sad-ass track.
Third would be Kacey Musgraves because one, I want to do a duet with a female country artist and two, that, my friends, is an ARTIST. And she has been for as long as I can remember. That’s someone that has always been true to herself, and I admire that. Those are the types of people I want to work with.
YMM: Who are your biggest influences in the industry? Is there a particular artist that inspired you to pursue music?
LB: I’m influenced by a lot of different people in the industry for a lot of different reasons. Ryan Tedder is a hit-making genius, Taylor Swift is a marketing mogul, and The 1975 reminds me to stay creative and fight boxing myself in. However, my cousin Michael is the reason I play music. Sure, I began singing at the age of 11 by myself, but it wasn’t until I saw my cousin’s band play when I was 14 years old that made me want to pick up the guitar and begin writing my own songs. I thought it was so cool that they were playing their own songs, and I wanted to do that. From ages 16 to 21, I was in a band with my cousin and the rest is history.
YMM: Let’s talk guilty pleasures. Which artists/bands do you listen to that give you a bit of shuffle shame?
LB: To be honest, I don’t think I really have any guilty pleasures. I genuinely think I own whatever I listen to. If anything, I probably listen to certain songs too many times. Whether it be “Malibu Nights” by LANY, “Tell My Mama” by Lauv, or my own demos, I tend to fall into stints of listening to the same thing over and over again.
YMM: If you could give your past self some advice prior to launching your music career, what would it be?
LB: Be yourself. Don’t follow trends or attempt to chase a sound. I wasted a lot of time trying to do that.
YMM: Now that you’ve released your EP, what’s next for you? Do you have anything in the pipeline you can tell us about?
LB: “ghost in my room” is part of a larger work that will become my debut full-length. We have already begun recording the second half and you can expect the rollout to begin this summer! The record will have an additional 6 songs on it.
If you’ve had your heartbroken, are trying to navigate the complexities of love and relationships, or are just in the mood to listen to some great music, LVRBOY is for you. His debut EP “ghost in my room” is out today, be sure to check it out on the streaming service of your choice. You can also follow him on Instagram for the latest updates.