With so much new music floating around the interwebs, sometimes it’s hard to dig a little deeper and find out more about a promising artist.
That’s why The Profile is breaking it down for you. The Pitch takes care of the nitty gritty factual bits, The Plot serves as a Q & A with the artist, and The Plug is where you can go for more.
The Pitch
Lanks is the enigmatic solo electronic project of Melbourne musician Will Cuming.
While continuing to front his seven-piece band Farrow, Lanks is a mature new side project that has allowed Cuming to play freely with traditional folk storytelling in the modern framework of electronic music; taking parts from Radiohead’s intricate grooves, Bon Iver’s vocal layering, and Jamie XX’s famed dead space.
The debut Lanks EP – out in 2014 – is a collection of songs that rises and falls in pictures and words, a project that combines cinematic soundscapes with electronic beats and evocative vocal narratives.
Although Lanks is a solo venture, with the 24-year-old writing, performing and recording the EP using synthesisers, guitars, samples, and flutes over an intensive three month period, the live sets expand to include three other band members.
The Plot
Hometown:
“I come from the south-east suburbs of Melbourne, which isn’t exactly the hub of music and arts in this city. Still, somehow I gravitated towards music from a young age, and believe it or not, remain (just) south of the Yarra.”
Influences:
“This record is easily the weirdest, most diverse thing I’ve ever done. All the original sketches of tunes were written and posted on a blog I share with my housemate, an illustrator/designer, where we did a sketch every day for a month (visual for him, musical for me), and I think both that process and feeding ideas off each other’s work really inspired me.
I also spent a lot of time watching anime and Tarantino films around that time, which is where the story-telling element really came from.
The whole EP also has little references for my friends and from that perspective, it is very much an EP written for all of them, to say ‘thank you’ for putting up with me making noise and writing music incessantly.”
Favourite local act:
“Well that’s a tough one, there are so many that I feel bad for not mentioning. Favourite is probably Canary (see below), the first half of this song still gives me chills, and the full album is incredible. They would be closely followed by Eagle and the Worm and Saskwatch, who are two of the best live acts in the country, without a doubt.”
Favourite local venue:
“I’ve played a lot of shows with my band, Farrow, and with various other projects. I’ve always enjoyed playing the Worker’s Club, and had a lot of fun doing residencies at The Evelyn in the past. None of these are actually local but they are the ones I visit most regularly.”
Dream collaboration/s:
“Thom Yorke, Tyler the Creator, Justin Vernon, and Hermitude would be fun, maybe all at the same time? No, not at the same time. I’d also love to do some kind of visual/musical collab with Cyriak, the man behind the Bonobo video for Cirrus, and various other incredible videos.”
Best gig you’ve ever been to:
“Probably one of the Saskwatch shows at Cherry Bar. Insane. That, or Radiohead.”
Venue Or Festival you’d love to play:
“Golden Plains or Meredith. Such wonderful festivals, and I love that there is only one stage. Playing there would be the best.”
The Plug
“I have just released my debut single, ‘Rises and Falls’, which will be on my EP, set to be released in May. The single launch is at Boney on March 20th, with Tanya Batt and Eagle and the Worm (as a duo).”
Lanks 2014 Tour Dates
Supporting The Aston Shuffle @ Northcote Social Club
Wed Feb 19th. Tix here: http://bit.ly/LT5V6D
Rises and Falls Single Launch
Thurs 20th March 20th, 8:30pm, $10 on the door
supported by: Tanya Batt, Eagle and the Worm (duo)
Full details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1419531648285852/
More info at www.lanksmusic.com/
