Emo punks Layover have unveiled the second single taken from their forthcoming Your Laughter Never Leaves EP. Hunger Pains here follows lead single Slumber with vocalist Luke Rainsford saying: ‘Hunger Pains was the first song we wrote for the EP. Originally it started as a song called Commonplace, but was reworked for the EP and this is why it’s the most Pop-Punk sounding track on the record. However, it bridges the two different sounds, from our previous music and our new mature sound, opening the EP and demonstrating the variation of sounds across the record.’ The Birmingham quartet’s EP Your Laughter Never Leaves is released via Fox Records on 4th May 2018 and is their first release since their hiatus in 2016.
Completed by Dominic Cattell on Guitar, Elliot Wallett on Bass and Brad Fisher on Drums, this 2018 version of Layover can be considered a clean slate. Founded in 2014 and previously releasing ‘very DIY’ material that is misaligned with their renewed energy and considered aesthetic, Rainsford explains: ‘The sound of our old music does not represent us, and we have matured as musicians and people since then. We come with a new direction to start in a genre we are more passionate about.’ It is, therefore, a happy coincide that their Bukowski derived name is still suited: ‘Layover by definition is a rest or a wait before a further stage in a journey. We felt this was relevant to the stage we were all at in our lives,’ Rainsford recalls.
Avoiding mistakes of their past, the quartet made their way to a studio for the first time, opting to work with Ian Sadler at Emeline Studios, recollecting: ‘We feel we clicked really well with him, and had one of the best weeks of our lives. He instantly got on board with the sound and helped us organize and perfect our parts. We are all incredibly proud of how it sounds.’ Wrapped up with mastering by Grant Berry at Fader, Your Laughter Never Leaves is a gritty, witty and pretty 5 tracks of emo with a pop-punk heart. With the band citing influences such as Tiny Moving Parts, Tigers Jaw and The Wonder Years, they address topics of mental health and loss, sensitively and sincerely. In their own words: ‘We are bringing a sound that is predominantly based within the American market. Our honesty and intense live shows bring a refreshing atmosphere that we feel sets us apart, but ultimately we are just 4 close friends trying to share our music.’
Layover Live: 14th April – The Asylum, Birmingham (w/ Tiny Moving Parts) | 2nd May – The Flapper, Birmingham (w/ Woes)