Modern Liv Talks Debut EP, Recording Sessions And More

 24-year-old East London artist Modern Liv has released her debut EP’ Boy Band’. We wanted to learn more about the release so we sat down to ask her more: 

When did you begin songwriting?

When I was 14

What is your earliest musical memory?

I remember watching a cover of ‘She Loves You’ by The Beatles on The Muppet show when I was 7. My brother then introduced me to the original version and to The White Album. For months I would come home for lunch every day and listen to the White Album all the way through on his stereo. The Beatles basically took over my life at that point – my best friend and I would pretend we were in the Yellow Submarine and would pretend to be the Beatles all day long.

You have released your debut EP ‘Boy Band’. How did you want to approach the making of the EP?

Three of the songs were written in about a month in the lead up to my biggest gig, opening for Yoa at La Maroquinerie in Paris. The EP took a long time to record as I learned the ropes of that process. As a newcomer to the industry it took a while to find my feet and find the right producer to work with. The last song was Betting on Illusions which I wrote several months after the others. It works well within the other three because the EP as a whole is a reflection on friendship and love, and different facets of learning about those things. Boy Band is a celebration of best friends, but Betting on Illusions is a slightly more bitter take on friendship breakups.

Where did you record the EP and who produced it?

I recorded Together Tonight in Deptford at Meridian Studios with producer Russell Harris. The other three songs, and the next five to come out were produced in Mile End at semicircle studios with Fionn Connolly.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

I had a great time working with both producers, it was a lot of fun. Fionn and I often think outside the box when building the instrumental tracks of my songs, and for Betting on Illusions we wanted a slightly muted but impactful percussive sound. We spent a good while banging on every surface in the studio and eventually used his desk with a keyboard pad on top as a drum.

One of the tracks is the single ‘Together Tonight’. What was the inspiration/story behind the track?

Together Tonight is about getting in your own way. In the lead up to my gig at La Maroquinerie I had a lot of self-doubt, and eventually had to sit down and ask myself if I was going to keep running away from music or if I was going to have my own back. It’s a great song to open with because it helps me get over my nerves and remind myself that I shouldn’t try to protect myself from sharing my music and that it’s an empowering thing.

Who created/designed the EP artwork?

The photo for the artwork was taken by Joe Sefton, and I did the editing and design. The idea behind it was to use a Nintendo DS which is part of the ‘Boy Band’ aesthetic, since that song is about childhood and nostalgia. It gives the impression that if you caught me in the greenroom before a gig I might be relaxing by playing Zelda, all glammed up with my sparkly red guitar ready to go. I love it because it’s an impactful photo but it also shows I don’t take myself too seriously.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

We mostly used a Telecaster to get that vintage rock sound on the guitar, and a lot of synths and effects that you might find in French electronic music of the 2000s. The goal was to create a fusion of the sounds that inspired me when I was a teenager.

Which of your EP tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

a) My happiest one if definitely Boy Band, it’s about my best friend and I, and the challenges we faced as teenagers until coming into our own as adults. It’s a triumphant song about fierce platonic love and how far it can carry you in life.

b) My angriest song is Betting on Illusions, it’s very sassy and intense. It’s still a fun song, I describe it as an angry bop. It’s the counterpoint to Boy Band as it’s about friendship breakups.

c) The most reflective song is Shake the Feeling, it’s about a romantic partner being there to support you unconditionally even when you don’t love yourself and can’t see why anyone else would. Ultimately it’s a hopeful song about knowing when to ask for help, but it stems from the hopelessness of struggling with bad mental health.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

I hope to have connected with the audience and made them feel joyful, but I also strive to deliver a really good performance in terms of vocals and movement.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

If I’m performing with my band I actually like to let them play so I can focus on singing and dancing, which is why I have two guitarists and don’t usually play myself. But on my own I really like playing stripped back versions of my songs on an acoustic guitar.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

My hometown is Paris, I would describe it as inspiring, curated, life-affirming, complex and iconic

How do you look after your voice?

I’m very passionate about taking good care of my voice and I’m really nerdy about vocal technique. I love to do all the classic things like steaming, SOVT (semi occluded vocal tract) exercises for warm ups, a lot of breathing exercises, but also cardio and core strength training. Singing is a full body exercise that takes into account all the muscles of your core, so it’s about protecting the vocal chords by supporting the voice through other muscles like your abs and diaphragm. This is also the preachy bit but I don’t smoke at all and I don’t drink alcohol for a long time before a performance.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

I recently read August Blue by Deborah Levy which is about a classical pianist. It would be really cool to write a score that references the music in the book while adding some contemporary electronic elements.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

My biggest influences for Boy Band were the Strokes, Phoenix, and the Rolling Stones, but I’m also really inspired by Joni Mitchell’s commitment to poetry in her lyrics. I tend to have slightly old school taste, but I do love a lot of contemporary artists who are able to blend genres, like Joesef, Remi Wolf or Maggie Rogers. I think it’s important to stay true to my influences, but I also want to be part of a contemporary landscape by including more pop elements or electronic tools. I’d definitely recommend listening to Yoa, she’s a really popular French singer who blends amazing story-telling with really catchy tunes, and at the moment I’m also loving Alemeda’s new EP which is really good indie rock inspo.

Do you have any UK/European live dates planned for 2024/2025?

My next gig is on November 23d at the Old Blue Last, but I’ll have some exciting headline gigs to announce in 2025!

Was it a difficult EP to write?

Each song in Boy Band poured out of me and then was refined over a few weeks, it was a very liberating EP to write in that it was my first time expressing myself and turning my thoughts into a rounded piece of work.

Do you have any future music releases planned for 2025?

Lots to come! I have releases planned for the first few months of 2025, stay tuned! And I also have a special release coming up at the end of November.

What makes Modern Liv happy and what makes you unhappy?

Being in the studio looking for cool synth sounds makes me really happy, and being in really loud environments makes me unhappy (unlucky for a singer who’s constantly at loud pubs and concert venues to be sensitive to loud noises, but I carry fancy earplugs so I can survive)