Music Feeds’ Love Letter to a Record series asks artists to reflect on their relationship with the music they love and share stories about how it has influenced their lives. Here, Gold Coast indie-pop outfit Ivey share their love for Palace’s 2016 debut album So Long Forever.
Ivey released the new single ‘Paris’ at the end of an exhaustive streak of touring, including an east coast headline run and appearances at the Jungle Love, Springtime, Homecoming and BIGSOUND festivals. Written by guitarist and co-vocalist Lachlan McGuffie, ‘Paris’ is a love song inspired by McGuffie’s experiences backpacking around Europe.
Ivey’s Lachie McGuffie on Palace’s So Long Forever
Lachlan McGuffie: This is one of those albums where I know every single word to every song. I have such a specific memory of the first time I heard Palace. I was in my girlfriend’s old bedroom at her dad’s house. It might have been late afternoon – some time of day when the lighting was beautiful and it was a little cold outside – and she played the single ‘Live Well.’
It became one of those songs I would show every single one of my friends, and at a specific time where I was listening to a lot of funk and pop music, it completely blew me away. I had it on absolute repeat. And then one day I delved into the album and I cried when listening to it, which doesn’t happen often.
The storytelling, the swelling reverb guitars and Leo’s vocals, which soar, scatter and whisper, grab you into this otherworldly space. It feels nostalgic yet so present and almost mythical. There’s something pure about a band that just plays as a band, no fancy tricks, no hectic production. This album is pure, beautiful, and from what I can tell, made with so much love and passion.
Palace – ‘Live Well’
This whole album attaches itself to my girlfriend, who I’ve been with for over five years. I see her every time I listen to it. I see out of her old bedroom window, I see her face and her curly hair, and I see a golden light of some kind. I know this is also very soppy and overly poetic but it is completely true. It’s not often people are introducing me to new music, but my girlfriend Alana seems to be the person who is always doing so.
Listening to this album made me change the way I was making music dramatically, taking me back to my roots of how music makes you feel. It made me not question my melodic writing and instead dive into the essence of emotion when writing a tune, which is how Ivey’s newer songs came to be.
I get to see the band live in December and I’ve never been so excited for a live show in my life. So, thank you, So Long Forever, for making me cry, making me change, and soundtracking my love. Love you lots.
Ivey – ‘Paris’
- Ivey’s new single ‘Paris’ is out now. The band’s EP, Bright, Famous, Dead, is out on Friday, 11th November.
Further Reading
Love Letter to a Record: Bloods on Gossip’s ‘Standing in the Way of Control’
Arctic Monkeys ‘The Car’ Review – Decadent Leisure and Immobilising Nostalgia
Jade and Tim From jade imagine on Their New Album ‘Cold Memory’
