An Interview with Low Wave

A new single release from Low Wave recently dropped and this track has such a great blend of rock approaches that take elements of alternative, psychedelic, indie, and classic rock, blending them all to create something that has a unique kind of atmosphere to it, built on melodic tonality, soulful approach, and inventive-songwriting, this track really just hits in a particular way.

"Poison Pear" opens up with a grungy sort of riff, and it's catchy, makes you think of blues rock just slightly, and then opens right up into an open chord and acoustic, clean guitars. While these are happening, the vocals come in, and the vocals are just empowered. A massive and soulful vocal approach across this track that really wraps itself around you and keeps you right where it wants to.

The singer is an absolute powerhouse, and she knows how to dynamically balance not just the tones, but more the power and energy of her vocals so that she's sort of harnessing this aesthetic that works so well with the flow of this track, it's incredible.

You do end up paying some attention to the lyrics the first time around, but the vocal performance itself, along with those melodies that she's singing, really just takes the cake. For me, I'm someone who pays more attention to notes than lyrics, so I got so taken by the vocal melodies here, even just in the verses, that I needed to listen to the song three or four more times to pick up on all the lyrics.

There's such an elegant approach to the way that she performs and how the band comes together to create that aesthetic and that atmosphere.

The song breaks into its pre-chorus, and the vocals get more intense, the guitarists start rocking out again, the drums hit a little bit harder, and everything starts coming together. The pre-chorus is really amazing and has a seamless way of rolling straight into the robust chorus, where the vocals are more layered and have harmonies. They go off and just do their thing.

It becomes such a lush and full-bodied soundscape that you can't turn away from it. Throughout all this, it still has this sort of classic rock and almost psychedelic undertone to it. They were able to capture this genuine sort of '70s classic rock aesthetics somehow. It's not toned that way instrumentally. The guitar tones aren't old school or anything. The guitar tones are not over the top, but they are pretty heavy.

It's the actual melody, arrangement, composition, and overall songwriting that make this song feel vintage in a sense.

The way it breaks into the acoustic guitars for those verses really has an impact on that aspect.

By the time that second verse comes around, you have some additional guitar work going on over the acoustics, it's electric, but it's just playing these little notes that are sort of sprinkled over the cords of the acoustic. This adds some depth and more layers to the song, bringing in new textures to everything.

You're still hooked on those vocals, but the sort of distant guitar work is really adding something cool to the track.

It breaks into this bridge section with some great lead sort of guitar work that is more melodic than anything else, but lays different melodies with some deeper notes in the mix, and I love that because it just showcases that this band absolutely knows how to draw in each member's influences so that they're creating something unique.

When you listen to the song, you automatically know that there are a slew of influences when it comes to this band in general. The way that they melt those to create their own music is part of what makes it so impactful and unique.

It bursts into that final chorus at the end with a three-part vocal Harmony, or so it seems. It's a beautiful set of harmonies, and I should mention that just the tone of her voice in combination with the tone of the rest of the band really fit like puzzle pieces somehow.

Her voice is almost like an instrument itself more than half the time.

I definitely loved how this thing came together, and the song also has a great energy to it. It almost feels like it was recorded live on the floor to an extent. Everyone feels like they're feeding off of each other's energies throughout this track.

I wasn't there, of course. I'm probably wrong about that, but I know that listening to the song definitely makes you want to see them perform it live in your face.

If the band can capture this kind of aesthetic and energy on record this well, then seeing them live must be massive.

This was a very memorable track that had these amazing blends and mixes of rock genres and tones, textures, and moods that all came together to build a song that is going to stick with you.

Some of the more gorgeous melodies that I've heard in a while are embedded in my brain because of this track.

If you don't believe me, just go listen to the song. That's what you should be doing anyway.

While you're doing that, you should read our interview with the band below. Listening to the song made me absolutely have to ask them a few questions about it so that I can find out more about their actual influences and where the song actually came from.

So, take a deep dive into this one. Put on some headphones to listen to it because it's absolutely the best way to soak it all in, and read this interview.

Remember where you heard it first.

Buzz Slayers: Let's talk about "Poison Pear"! This track hit an alt-rock aesthetic and brought together vast undertones and soulful approaches!! Where did this one come from? 

This one kinda came out of nowhere to be honest, and is a bit of a change in vibe from our music so far but still borne from our core sound. I had been rolling the music around for a few months and just allowing myself to go somewhere different and bring in some other influences, as we were in a period without a vocalist. It quickly wrote itself. As part of her route to joining the band earlier this summer, I sent the music to Leanne inviting her to put her melodic and lyrical spin on it as I hadn't really figured anything out. What came back blew me away - so melodic and soulful, yet powerful - what you hear on the single is pretty much what I heard for the first time! We bounced it back and forward a little, trimmed some fat with our producer and it was composed and recorded in about 3 days. We just felt excited that we had something new that felt good. Luckily we're already having a fantastic response to the song and the band less than three weeks after releasing it. 

Buzz Slayers: I'm hearing a few different styles to this release! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Yes that's very true, it's so important to explore different musical avenues. My biggest influences are rooted in the Seattle scene but flowing through that rich Southern US landscape, bands with grit and melody but super powerful. My love of music and my musical influences are so wide ranging I can't possibly do them all justice in a few lines. Bands like Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Queens of the Stone Age, are the obvious ones, players and songwriters like Jerry Cantrell and Marc Ford. My formative musical years were from the late 80's through the 90's which was a super fertile time for all kinds of music and great bands. That period for me is where my musical heartbeat and influences lie, however I'm still discovering great new bands and musicians all the time. Our local scene is full of them! 

Buzz Slayers: How do songs come to you? Do you record at a home set up?

Like most guitarists I know, my phone is packed with riff ideas and snippets of song sketches. I'm constantly working on material, either in short bursts or when I have more time to commit. I'm lucky to have a home studio so most of my writing and demoing is done in there to get new ideas down and ready to share with the band. Although I do sometimes just drop new riffs on them at rehearsal to get their unfiltered response! Recording-wise we have preferred to go into commercial studios so far, but we're moving towards more of a hybrid approach - "Poison Pear" was a mix of commercial and my home studio. Recording at home also means I can work on material for my upcoming side project, so if something isn't right for Low Wave I can use it for that and vice-versa.   

Buzz Slayers: How did this all start for you as a band?

I was in and out of a few bands for a while and then in early 2020 I just started writing songs during that year, to the point where I had to do something with them. So I reached out to a few local musicians, purposefully looking for people with a range of influences and styles. We started jamming the songs for a while and it quickly grew into Low Wave. After a few months rehearsing and some live shows we got in a studio and recorded our debut EP in lightning quick time and on a shoestring budget...but we got a great reception locally and gained listeners around the world. Since then we've just tried to create some momentum, although we've just come through a period of instability over the past 12 months with changing vocalists which has kind of slowed us down more than we'd like. But now we're fully fired up to get out there again!

Buzz Slayers: Do you guys write songs together, or is one songwriter that brings back to the band?

So far we've built our approach around me as the main songwriter and composer, demoing at home and then bringing them to the band. Once we've worked through some of the details we then just get into our rehearsal space and start working on them together, with everyone building our parts and collectively refining the composition. Then we play live as much as possible to get the energy flowing and grounding for the material through audience response. The bulk of our material has evolved that way, and means that the songs reflect the influences and style of each of us but still maintains the core aesthetic we're aiming for - melody, rhythm and power to move people. Going forwards, our new vocalist Leanne brings something new to us in her vocal and writing style. We will move towards writing more collaboratively I'm sure.  

Buzz Slayers: Are you performing live right now? Any touring in support of the release?

Yeah, we're playing a few select shows close to home in the run up to the end of the year in support of the single around commitments we've got going on in the recording studio. It's a busy period for us in a good way. 

Buzz Slayers: Now that this is out, what's next for you?

We've been in and out of the studio for the past couple of months tracking songs for our first album, and planning for our next couple of single releases. There's still a bit of work to do but once we've gone through the cycle with "Poison Pear" we'll have our next couple of singles out early in 2026 followed hopefully by the album. I've already got the bulk of a future EP demoed in my home studio so the band will be starting work on that soon. Lot's of new Low Wave music coming!

Buzz Slayers: Who's in all your headphones right now?

We've got quite an eclectic range of artists playing across the band, including Olivia Dean, The Teskey Brothers, Wolf Alice, Nothing But Thieves, Crazy Arm and Noble Jacks. Personally I'm spinning a lot of Turnstile, Soundgarden, and Slomosa right now. 

Also some great bands in our local scene which is on fire right now, including Buried In Bermuda, Foreign Voices, Hole Tripper, pMad, Colour Of Bone, Circle Of Crows, Traitors, the list goes on. 

Buzz Slayers: What would you tell people they can expect on this release?

As your leading question suggested, something a bit different from us. It blends our alt-rock / grunge musical heartbeat with a new soulful vibe, and a message encouraging you to find your own path in the midst of whatever you're going through in your own life. Something we can all relate to.

Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music? 

Thank you for listening! And thank you for supporting our band. We hope you'll stay with us as we move into releasing our next singles and album early in 2026 - come to our shows if we're in town. Also, keep supporting new artists and your local music venues to keep the scene alive! We're all music fans after all and you might just discover your new favourite band. 

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