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If there is one thing that half of the dynamic duo that comprises Lowertown — Avshalom (Avsha) Weinberg — wants you to take from this interview, it's to “take a listen to the album. You will like it. And that is good for you.” What album is he referring to? That is, of course, Lowertown's latest LP, “The Gaping Mouth.”
The album, released in October of 2022, is an evolution from their previous works in a key way. While continuing to create a “sense of relatability” that the band — and, in particular, the duo’s other half Olivia (Liv) Osby — has always tried to maintain, they are proud of this album for the variety of emotions that it has captured. Weinberg characterizes this record as a “little more angry” than their previous works, allowing it to be more reflective of how the world feels around them. It is representative of the acceptance that emotions like sadness or anger exist as a response to difficult life circumstances. However, their record isn’t completely hopeless as it captures a full range of emotions, recognizing that “equally amazing things can happen,” serving as inspiration for feelings of happiness.
Both members of the band express the fact that their main hope for their listeners is that they have “not only a distraction but something to look forward to because they feel understood.” Representation of emotions that makes audiences feel excluded is unfortunately too frequent. Lowertown wants to make sure that none of their listeners feel as if they are outcasts, but instead know that this is a community where they are not alone in their experiences.
Lowertown has a hard time being categorized into just one genre. The public has referred to them as bedroom pop while their PR has defined them as lo-fi darlings. However, when asked how the band would categorize themselves, the band would ideally be “genreless and nameless,” according to Lowertown. They don’t hate the title of lo-fi — although they recognize the fact that their music making process isn’t low fidelity — defining themselves as both “eclectic and lo-fi.” When asked what their inspirations were, band member Osby said that “whatever Radiohead is categorized as, that’s what I wanna be.”
While they have been evolving thematically and stylistically, the band has also begun evolving the visuals of their persona. Noting the importance of building “a world for the viewer to be immersed in,” the band understands that as many modes of media as possible must be utilized to keep audiences engaged. They understand that art can be stylized to such an extent that it builds a whole world that viewers can be obsessed with. In light of this, they have attempted to capture the emotions of “loneliness, anger, and confusion.” This has come to light not only through their very stylized and gothic album covers, but also their music videos. Weinberg highlights their “Bucktooth” video as a shift, “embracing more real life visuals and real life emotions” in order to convey the tone that they seek to offer their viewers.
Want to explore their music but don’t know where to start? The duo believes that their song “Waltz” is a perfect jumping off point. According to Osby, Waltz is “different from anything [the band] has ever made before” and it came out just as they hoped it would. Similarly, Weinberg describes the tone of the song as “sickly and a little emotional” largely due to Osby’s vocal performance on the track. A focal point for the song that each member was sure to note was the fact that they spent a ton of time trying to refine it to convey the exact emotions and feelings that they intended.
As for the band’s future, their main hope is to do a headline tour of the United States in 2023. At the same time, the band has already begun thinking about themes and general points to hit with their new album, all of which will be captured once the band gets “to that phase of [their] lives.” These two talented artists don’t limit themselves just to their group work though, as they are also each working on solo projects that audiences can expect to release within the next year.
Right now though, the band is wrapping up their U.S. tour as the opener for indie artist Beabadoobee. Weinberg, who was actually born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is particularly excited for the final stop of the tour, at Roadrunner in Boston. With the ambition this band clearly has, it is almost certain that they will be making waves across the country with listeners who not only resonate with where the band is at currently, but crave their evolving style and tones.
