LYLVC Unleash Post Apocalyptic Metal Anthem “Barely Human” Featuring Indio Falconer Downey

Photo Credit: Jeremy Saffer

Rising genre benders LYLVC are storming into a new era with the release of their blistering post-apocalyptic metal anthem “Barely Human.” The track arrives alongside a striking visual featuring Indio Falconer Downey, son of Robert Downey Jr., and marks a pivotal moment in the band’s journey as they officially announce their signing to Neil Sanderson (Three Days Grace) and Howard Benson’s powerhouse label, Judge & Jury Records. Fierce, cinematic, and unrelentingly raw, “Barely Human” captures the chaos of survival while cementing LYLVC as one of the most fearless new voices in modern metal.

"Barely Human" feels like a cinematic, post-apocalyptic anthem. What was the creative vision behind the track?

I make a lot of computer viruses for my day job, but currently I use my powers for good. I didn't have the best childhood growing up, so I always wondered, what if I turned out differently? What if I became the villain that the abusers of stereotypes wanted me to be? What if there was a world where I created a virus that infected the human genome?

Some humans died, but those who remained were able to integrate with machine code and machine parts more easily. I've always struggled with dissociation and turning my emotional "switch" off whenever I needed to be strong to survive. What if my virus was meant to disable pain, empathy, anger, greed, etc, by turning off all human emotions and embracing a new evolution of "Barely Human" beings?  Some people will fight to keep their emotions and humanity, but every time we lose an arm, we will have to replace it with a robotic arm. If we lose an eye, we will have to replace it with a robotic eye. We are all "Barely Human" in this new post-apocalyptic world, struggling to choose which side we want to be on. 

The music video features Indio Falconer Downey. How did that collaboration come about, and what did he bring to the visual story?

Actually, it was just a fun coincidence. He was writing and recording his new album, and I was in LA with my radio rep at the time. She knew him and his assistant. She asked if I wanted to meet Indio at his studio.  It was a fun experience meeting him and talking about how we write vocal melodies. 

He's just a super genuine human being and his voice has a lot of raw emotion in it- which I love when singers write from their freaking soul like I do..  Shortly after that meeting, my band solidified our plans for a music video shoot with Jenson Noen.  This was going to be the biggest production we've ever done, and I needed over 20 extras to make up my army and Oscar's army.  So I texted Indio to see if he was down to be in my army and shoot some weapons in our video with me.  It was a super fun time, and I'm so glad he joined me.  His cyberpunk hair and makeup looked so sick, haha.

You have just signed with Judge & Jury Records, under the leadership of Neil Sanderson and Howard Benson. How does that partnership shape the future of LYLVC?

I'm so grateful. They're both legendary, so I feel like we're learning from the best now. I'm so excited to write new music to see how Neil can help shape new hits with us. I grew up listening to Three Days Grace and all of their songs. It's a pretty surreal opportunity. Plus, I'm excited for Howard to put me through the vocal ringer so the new music is going to be insaneeeeee :)

Your music is often described as genre-bending. How do you balance metal roots with the other influences that drive your sound?

Yeah... we definitely don't like to write inside a box hahaha. Okay, so the songs always start with Cam —he writes all of our instrumentals —and he's extremely passionate about writing and incorporating new, unique sounds. So, he will do something unusual, like reverse my breathing and turn it into a synth, or he constantly chases the sounds that people haven't heard yet.

Then, lyrically, Oscar and I writing together are always going to stretch the dynamics further, since he has a strong modern rap meets Rage Against the Machine type background, and I have a cleaner vocal, catchy pop/rock/blues background. The one thing that ties us together is emotion-driven writing intention. We all write with personal, emotional stories in mind, with the intention of evoking similar emotions in listeners who can relate to us. It's not about making a song that sounds like everybody else. We want to hit your soul with something familiar but completely new.

What do you hope listeners take away from "Barely Human" both lyrically and emotionally?

We've all had moments in our lives where we've questioned our reality, how "human" we are, and how "human" we want to try to be in this world. I think we should be authentic and embrace our "Barely Human" state instead of constantly needing to wear false masks for everyone. When life gets hard and you are forced into a new reality or identity. What does it mean to survive, and what happens when that survival demands that you become something less human?