The Belfast-based 4-piece Rock band Cloakroom Q. releases their heavy-hitting single "Leave Me At Lusk" off their recent album "Yes, Again."
The blazing quartet strikes their audience with a mix of organic and electronic production, fusing their sound with dynamic tension, loops, and hard-hitting instrumentals. Taking cues from acts like Slint and Talking Heads, listeners can get down with Cloakroom Q.'s fresh stylings while recognizing petite elements of the past.
Through their recent hit, "Leave Me At Lusk," Cloakroom Q. offers listeners slices of grunge with their heavy instrumentals. King Doss' infectious vocals deliver a rather similar spunk as the late Gord Downie, while Nancy Watt's riveting bass licks add immense depth to the track's low-end. Not to mention Jared Iscariot's rhythmic guitar and River Ares' timely drum patterns, the song leaves us wanting more from the fiery 4-piece.
"Leave Me At Lusk" begins with incredibly rhythmic instrumentals through a prominent and plucky bassline, quick percussion patterns, layered electric guitar, and King Doss' enthralling vocals. As Cloakroom Q.'s engaging instrumentals continue, Doss powers through with a certain attitude and character that anyone can relate with.
While singing of falling apart and not know which path to take next, the catchy chorus drops and keeps our feet tapping with each dynamic transition. A scorching hot bassline takes place throughout the bridge, anticipating Cloakroom Q.'s heated outro that delivers all the energy we need to get up and at 'em.
Coming through with power, wit, and primal passion on their recent hit, "Leave Me At Lusk," Cloakroom Q. is quickly absorbing their audience into each alluring and engaging piece they create.
What pushed your band to create such a thrilling and relatable song regarding life's trials and tribulations with "Leave Me At Lusk?" What was your songwriting process like when creating your lyrics?
The lyrics were born out of a difficult period of mental-health struggles when you're so engulfed by your own thoughts, habits, and addictions that your paranoia is at an all-time high. Anyone who's experienced clinical anxiety or depression will know that there are days where you can't even bear to go outside or look a stranger in the eye, and perhaps that's why some of the lyrics are so relatable. This is the scary situation the song is depicting when you've run out of excuses and you must face the terrifying reality that you are your own worst enemy.
How did your creative process go about when formulating the heavy-hitting instrumentals for "Leave Me At Lusk?" How does Cloakroom Q. compose the dynamic tension you're known for?
The instrumental came about one night at the practice where Dan was leaving in a rush, and we wanted to tape this idea of his as quickly as possible, so from the get-go, there's been a real sense of urgency at the heart of the song (heightened by the fact that Danny's drum hits are like a cannon). Of course, the dynamic tension has been with us since the very start. Initially, we took a more textural and avant-garde approach to our songwriting, which we still hold on to, however since then we've grown to more openly embrace the pop song-structure, and "Leave Me At Lusk" is a crystalline example of this unabashed surrender to a catchy hook.
Speaking on your recent album, "Yes, Again," is there a particular theme within the project? How does "Leave Me At Lusk" compliment the project?
"Yes, Again" is a loose concept-album depicting the decline into, struggle with, and recovery from a breakdown, either mental or emotional. We wanted each listens to feel like a journey: beginning with the more manic, anxious tracks; followed by the most overtly psychedelic, meditative stuff; and rounded out by the lighter, optimistic, and poppy material--so it feels like you're emerging from a dark cave into direct sunlight. So with "Leave Me At Lusk" as the opener, you're getting dropped right into the middle of an emotional mess, but by the time you reach "The Door", you've run the gauntlet against your inner-demons and emerged a stronger, healed person.
You've mentioned that over time, your sound and lyric writing has developed thematically. How has your band managed to grow and expand, which experiences helped your band do so?
Obviously, playing gigs as much as possible was paramount to help us grow tighter as performers. But the first true watershed moment for us was our trip out to the countryside in Donegal, Ireland. Just the five of us in a house in the middle of nowhere, constantly playing music and not having to worry about the volume. It was incredibly exciting and inspiring, and while most of what we did was endless, unfocused jamming, it did help us spread our wings as a group, and several songs on the album emerged in embryonic forms: Zhia, Here Everything is Still Floating and Lyserg. Our second trip a year later (and with a new line-up) was where the songs really started to take shape. Whereas the first trip was about testing our limits in noisy extremes, the second was when we properly knuckled down and honed our songwriting chops as a group. It was such a fulfilling experience, and probably the two instances that helped us grow more than any other.
What has been keeping the band inspired and creative throughout this difficult year?
In the first few months of lockdown, each of us worked on a number of side-projects at home, and that was a very positive way to deal with being apart and stuck in the same place indefinitely. But in the last few months, we've all been living together, and in the absence of opportunities to gig, we've spent a lot of time writing new songs and beginning to plan out future projects. We're heartbroken for the people whose livelihood is working at live events, and for their sake, we can't wait for things to get back to normal. We're still working on more promotion for "Yes, Again", as well as organizing a physical release, but we've got an abundance of brand new material in the works, so there is most certainly still plenty of gas in the tank!