The Huge Balloon

Formed in 2019, Lawne is the result of a meeting of minds between old friends and self confessed music nerds Joe Nicklin and Joe Martin. Their sound draws upon myriad influences with dub, electronics, hip hop, psych, jazz, post-punk and Afrobeat all somehow ingrained within the mix.

The Huge Balloon is the final single to be taken from the pair's debut LP and is perhaps the truest representation of what the duo are about so far, as Joe Nicklin explains:

"I love this song because it draws really evenly from all of our influences. Blown out, psyche drums, Fela inspired keyboard runs, Mark Speer style guitars and bright, dancey synths to bring it back to where it all started for us. Just like there was with Mamasong, there are a few versions of The Huge Balloon knocking around, but this time instead of rearrangements or starting from scratch, we looked much more to the instrumentation to solve any problems. For example, if the song was veering too far in one direction, we'd add instruments or treatment that drew from the opposite end of our pool of influences. In doing this, I feel like we've made something that is one of the closest representations of what Lawne is to date."

Joe Martin explains why this song in particular, is so important to him:

"As with many of the tracks on the record, The Huge Balloon developed from a drum loop Joe sent me in lockdown. The chorus was the first part I wrote and is the only section that remains from the first few versions; I then centered the rest of the tune around that. We have a few tracks that run through without any reception or feature drastic shifts in feel or tempo but The Huge Balloon is a lot more direct and straightforward. It has a unique place on the record, I like how it keeps things moving without having to veer too far off piste."

Comparing Lawne's sound to that of Mildlife, Nu Genea, Harvey Sutherland and Khruangbin wouldn't be far off the mark, but such contemporaries form only part of the duo's sonic soundscape as Fela Kuti, The Beach Boys and Herbie Hancock also weigh heavy on their repertoire, as Joe Nicklin explains:

"I had been working mainly as a live session drummer for a few years and missed being able to get my teeth into a project of my own, collaborating and building something that reflects my influences from the ground up. I knew Joe (Martin) a bit from home in North Oxfordshire but we reconnected after both moving to London and decided to start sending ideas back and forth shortly after. Originally we set out to make dance music with live instrumentation, but a shared love of psychedelic, jazz-funk and hip hop eventually saw our music also reflect these styles."

Joe Martin goes on, "I'd been engaged on a solo electronic project for a few years but soon began to miss working collaboratively and writing music with instruments rather than creating solely on a laptop. I knew Joe from home and when he asked if I wanted to get together to make some music, it seemed like the perfect time. We've spent the last couple of years exploring different sounds and trying our best to work outside of our comfort zone; listening to a wider range of material as well as incorporating that into our own music."

Is it Balearic? Quite possibly.

Lawne's debut album, Attic, will be released on 22nd November 2024 on Wah Wah 45s.