Back in 2014, Paul Klein flew from Los Angeles to Nashville to link up with his friends, Jake Goss and Les Priest, after leaving behind his dream of becoming a solo artist. Little did he know that making that change would alter the course of his musical career for the better. At the time, Goss and Priest were working on a separate project called WRLDS, but they decided to form a band with Klein instead. This is how LANY (pronounced “Lay-nee”) was born.
Initially, the trio remained anonymous on SoundCloud to see how people would react to their first two songs, “Hot Lights” and “Walk Away,” put together in under four days. Not long after, record labels started reaching out. Inspired by their aspiration to share their music across the country, the group eventually named themselves LANY, a tribute to LA and New York.
Having released their debut EP Acronyms and second EP I Loved You the same year they formed as a group, Klein, Goss and Priest went on to go on tour with Troye Sivan, Ellie Goulding, Halsey and X Ambassadors. In 2015, LANY officially signed with Polydor Records and dropped Make Out, their third EP featuring fan-favorite track “ILYSB” (“I Love You So Bad”). The following year, LANY announced their first-ever world tour, after releasing “WHERE THE HELL ARE MY FRIENDS” as part of their fourth EP kinda.
Known for their ability to effortlessly merge dreamy pop and R&B with atmospheric synths, LANY has been a one-of-a-kind addition to the industry and has collaborated with other artists like Julia Michaels and Lauv. Their collaborative single “Mean It” with Lauv made it to the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the band’s first mainstream hit.
Following the release of malibu nights, one of Klein’s most vulnerable pieces of work to date, the group’s third full-length album, mama’s boy, is finally here. Earlier this year, Klein took to LANY’s Instagram to make the announcement and explained: “This is us knowing exactly who we are and embracing ourselves fully for the first time as a band, and we’ve done our absolute best to make album three as perfect as possible… like a freshly mowed yard.”
We got a chance to chat with Klein, LANY’s lead vocalist, on the making of mama’s boy amid COVID-19, how the boys keep each other grounded and what they have in store for 2021. Read our interview below and listen to all 14 tracks via Spotify or Apple Music.
Congratulations on the release of your third album! How long did it take to put mama’s boy together and what was it like working on a full-length record amid COVID-19?
Thanks so much! Fortunately, the album was completely written and about 80 percent of the way produced before we went into full lockdown. As you can imagine, it took infinitely longer to finish via email and Zoom, but we were finally able to push it across the finish line.
The music industry has seen a number of self-directed videos and self-produced album releases over the past few months. How do you think the dynamic of the industry has changed because of the pandemic?
During the first week or two of quarantine, everyone and their mom was going live on Instagram. That was cute for a while but have you noticed how no one is doing that anymore? I think if anything, it proved that there is absolutely no substitute for a live performance and that despite us living in the most digital age ever, the appetite for a real, in-person experience has never been stronger.
You wrote every song on the piano first for malibu nights. What was the initial writing process like for mama’s boy?
Very similar. Except, this time, more guitar than piano. I think we found a beautiful rhythm on malibu nights that we carried into the making of mama’s boy.
We noticed the acoustic guitar being played in “good guys” — that’s a first for LANY. What inspired you to embrace this change?
Jake has been a huge advocate for incorporating acoustic guitars for years. It finally made sense for mama’s boy.
Paul, you were fresh off a breakup when you wrote malibu nights. Who or what were your muses this time around for mama’s boy?
I was incredibly vulnerable and transparent on malibu nights and that wound up paying off big time for us. So the challenge for me was to be equally vulnerable about subject matters outside of heartbreak. This involved a ton of self-reflection. I’m not saying I’m my own muse but I certainly made myself acutely aware of all my life experiences, so I could accurately articulate “XYZ” of human existence.
What are your personal favorite tracks from your third project?
It’s so hard to say. “cowboy in la” and “i still talk to jesus” have been some of my favorites since the very beginning. The way “when you’re drunk” and “anything 4 u” took shape in the production process has catapulted them into my top picks as well.
Back in May, you revealed that the theme of album three focuses on reconnecting with your roots. After having the opportunity to tour around the world and collaborate with other artists like Julia Michaels and Lauv, how do you all manage to stay grounded and remind yourselves where you come from?
Each of us does a good job of keeping each other grounded, but also, we have worked just way too hard and sacrificed way too much to be sh*t heads. We have so much more we want to do and accomplish to have even the slightest scent of arrogance to us.
What has been your most memorable experience on stage as a band so far?
I’ll name a few: three sold-out nights at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Manila was monumental, playing to 8,000 people outside next to the Great Salt Lake in Utah during sunset was insane and seven arena shows supporting John Mayer was life-changing.
Knowing what you know now, what is something you would tell the 2014 version of yourselves?
I say this with all the humility in the world, but I don’t think we have made any major missteps. We have such an incredible team that has informed all of our decisions to date, so I would say: “Do exactly what you did.”
Who do you hope to collaborate with in the future?
I’m not sure if we have anyone we’re absolutely dying to work with, but I’d love to write a song with Ed Sheeran.
What are your plans for the rest of 2020 and are you working on anything new for next year?
We are currently working on filming a live performance of mama’s boy top to bottom at an epic location. That would be a really cool, compelling piece of content to make available to the fans after the album comes out. Since our tour won’t be happening for a while, writing album four is next on the agenda.
