daytona lights. lillian.

when i was advised to check out daytona lights, i admit i was a little hesitant to do so. now that i found out a little more about them and their music, i really don´t know why i had doubts in the first place. i can certainly see what the fuss is all about and why their fan base is growing every day.

daytona lights just released their new ep 'lillian' earlier this month on hubris records. the five-piece from london also released two more singles prior to the ep, which were 'white horses' and 'at least i know i tried'. they appeared on the british soap hollyoaks and recorded a session for the award winning songs from the shed. daytona lights are louis souyave (lead guitar/vocals), laurence saywood (bass/vocals), matt gill (guitar/trombone/vocals), dan lawrence (lead vocals/acoustic guitar) and sam fordham (drums/vocals). they are not a typical “boy band” for many reasons. their sound is basically pop with an indie edge. one thing that makes them stand out though is dan’s voice. compared to other boy bands in this genre, his voice is much more than average and probably one of the main reasons why daytona lights are so different – good different. 

 daytona lights (left to right): laurence, matt, dan, sam and louis

up first is 'lillian', the title track of the ep. i’ll never understand the fascination with women’s names for song titles. first it was lucy early this year, then joanna a few months ago and now there´s lillian. but despite the confusion those names always cause, 'lillian' can easily be described as a perfect pop song. a catchy beat and lyrics that invite you to sing along – that´s basically everything you need, and that´s exactly what you find here. 

number two on the ep is 'too far'. i didn’t think it’d be possible but the beat here might even be catchier than in 'lillian'. other than that, 'too far' is a little darker than the title track but don’t take that too literal. the song’s a little mysterious but still a decent pop song, based on some great guitar riffs. one thing that both, 'lillian' and 'too far', have in common are the brilliant backing vocals. i don’t think i’ve heard another band lately that makes the backing vocals sound just as good as the lead vocals. 

the last track on the ep is 'dogs at the track'. compared to the other two songs, this one’s definitely a lot quieter. the backing and lead vocals are clearly highlighted as the instruments only play a minor role here. 'dogs at the track' might be the perfect example to back up my statement from the beginning. it´s easy to focus on the lead vocals here and it should be even more obvious why they differ from other ‘normal’ boy bands. 

if you’ve been looking for some great pop songs lately, you probably found them now. and as if that wouldn’t be enough, the lads from daytona lights can actually play instruments – another thing that certainly can’t be taken for granted in the pop genre. catchy beats, heart breaking harmonies, infectious melodies and stunning vocals in every aspect… that’s what you get with basically every daytona lights song. 

 a little something to get you started:

daytona lights - 'lillian' (at the bbc wood norton studios)

the 'lillian' ep, 'white horses' and 'at least i know i tried' are all available on itunes. if you want to connect with daytona lights, check their website, facebook or simply follow them on twitter.

if you like what you've heard so far, keep your eyes peeled on their website because daytona lights are about to release their debut album 'this modern landscape' in a few days on december 29th.