two blinks, i like you is the mission of Liverpool-based singer-songwriter Liam Brown, who was beforehand recognized for his work underneath the moniker pizzagirl. The phrase is a nod to a particular time and relationship in Brown’s life, and the songs he started releasing underneath the identify would harbour the identical earnest vulnerability. And just like the identify, their intimacy is usually extra essential than the small print round a specific feeling; two blinks, i like you songs could be blurry but direct, aching but vibrant. On his first EP, their bed room folks high quality mirrored Brown’s solitary and unfiltered course of. With ep2, although, he tracked the songs in a studio with engineer Sophie Ellis, remaining spontaneous whereas widening his indie rock palette, beautiful in each its hushed and energic moments. Influenced by his journey to New York – how a giant metropolis can each make you’re feeling each fantastically alive and conscious of your smallness – the file begins out charmingly conversational, picks up the tempo, and lands in a extra uncovered and cathartic place than you’d count on, even given the confessional model of songwriting. “Once I look again on my life/ I’ll scrape that barrel dry/ Say issues that make me cry,” he sings, like he hasn’t already began.
We caught up with two blinks, i like you for the newest version of our Artist Highlight sequence to speak about his upbringing, the origins of the mission, making ep2, and extra.
I wished to begin with the opening line from ‘Amends’: “We’re absolutely made by the place we’re from and what we all know is true.” Do you thoughts speaking about how this concept has change into clearer to you over time?
That line positively sums up how I see my life and the way I’ve been formed by the folks round me, the place I grew up, and the core beliefs instilled in me by the folks I like and who’re essential to me. You possibly can’t actually management that; you may have folks round you that, for higher or for worse, form who you’re. For me, fortunately, I’ve had individuals who’ve formed me for the higher, so it’s a nod to that. Summing up a very huge concept in a easy method helps me perceive the world a bit higher, as a result of I’m making an attempt to determine the whole lot out. Even after I was 18, I assumed I had the world found out, and also you rapidly notice you don’t; each music or launch is simply me making an attempt to determine the world out in as finest method I can. That music is a bit broader in its concept and the way in which it feels, however I feel it’s nonetheless fairly easy so I can perceive it.
Are you able to describe your self as a teen? Do you suppose the core of your persona has stayed the identical?
I feel the core model of me is certainly the identical. I’m fairly a bit daft and love making music, and that’s actually the particular person I used to be at school. My imaginative and prescient of the world was a bit completely different. I in all probability thought I felt or had figured the whole lot I wanted to do in my life, like, I’m solely going to really feel these emotions once more. However you notice there’s numerous emotions you encounter in your post-teen years. That’s the ignorance of being naïve at the moment. Perhaps the ball was fairly blurry, and as I’ve grown up it’s getting sharper and sharper, and possibly at some point it is going to be a transparent picture of who I’m. It’s exhausting to determine that out from a day-to-day perspective, however music has all the time been a grounding power in my life. No matter what goes on round in my life, music is form of a middle, and that’s all the time been the case since I used to be at school.
What sorts of music formed you in these years?
I appreciated a great deal of folks music, 2000s indie folks, anti-folk bands. The Moldy Peaches and the Shins and Vivid Eyes. I appreciated lots of stuff from movies that I like; coming-of-age movies all the time have very nice soundtracks. I all the time appreciated making music to suit with a visible. I used to be a giant Smiths fan in my teenage years; I used to be positively extra inclined to unhappy, introverted music. I take heed to unhappy music after I’m joyful as nicely; for some purpose that simply all the time stood out to me as music that I related with. It was principally singer-songwriter stuff – Elliot Smith and Alex G as nicely. Numerous loners, in all probability, which makes lots of sense, enthusiastic about how I make music.
The place have been you at in your musical journey whenever you began pizzagirl?
That looks like a distinct particular person to me. I feel I used to be about 18 or 19 after I began that mission, and the music I ended up placing out on the primary EP for that mission, I used to be about 16 or 17. There’s lots of variations to how I really feel now about music ,and what I like about music is so completely different from what I used to be making again then. That got here as a giant lesson in regards to the trade, and I discovered a lot by way of that band about find out how to embrace the imperfections of what you’re doing, the way you don’t really want a large workforce of individuals. However after I was about 22 or 23, I used to be pondering I don’t actually have something to narrate to with this band anymore. pizzagirl to me was only a enjoyable mission, and I may very well be a bit humorous and meme-y on-line. However I wished to make a bit extra trustworthy music, and I couldn’t actually see myself turning 30 and being referred to as pizzagirl.
Going into two blinks, i like you, was making extra earnest music a pure transition?
Yeah, I feel in the direction of the latter a part of that mission, songs have been creeping in that have been a bit extra earnest. There was no large shift tonally for me; songwriting simply felt extra at house on this mission. I knew what it was going to sound like earlier than I made it as a result of I used to be desperate to do it. pizzagirl to me simply represented one thing else, and I didn’t need to be related to it. I’m not embarrassed or something about it; you’ll be able to’t actually be embarrassed about something to do with issues that you simply did whenever you have been youthful. That’s what makes you write or change into the particular person you are actually. two blinks, for me, simply feels actually snug, and it’s a bit extra, like, Liam somewhat than some zany on-line persona that’s making an attempt actually exhausting to be humorous – and failing, more often than not.
The identify itself instantly pulls you into that intimate songwriting house. I’m curious if there’s a form of vulnerability even to the identify of the mission, for you, that’s completely different from writing an intimate music.
By way of being susceptible, it’s simpler to be a persona and form of deflect any genuine emotions. And that’s not likely how I need to navigate my life. I don’t need to shrink back from intimate and susceptible subjects in my life. With this mission, I’m positively much more heart-on-the-sleeve within the songwriting, and I prefer it. It’s a form of confessional journal of how I really feel in several components of my life, and I’d somewhat folks immediately join with that feeling somewhat than try to work out metaphors in a persona band that has nothing to do with my life. The identify is tremendous earnest, and the songs hopefully are as nicely. If I’m creating that intimate world, then hopefully folks really feel related to the music and need to stick round and like what the world represents. It’s positively a tough transition by way of how folks understand you. They could consider you as form of a tongue-in-cheek, jokey particular person on-line, and then you definitely make this mission, and it’s actually weighty, unhappy topics. However hopefully, the songwriting and the world that’s created by way of that’s one thing that folks discover engaging.
Once you have been accumulating songs for the second EP, how did they start to distinguish themselves from ep1?
I feel ep1 was a really bed room, intimate, susceptible mission. I used to be so eager to make this band that the whole lot poured out at that time. There’s one thing with this EP that I wished to sonically transfer a bit up from. I nonetheless demo at house, and the way in which you hear them is form of the way in which the demo sounded, simply re-recorded and blended higher by my engineer, Sophie. I wished to maneuver it out of the bed room and attempt to make it sound a bit bigger and sonically a bit completely different. The music that I write, I feel the way in which it sounds doesn’t actually need to matter – it may very well be a giant indie rock music, it may very well be an intimate folks music, it may very well be an digital anthem or one thing. However I feel the core of it’s all that honesty within the lyrics. ep2 was a bit extra bold by way of how I used to be wished to lean into these completely different sounds, a bit extra direct as nicely. Perhaps ep1 was, like, pastel colours, and ep2 is block strong colours – a bit extra assured of itself.
What was your favorite a part of the recording course of?
Working with Sophie, who blended the EP, was wonderful. We actually clicked by way of our working relationship. She works tremendous fast, and I work tremendous fast. It was very nice to be in a brand new house and have somebody who loved the music telling you that they loved it. Typically whenever you make music alone, you form of need to belief that you simply just like the songs. I used to be very anti-studio, anti-collaboration as a result of I do music alone, so having somebody there who I trusted and had fun with was actually essential. That’s what made me really feel actually joyful and excited in regards to the EP – it wasn’t made in a nasty vibe; it was made with love, with all my mates round. It was one thing that I’ll cherish endlessly, that feeling of working together with your finest mates and having folks there round you who imagine in you. Hopefully I could make music sooner or later that’s in that method as nicely.
‘For Good’ is possibly probably the most direct and self-consciously susceptible music on the EP. You’ve stated that most of the songs have been retrospectively written about loss, and there could also be features of it that you simply didn’t notice on the time. How do you relate to that music now?
Yeah, that one specifically could be very direct in its themes. It touches on the sensation of issues being finite and the shortage of permanence. The refrain of that music is certainly me going like, ” I’d somewhat not take care of these topics.” It may get fairly overwhelming at occasions to consider life’s huge questions; it upsets me typically, and different occasions I’m not that affected by it. However it’s additionally coping with grief and loss – even loss in actual, dwelling relationships with folks and mates. I discovered that basically exhausting to take care of typically, and I feel that music is principally simply saying, “May you not say that proper now?” It’s a seven-minute vent, actually. The refrain occurs so usually that it’s virtually like pleading, it’s form of determined. I bear in mind after I was writing that and performing it, I wished to have a giant, loud, screaming ending to the refrain as a result of it pertains to the sentiments of the music.
Once you recorded the music, was it such as you imagined? What emotions got here out in that second?
Yeah, it’s bizarre as a result of all the real emotions are form of made after I’m alone writing the music with a guitar, on this room or working elsewhere. Once I took it to a studio, there’s a sure factor of, I might by no means be as 100% real as I used to be after I was writing it initially. However having these moments within the music to essentially exert lots of vitality into the efficiency introduced again the adrenaline of creating the music initially. It’s fascinating to form of relive the sensation you had whenever you wrote it in a brand new method, and typically it brings out new emotions that you simply didn’t really feel earlier than. I form of realized how unhappy that music was, notably going again to it. I didn’t actually suppose an excessive amount of in regards to the lyrics after I was writing it.
You talked about you often write alone in your room, and also you advised me earlier that you simply’re now transferring. Do you consider whether or not songs are going to come back out in the identical method some other place?
It’s humorous that you simply say that as a result of after I moved out the primary time from my household house, that was a large thought in my head. I used to be like, “Am I not going to have the ability to write music in the identical method anymore? I’ve solely ever recognized writing music on this home.” I feel transferring locations as usually as I’ve has stopped that feeling. I feel regardless of the place I’m on this planet, that’s one thing fairly central to my life, that I’ll write on this particular voice. It doesn’t essentially change the truth that you’ll be able to write various kinds of songs in various kinds of locations. Perhaps some days after I don’t like this house, there could be some songs that come out which are a bit extra unhappy and offended. However I don’t suppose that’s ever too far-off – I may very well be on a seaside within the Caribbean and doubtless nonetheless write some unhappy, offended folks tunes, in all probability. However I did suppose initially, “Is the entire allure of my music going to depart after I transfer out?” Fortunately, I haven’t felt that.
I learn that you simply received into movie scoring this 12 months. What’s that been like?
That was a very mad, demanding time of my life, however very enjoyable as nicely. It was a very bizarre story as a result of the director for the movie was at a pub in Liverpool on the time, and he was chatting with my bassist, who’s Irish. They have been simply speaking about music, and my bassist requested the director what music he was into, and he talked about two blinks, i like you. He was like, “Oh, I play bass in his band.” Then he referred to as me at like 2am, like, “I simply met this director!” We received to speaking, and he was like, “I’d love you to possibly deal with the rating for it.” I feel I used to be a bit naive; I used to be like, “Yeah, nice, I’ll do this!” Then it ended up being fairly intense as a result of there have been two completely different types within the movie: fairly intense motion and drama, after which these intimate coming-of-age moments. The latter is the place I’m far more snug writing music, however the motion facet was much more technical and scientific. I feel I almost cried about 4 occasions, but it surely was wonderful.
With two blinks, I can form of make the principles and write no matter I would like, however this was much more intense, targeted work. I’m actually wanting ahead to it popping out, and hopefully, folks will just like the sonic world that I made. There’s a scene the place it’s the view of a display screen and a woman is taking part in a canopy music on YouTube, and it says “two blinks, i like you” on the video. I used to be watching it, and I used to be like, “I feel my 15-year-old self would suppose that was actually cool.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for readability and size.
two blinks, i like you’s ep2 is out November 22 through Heist or Hit.
