Lazy Day – the brainchild of London-based songwriter Tilly Scantlebury (they/them) – return with ‘Killer‘, their second single since signing to Brace Yourself Records, ahead of a run of dates opening for Honeyblood this week.
‘Killer’ is a second tour-de-force single in as many months from Lazy Day and finds them capturing their world in a wider lens than ever before – groovy, percussive 90s-tinged production meets swirling synths, while undeniable choruses conjure a mood that courses with desire, rooted in what Scantlebury describes as “the way love fuels your appetite.”
Surprisingly, ‘Killer’ can actually trace its origins back to a TV show. Scantlebury elaborates: “I wrote it after watching Hannibal, a series that’s both twisted and extremely camp, centred around the love/hate relationship between Hannibal (the forensic psychiatrist, and famous cannibal) and Will (a special investigator). I had initially thought that ‘Killer’ was the first time I’d written about something that had nothing to do with me, but the more I got into the song, the more I understood it to be pulling from my own experience. Fact and fiction began to blur as the writing process went on, existing somewhere between this fictitious relationship, and my own real life queer one.”
They continue, “I became a kind of detective myself, searching for moments in the show — glimmers of love or desire — that felt familiar to me. It was my own hunger for seeing queerness in the world that made me want to turn this into a song. And even though I was looking for something authentic, it was creatively useful to retain an element of fiction. It allowed me to take more risks, both in the lyrics and the production, delivered with a new confidence. There’s something to be said for existing between the real and the imaginary.”
‘Killer’ follows on from last month’s ‘Bright Yellow‘ single, a vivacious return from Lazy Day that opened a window into an expansive new world for them, one built upon vivid swathes of colour, Robyn-inspired synths, and bounding drums – daring indie-pop music with ambition matched only by its finesse and determination. Where ‘Killer’ draws inspiration from queerness in the world of television, ‘Bright Yellow’ finds it in photography, particularly in Catherine Opie‘s 1991 portrait series Being and Having. The track was released to acclaim from publications including Clash, Our Culture, Wonderland and The Telegraph who called it “a perfect summer anthem.”
For those looking to catch ‘Bright Yellow’, ‘Killer’ and an assortment of new music from Lazy Day live, the band play a trio of shows this week opening for Honeyblood including a London show tomorrow, May 23rd, at Oslo followed by dates in Cardiff and Nottingham. If you’re unable to make a gig don’t fear, Scantlebury and co stopped by the State51 Factory to record a session including ‘Killer’ as part of Brace Yourself Records’ recent month-long takeover there. Tune in to Lazy Day’s session here: https://youtu.be/_kyD2BkI0Ag
‘Killer’ single art credit – Louis Scantlebury