Luxury Goods have taken their sound from The Netherlands to Sheffield and made their music at home in the vibrant UK city. An up-and-coming artist providing listeners with their alt-pop needs, we couldn’t resist catching up with them to find out more about the creative process for their latest single ‘Again‘.
‘Again’ broaches our relationship with our bodies, why do you feel it’s important to channel these conversations into your music?
Songwriting is incredibly personal to me and helps me reflect on my life and whatever I’m feeling. I think we all go through different stages of confidence in our lives, and our relationship with our body plays a really big part in this. When I’m happy, I also feel physically on top of the world, and vice versa.
My own relationship with my body has for a long time been a rocky one, partly through personal expectations of what I believe it should look like, partly through discomfort with society’s emphasis or obsession with the female physique, and partly through not appreciating all that it does and just not understanding the major impact of hormones that rage through it.
I also know that I’m not unique in this, and music in general brings up emotions that you can feel with your whole body, physically and mentally. So I kinda figured, what better way to create connections, and open up conversations about “awkward” topics like periods than through my songs? It’s my way of empowering myself – and I hope other people can find that empowerment too.
What was the writing and recording process like for this track?
It was quite like a period to be honest; an emotional and physical rollercoaster. The jokey metaphors aside, the writing and recording process started before Covid hit, when we were in a really good place as a band and gaining steady momentum. I really wanted to do the song and the broader work that’s coming over the next few weeks justice, which became a lot more challenging when continuous lockdowns and no gigging made me start questioning a lot of my life choices. Initially, I refused to release anything until we were able to gig again as I believe that’s where my strength lies as a musician. That choice did start feeling a bit silly as lockdown restrictions kept dragging on, but multiple other delays made that promise to myself come true after all.
Looking back on it now though, I’m glad we took our time as it allowed for everything to get a bit bigger and a bit better with every step we took towards release day. I learnt a lot about recording and production when we weren’t allowed to go into the recording studio and had to record everything from home. Callum Benson, our producer at Steel City Studio was super helpful all the way through this process and always made time to listen and make the changes I asked for.
I also got to work with some amazingly talented people on all of the visuals who I might not have been able to work with if it wasn’t for their slightly quieter lockdown schedule.
Your Alt-Pop sound is really unique- what artists inspire you the most?
Thank you! I go through stages with artists I get inspired by, but I always come back to a few super solid ones like Florence and the Machine, AURORA, Paramore and Bring Me The Horizon. I was a massive emo when I was a teenager, but also did a lot of musical theatre, and I like to combine all those influences into my writing.
You’re originally from Sheffield, UK, what are your thoughts on the music scene there?
I’m actually from the Netherlands, from a little village called ‘Riethoven’ (close to Eindhoven). I made Sheffield my second home around 6 years ago after spending a semester at uni here. The fact that the music scene is what made me stay probably says a lot about it.
There are a lot of great musicians based here and everyone truly roots for each other, regardless of the genre you find yourself in. I think the Sheffield music scene is also going through a particularly strong time with acts like Self Esteem, Before Breakfast, SHEAFS, BMTH and While She Sleeps going from strength to strength. Sheffielders don’t often shout about what’s so great about the city and its creatives, but it’s a great place to hone your craft and build a career in the creative industries.
What would you like to be doing this time next year?
By this time next year, I would quite like to be looking back at our first show at Glastonbury and be looking forward to a summer of festivals. Having a booking agent would also be lovely, so get in touch if you are one haha.