CMW Interview: Love X Stereo

Have I mentioned I love this band? I really do. And as I said in yesterday’s review of their second show (on May 9, 2015) at Canadian Music Week (CMW), I’ve enjoyed each show I’ve caught. So definitely go see them play if you have the chance. If you can’t catch them live (because they really rock live), check out their new EP, “We Love, We Leave: Part 1″ because it’s amazing.

All answers are by Annie Ko, lead singer of Love X Stereo.

The Love X Stereo Interview

Hello again! I won’t ask you to introduce yourself as we’ve chatted with you before but you’re now a duo. Can you tell us what happened?

Annie: There were necessary reasons. I think it’s more tighter now because we’re a duo. And our session drummer is helping us out amazingly. I think it’s working out well so far.

This is your second time being in Toronto as you were here two years ago at Indie Week, how do your experiences compare between then and now at Canadian Music Week?

Annie: Well, first of all, the weather is so good. Back then it was so cold. And, you were there, it was very challenging for us to do a good show.

It was a hard venue.

Annie: I completely forgot what happened. So it’s getting better, I think. Today’s show was actually the tops, the best we’ve done in Toronto.

You just released a new EP, “We Love, We Leave,” can you tell us about it? What inspired the songs?

Annie: Because we downsized to a duo and we’ve done so many experiments before, we wanted to establish our sound. I think “We Love, We Leave”, this is part one and part two is going to come out within this year, later on. Part one is more about love and part two is more about leaving, departing. It’s a lot of love because two songs are new and other songs are remade. We wanted to make it sound better. We had a chance to record our stuff in a legitimate recording studio this time so it sounds more deeper. And we wanted to give our love to our fans so that’s how it was made.

And our second EP will come out October or November this year, hopefully. We already recorded all the songs last year with producer Adrian Hall, who is a British producer. That will be very interesting. Working with a foreign, high-profile producer, having him work with us was really amazing. Yeah, it’s going to be very interesting. I think the next album will be the definition of Love X Stereo.

Will it be a full album or EP?

Annie: It’s going to contain five songs.

And will they be all new songs?

Annie: Yeah.

Excellent, something to look forward to. [laughter]

Both you and Toby have both been involved in the Korean music scene for years, how has it changed?

Annie: Well, I think it doesn’t change that much but the quality of the bands has grown so high. They raise the bar so high. I think we’re working on the creativity department but the quality of the sound, as a performer, it’s really good. The bands are really good.

And this is just the start I think. From now on, ten or twenty years from now, it’s going to get better and better. I think it’s going to be something to look forward to.

How has Love X Stereo’s sound, your sound, changed over the years?

Annie: It’s more deeper. And now we know what gears we want to use. Before, on our other EPs, we’d keep trying this and that, like we want to do this and that, we want it to sound like this but now I think we’re there. We know what we use and we know what we want to sound like and it’s going to sound like Love X Stereo. That’s the most important thing.

You touched on it briefly when you said you have a second EP coming but what are your plans for the rest of the year?

Annie: I think we have one festival coming up in Seoul, in August. And we’re going to release a new single, I think June-ish. And then, our new EP will come out the end of 2015.

I’m hoping, really hoping, we can find a suitable label, overseas and domestic, a good record label that would release our album in a good manner because we did all of our stuff ourselves. We’ve done, what should I call it, the most independent possible way that we could do it. I think we’ve been through enough. So, hopefully we can get a decent label. It will be better I guess.

Actually, that leads me to something I wasn’t planning to ask but as a follow up to what you just said, the last time we talked you spoke about the challenges and benefits of being a truly independent band. Has your opinion changed?

Annie: I don’t know. I don’t think anything has changed. In Korea, we’re going to overseas festivals so much that now Korea is noticing us. In a way, I think that’s a good thing. But I don’t know, I don’t know where we’re heading right now but we’re probably heading in a good way.

I’ve seen music writers, and not just Korean music writers, and the festivals themselves put Love X Stereo in their top 10 lists of bands to check out at festivals. Has this effected the way you’re viewed in Korea?

Annie: I don’t think so. It’s how you present yourself in Korea. Korea is pretty different from here, in Korea they need critics to notice you and you have to be on broadcasts, then you’ll go, you’ll get huge hype. That happens every time. We’re very realistic, we don’t expect to be a star in one leap. It’s not our style. But I guess it’s getting better because last year we were the runner up for K-Rookies which was sponsored by KOCCA. That changed a lot so I guess it’s getting better.

Thank you very much for your time Annie!

Annie: Thank you.

Love X Stereo Online

• Website

• Facebook

• Twitter

• iTunes

• Bandcamp

Final Thoughts

As always, it was lovely chatting with Annie (all answers were by her) after their show at CMW. We also chatted before the formal interview and I watched her chatting with others – some of whom she probably knew and some who were probably new to her – and she’s friendly to everyone. Since we’d chatted before (check out my first interview with Love X Stereo here), I tried to ask questions about their new EP or follow up questions… but if you’re new to Love X Stereo, check out the first interview too. And of course, don’t forget to check out their music if you haven’t already!

Did you catch Love X Stereo at CMW? What did you think of them?