Interview: Loux

Formed in 2017, Loux are a self-described alt-pop electronic three piece, featuring guitar, drums, electronics and vocals. The Leeds-based band have quickly created a name for themselves following a successful debut at the 2017 Bluedot music festival. SlantedPress caught up with the band members Chris Milnes (drums) and Jordan Hodson (keys and vocals) to see what’s next for the band.

As a newly formed band, I ask Loux how they’d describe their music for new listeners, and if their band name holds any special significance. “Haha, this is an awful story – I wish there was a better reason behind it, Chris laughs. “Me and Jordan were at my house one night and she said she liked words with a silent ‘x’. Choux was the one that sprung to mind, like choux pastry, but we didn’t like that as a band name, so we sat and rhymed words until we found one we liked.” Sure, it’s an unconventional approach, but it worked. With the band name cleared, there must’ve been something that drove Loux into becoming a three-piece band, right? It turns out that wasn’t the case as Jordan tells me. “To be honest I had no idea I would end up being in a band! It came to being 19 and I just made a really wild decision off the whim to go to study music.” But when it comes to inspiration, Jordan openly admits many people have “moulded who [she is] as an artist”, but she also highlights that she and Chris “have different influences and it combines to make something new”.

Loux have been busy releasing an array of music on Soundcloud, YouTube and Spotify. One of my favourite songs of theirs is ‘Darling’. I take the opportunity to ask the band about the meaning behind the emotional song. “The inspiration of ‘Darling’ is about losing someone important to me,” Jordan explains. “I really struggled with coming to terms with them not being in my life anymore and my mental health took a big kick because of it. The song reflects on my personal battle and realization that I needed to make some changes.” Keeping with the band’s music, I ask Jordan whether it’s true if their single ‘Cool’ was inspired by Gone Girl. “Yes, you got me! I first read the book a couple of years ago and the idea of a ‘cool girl’ really just stuck with me. We have all been there where we go along with things that makes us uncomfortable in order to please someone else. In an ideal world people would just say what they feel, but it doesn’t always work like that,” Jordan says. “Luckily, it’s just an inspiration – I haven’t quite gone psycho yet. Haha!”

We’ve always wondered whether artists listen to their own music regularly, so I ask the band whether they have their own favourite song. “I go through stages. It’s quite strange because I sometimes just sit and listen to my own music,” Jordan tells me “My favourite at the moment has to be ‘Secrets’. You can’t find it online anywhere yet but that may change in the not too distant future”. If that wasn’t a perfect pitch for the debut of ‘Secrets’, then I don’t know what is. As Loux begin to grow in publicity there is no doubt a band can feel the strain and tension of it, and Loux seem pretty comfortable in their own skin. Jordan is ready to admit the band are “perfectionists”, but they “put [their] heart and soul” into their music which makes it “all worth it”.

As the interview winds down to a close, I ask the band a few final questions on who they’d like to collaborate with and if we can expect anything new from Loux in the near future. “I’d love a collaboration with Villagers,” Chris tells me. “Connor is a fantastic songwriter and it’d be fantastic to work with him. But also, I think a collaboration with someone like Kanye West would be hilarious, so maybe I’d choose him.” If we’re being honest, I’d also love to see a Loux x Kanye collaboration, I mean, never say never. Last of all, I ask the band if they’ve got anything lined up in the immediate future and it’s good news; “we’re working on an EP at the moment, which will hopefully come out by the end of 2018,” Chris tells me. “There’s also a live session coming your way in a few weeks. Aside from that, hopefully just some more fun shows.”

So all in all, Loux are busy and we can’t wait to see what’s next!

Watch a stunning performance of 'Darling' below:

Edited by Ethan Cumberland |

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