Meet Lucia - the rock n’ roll soundtrack to a teenage dream

With the sweetness of bubblegum pop, the easy swagger of classic college rock, Phil Spector’s widescreen ambition, and the gritty rumblings of the best riot grrrl and grunge, LUCIA have won the hearts of music-lovers, critics and fellow artists with just a couple of EPs and a few years of relentless touring. This is modern rock n’ roll driven by instinct alone. The perfect soundtrack for a teenage dream.

From being discovered as a busker on the streets of Glasgow to playing with the likes of Black Honey, The Big Moon, Neon Waltz and The Undertones, their DIY spirit and knack for a dreamwave banger now finds them working with Arctic Monkeys and Florence + The Machine collaborators and coming to a town near you.

“It was through living in Glasgow that all of these opportunities came to me,” says frontwoman Lucia Fairfull of her early dabblings with music. “I was growing up and going through phases of realising what kind of music I wanted to make. All of the things I was experiencing as a teenager made me into who I am now. For a while, I didn’t feel like I was in any kind of scene in Glasgow - but I knew that it was there. Then all of a sudden, I started to write more until I reached ‘Best Boy’ and ‘Lose My Mind’ - which made it onto our first EP. I immediately knew that this was the kind of music that I wanted to be making. That’s what I’d been trying to find the whole time.”

With her muse ignited, she took to the streets. Such a talent couldn’t go unnoticed and this stylish street busker was soon discovered as one of Scotland’s most exciting young talents. Through the tight-knit and symbiotic community of Glasgow’s thriving music scene, she found kindred spirits in Hamish Fingland (guitar), Ally Scott (drums) and Chris Ballantyne (bass), to complete the band. From a shared love of punk, grunge and classic pop, a friendship blossomed, and diverse sound was born.

“What I feel really good about is that nothing we do sounds the same, but it still feels like us,” says Lucia of their chemistry and energy. “When I write something, I just accept it for what it is - whether it’s disco, grunge or pop. Our songs have all got a flavour of who we are in them. People don’t know what’s coming next.”

Lyrically, LUCIA’s approach is direct as their music, adding colour to the drama of daily life to keep things simple, universal and relatable - but no less riveting. It’s clear to see how powerful a force that’s made them when you watch them connect with an audience. During countless shows across the UK and blistering festival sets at Latitude, Citadel, TRNSMT and All Points East, LUCIA have proven themselves to be the band we need in these troubled times - fighting the good fight to prove that rock n’ roll is far from dead. What else would you expect from a singer driven by the same desires as her idols Courtney Love and Debbie Harry?

“It’s said a lot that there aren’t a lot of female-fronted bands headlining festivals, but we are out there”, says LUCIA. “I find it really empowering when I see female musicians. I know that the industry can be quite hard on a female. When you see a female frontperson with energy and their own thing, that really inspires you.”

With the likes of BBC Introducing, NYLON, DIY Magazine, Dork, The Line Of Best Fit and beyond falling for LUCIA’s riotous live shows and the dazzling promise offered on their ‘Best Boy’ and ‘Melted Ice Cream’ EPs, the band return with the breezy teenage verve of new single ‘Summertime’ via Sweet Jane Recordings

“People are going to get a surprise when they hear new music because we have stepped things up further now,” says Lucia. “The new single is a proper summer track. It’s simple, classic and upbeat. It’s the most dreamy song on the EP for drinking in the park with your pals.”

Showing their more vitriolic side, the punk-driven ‘Cheap Talk’ will follow in the Autumn. Inspired by ‘90s chick flicks, it flexes the band’s swagger and attitude and really boasts of the many flourishes on their sonic palette. Both tracks were produced by Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Adele) and mixed by Craig Silvey (Arcade Fire, Florence + The Machine, Catfish & The Bottlemen). Soon, LUCIA will step up to be the next great indie export themselves.

“We’ll work to make everything bigger and better,” says Lucia of their ambitions. “I feel positive because we’ve already done that. Without having a plan, everything’s just going in the right direction. We want to show our music to the whole world.”

Get ready, you’re next.