The indie-pop group LANY is on an upward climb, with their smooth electronic beats and moody lyrics. If you don’t know who they are you should definitely take the time to get to know them and fast. Since the release of Acronym EP back in 2015, LANY has been weaving their way into the hearts and ears of people all over the world. The song ILYSB picked up a lot of attention through various platforms along with Walk Away and Hot Lights following the EP's first release.

Their newest release The Breakup, much like the rest of their stuff, makes you almost nostalgic of a love you may have not even had. It’s the type of music you blast in the car with your friends at night. A type of music you can fall in and fall out of love to. This, we can safely assume, is a little taste of what we can expect from their upcoming self-titled album. When asked if that was a safe assumption, one of the three members, Paul Klein, replied with “it’ll be more of the same, but we think these are the best songs we’ve ever written”.

Being only weeks away from the release of their debut album I sat down with Paul Klein, the group's front man, to talk about their music, inspiration and their upcoming stop here in Charleston, South Carolina. LANY’s track record is pretty impressive and growing. With shows backing artists like Ellie Goulding, Halsey and Troye Sivan they can no longer be considered rookies. When asked why they are often grouped together, or placed in the same genre, Klein says that since LANY also has a distinct sound it makes them similar, but still incredibly different. This is pretty prevalent when they’re grouped together with groups like The 1975. When asked what Klein thinks of this association he responded with, “I think The 1975 has a really strong brand and I think LANY’s brand is really strong. I’ve always said that we don’t sound anything like The 1975, but I think people feel the same when they listen to them as they do with us, and to be thrown around in comparison to a band that’s that big, and is that much of a global phenomenon, it’s a compliment, so I’ll take it.”

Their newest song The Breakup will be denser lyrically “and at times self-deprecating which [the fans] haven’t seen from us before, so there all kinds of nuances that are signs of growth and improvement." Even though a lot of their stuff is more electronic and synthesized, when given the taste of acoustic music from the band, the reaction of fans is incredible. I asked Paul what he thought of these kinds of reactions, “It’s so fascinating how much our fans love the stripped down version of things, that’s cool, that’s nice and I get it. I think if a song is good then it can be great… that’s the true test. If you can sit down at a piano and play it and it still feels complete and it’s moving then it's a great song and I think we have a few songs that we could strip down, and it’d be really fun to do, and maybe we’ll do that in the future."

After a string of arena tours and playing in front of thousands at various music festivals like Bonnaroo, Firefly and Lollapalooza they’ve returned to smaller venues. This time the shows are much more intimate, offering up a completely different atmosphere. This atmosphere goes well with the moody, but still upbeat music they're putting out. Their distinct sound gaining them fans all over the world and offering up a new and unique listening experience. Since going on their own tour they’ve played smaller cities and smaller venues across America. When asked whether or not they were excited to come to Charleston, Klein admittedly said that Charleston would be one of the better-known cities on the tour.

Finally, when asked whether or not Klein could remember one specific moment where he realized their popularity there was some hesitation. He recalled a show of a crowd of about a thousand people. There he had been the most nervous and hadn’t been expecting what he was showing up to. Klein went on to say “I’m satisfied and I’m happy with how we’re doing but I’m not gonna say I wanna be the biggest band in the world, until we're there how can we get bigger everyday, how can we reach more people, how can we play bigger venues, and do this better than anyone’s ever done it before.” Even with big plans and even bigger talent, there are still people out there who have yet to hear about this eccentric group and with their upcoming schedule, I’m fairly certain that’s going to change. LANY is definitely going to be, not only the soundtrack of the summer, but the soundtrack of young people everywhere.