Start Listening To: Die Twice
The Brighton alt-rock quartet on brotherhood, happy accidents and finding beauty in chaos.
Fate is clearly on Die Twice’s side. The alt-rock band first started in Exeter, after lead singer Olly Bayton and bassist Finn ‘Blue’ Lloyd left their hometowns for music college, later on adding drummer Jake Coles and fan-turned-guitarist Billy Twamley to the group. From the series of chance encounters that led to their paths crossing, to meeting the director of their “Jalapeño” music video in the tube, their existence is nearly as enigmatic as their sound.
Blending a series of unexpected musical influences, the band’s music is raw, visceral and cinematic. Their latest EP, ‘Accept Me Like A Lie’, is the testament of a band that, although new to most listeners, knows exactly who they are. We caught up with Die Twice to discuss their love for music, channeling conflicting tastes into their creativity, and Coles being a hazard at the beach.
How did each of you get your start in music? Was being in a band something you always knew you wanted to do?
Olly Bayton: Music has defined my entire identity. When my mum was pregnant I heard Nina Simone, Rodriguez, Tim Buckley, Erykah Badu, and so much more before I was born. All through being a kid I played guitar and sang for fun. I also wrote raps, poems and stories. There’s nothing else I want to do.
Finn ‘Blue’ Lloyd: I wasn’t into music until I moved to Devon. I saw Billy playing a gig and thought I’d love to be on stage playing music. I loved the thought of being in front of that many people, not having to talk and letting the instrument speak.
Jake Coles: Before I could even talk I used to tap on every surface I could, annoying everyone — so when I learnt about the drum kit, I was hooked! From then on I always dreamed of being a drummer in a band.
Billy Twamley: I was raised in a very music oriented household. My mum ran a music festival for many years, which exposed me to plenty of incredible artists from a really young age. Many walked in and out of my house daily and I just thought they were too cool. I would play with my sisters on a cajon as a kid and ever since have always been in some sort of band, whether on drums or guitar. That’s the only way it’s been, and it won’t change.
How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with it?
As a collective, our musical influences are so broad it’s hard to narrow down what we throw into our pot. It’s alt-rock, with the feeling of sitting alone at the end of a night out.
What did a usual rehearsal session look like for you in your early days as a band?
It started in college practice rooms and local rehearsal spaces, then we progressed to Billy’s bedroom. Now in Brighton, we all just play in our living room. The neighbours love it.
Not only do you work together, but you’ve also lived together for over a year now. What was the biggest impact that moving in with each other has had on you as a band?
Really getting to know each other is a big one. It’s very different, but at the same time nothing has changed. We’ve grown so incredibly close, which makes us feel like such a strong unit, a force of four, and that we could do anything together. We are eternally grateful to be in a band with your best friends — which doesn’t even cut it, because it is brotherhood.
Our house is so chaotic; it’s loud, it’s quiet, it’s always full of people and music. There is so much love there. This definitely comes out on stage, whether it’s a look from someone playing the wrong note, or taking the mick out of each other.
Individually, you all have such distinct musical influences. Do you find that this makes writing music together challenging at times, or does it fuel your creativity?
We definitely clash, and our differences can show at times, but by now we all know each other so well and have spent so much time writing that it’s almost second nature. We all share many of the same influences and are starting to find our sound as a band, so it’s becoming easier for sure. I think we are more affected by finding the time to write together. We face the challenges of balancing a regular working life with this rockstar fever dream, so when we do get together it’s magic. I think we have a greater appreciation of it for that.
Your EP, ‘Accept Me Like A Lie’, has tracks with lyrics inspired by films like La Collectionneuse and Corpse Bride. Is your love for cinema, and other forms of media, something that has always found its way into your songwriting?
Definitely. We are all connoisseurs of cinema and I think the media always creeps into anyones songwriting, especially lyrics. But melodies and guitar riffs can be massively inspired by soundtracks and composers. Hans Zimmer is a big one. His arrangements and chord progressions can feel other worldly. That’s what we want our music to make you feel.
‘Accept Me Like A Lie’ is such a striking name for your EP, taken from the lyrics of the opening track, ‘So Proud’. What is it about that line that made you choose it as the title?
Individually, the line is a desperate need for validation. But on behalf of the band it becomes a sort of “welcome us, accept us; like the everyday lies that are swept under”.
Your music always feels so intimate, dreamy and beautifully haunting. How conscious are you of the atmosphere you want to create with a song when you start writing it?
I think the atmosphere created becomes naturally now. We are continuously developing our sound, but it always seems to be left with the same itch. I guess that’s just a flavour that we create when all four of us work in unison.
You built quite a name for yourselves as an independent act through playing and selling out gigs in Exeter, and now are playing all across the UK. How important was it for you to try and bring that same immersive energy you have as a band on stage to the studio when recording your music?
We’re still trying to navigate our studio sound for now, and i don’t think we could ever replicate the same energy that is in our live performances. We will always be slightly different live. Not to say it’s better or worse on record, it’s just another side to us.
Between there being a photo of Billy on someone’s shoulders at an early gig of yours before he joined as your guitarist, and meeting the director for “Jalapeño” on the tube, chance encounters seem to kind of be your thing. Not to get too philosophical, but do you think of moments like these as fated, or as happy coincidences?
With some of the luck we’ve had, there’s no way that things don’t all happen for a reason.
Olly and Blue have referred to their time at music college as a “waste of time”, and spoken about how their teachers weren’t necessarily fans – which feels, unfortunately, like an experience shared by many artistic people. Is there, however, something you learned back then that you still carry with you?
College was a funny time — trying to avoid lessons as there would be a music teacher who was annoyed at the world (obviously there were some lovely teachers). What we took away from college was collaborating with other musicians, and realising you don’t always need qualifications to write and feel music. It’s something that everyone should have the right to do.
Music aside, how do you most like to spend your free time?
I guess we are all very social people and have been doing the usual early twenties antics. We hang out at the beach a lot in Brighton; Jake likes to snorkel and paddle board out there whilst we watch. He’s a hazard. We like to go to gigs across town, dip our noses in all the different Brighton music scenes, and throw some shapes on the dancefloor.
Your sound is so captivating, with compositions that feel almost cinematic. If you could go back and add yourselves to the soundtrack of any film, which one would it be and why?
The DiCaprio film “The Beach” has a really unusual soundtrack. It would be cool to imagine our music on that kind of spinny psychological film. Our music sits on a few different points of the spectrum, so I think we could tailor to any scene!
What are some songs you’ve particularly enjoyed playing live lately, and why?
A new song of ours called “between the lines” is our favourite to play at the moment. It’s loud, obnoxious, sexy, and a bit silly. It allows us to be completely unhinged.
From all the shows you have been playing, to releasing your debut EP and your growing, heavily dedicated fanbase, these must be really exciting times for you. What is something you’re looking forward to doing as a band?
Getting back into the studio and working on the next project. Seeing where we will be in another years time and what our music will sound like, as it is always progressing.