Own World, the new musical project from Joe Sigee and Matthew Lawrenson drop their latest single ‘L.M.H’
Joined also by Alex Bailey and Holly Hardy (CuckooLander/Charli XCX) their sound draws comparisons to innovative artists like Yves Tumor and Oneohtrix Point Never. Exploring the delicate tension between distraction and focus, their latest offering was written and recorded from their unique creative space in Tottenham - a bright orange studio nestled in the heart of the town’s chaotic nightlife.
With the single already achieving attention on Radio X and their debut EP on the horizon, we sat down with Own World to find out the inspirations behind their ever-evolving sound
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Joe: Whenever I liked the sound of an instrument I used to ask my dad what instrument it was, and he would usually say “some kind of synthesiser”, so I reckon it's some kind of synthesiser. A sound you can’t immediately identify feels engaging, and electronics have always shaped music that we’ve made.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Matt: Our parent’s music soundtracked a lot of our youth. Music from David Bowie, Nick Drake, XTC, Joe Jackson, Joy Division, Carol King etc was always being played at home or on long car journeys. As confused teenagers we all went through phases of loving grunge, hip hop, and experimental music.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Joe: 5ive - Invincible
It had a hidden track at the end called “Inspector Gadget”, which was a remix of the Inspector Gadget theme music with them rapping and stuff. It was really bad and I loved it.
Matt: Blink 182 - Take off your Pants and Jacket. I started a radio show at primary school and played the entire album alongside some key singles from MeatLoaf and Shaggy…
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Joe: XTC - Making Plans for Nigel
Matt: Brian Eno - Spinning Away
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Joe: Matt’s family have a little dilapidated cottage up a mountain in Wales. It’s like a weird scout hut / time capsule from the 50’s that looks over the sea and is really isolated. It’s a consistent pilgrimage we make throughout the year to write and record new music.
Matt: Once the smell of old damp cottages has seeped into absolutely everything we own, we know we’ve recorded enough and it’s time to go home.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Matt: We are currently listening to Nourished by Time, ML Buch, Yves Tumor, Bar Italia, Fontaines DC, Tirzah, Charli xcx
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Joe: Wayne Rooney doing Talking Heads covers
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Joe: We always ask each other how we’re doing before we start working on anything in the studio. This is rewarding and saves us thousands on therapy.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Matt: Having to come up with appropriate song names for demos after they’re finished. We’ve had unreleased tracks such as “Win up to £1800”, “team of bees shouting” and “Aunty Cod” that needed a big renaming ceremony. That and social media.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Joe: Do as much as you can yourself - a few people we really trust have said this over the years, and it keeps making more sense.
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'L.M.H' is available across all streaming platforms now!