Put way your iPod because Lila Ignite’s “Not Punk Rock” is your feel good album of the summer - hands down. Get ready to be transported back to your high school days of (not so much) teenage angst with hard hitting lyrics that everyone can relate to. Based out of Binghamton, NY, I had the chance to catch them on their first southeast tour and catch up with frontman Tyler Reed to talk shop about the “to keep your eye out for” up-and-coming band.
Click "Read More" for the full interview!
What was your idea behind Lila Ignite/how did you get started?
In all honesty, Lila Ignite was never supposed to be a band - haha. When my previous band was sort of falling apart, I decided to take a couple of songs that I had never used and went to a buddy's house and recorded them on my own. I really enjoyed how they sounded with a full band and I decided I wanted to play these songs live, so from that weekend of recording demos, Lila Ignite was born.
Where does the band’s name stem from?
When I was recording the demos that would eventually turn into this band, I was watching a lot of Dexter. The name comes from the second season of the series. There is a character named Lila who is essentially a pyromaniac and really reeks havoc. I thought she was pretty cool, so I named the little demo Lila Ignite and it stuck. One of the first songs that was demoed is actually called Ice Truck Killer which is written about the first season of the show.
In what genre of music do you consider yourself to be/some of your musical influences?
This tour especially, we've been compared to Say Anything more than any other band. They are definitely one of my favorite bands so I can absolutely see the influence of them bleed through in our sound and overall style. We've also gotten that we are like watching Scott Pilgrim while listening to Green Day.
That is pretty wild, but if someone thinks that, we'll take it!
Other than those, I'd say that everybody in the band is a completely different walk of life and I believe that reflects in our sound and our presence both on and off stage. It's something that we enjoy because we pride ourselves on writing and playing anything that moves us and not pigeonholing ourselves. I think you can hear that a lot on our album too, but in a good way. There is mellow, soft stuff, aggressive, angry stuff, and everything in between. And despite having all of these sounds, I feel we do an excellent job at always making it sound like Lila and not corny or like we are trying too hard.
I recently listened to the new single, “Betty,” - is this a prelude to the style we are looking to hear on the next album?
Betty is definitely a sound that will be heard on the next album. I write constantly. I actually just wrote a sort of doo wop song that we're all digging right now as well. It goes back to the "write anything that moves us" rule we have. I'm sure we'll experiment with some other new sounds too.
Where do you see the band going from here?
Now that the tour is over, we're already working on booking future tours. Hopefully we'll be able to get to go out with Survay Says! again at some point this year because those guys treated us so well and really looked out for us. Plus they are all hilarious and easy to get along with. Watching them play every night is such a treat too! Other than that, I think we're going to try to team up with some other bands and possibly go out solo for a few weeks at some point.
You guys looked like you had a blast this go-round. What would you say was the best experience from the tour?
This tour was the best tour we have ever been a part of. Everything about it was so much fun. I think the best experience for me personally was either the South Florida show or the Atlanta show. Both were nuts and we really hope we can get back to those places ASAP! I think any show where kids start crowdsurfing and bouncing around like nothing outside of the show matters is a beautiful experience.
Shameless self promotion time! Where can we find you?
Our album "Not Punk Rock" is on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Bandcamp, and Amazon. If you would like a physical copy of our album, order one through lilaignite.bigcartel.com I always throw in extra goodies and write personal thank you's. It's fun and I love doing it!
Other than that, check us out on Facebook and Instagram. Don't be a stranger! We like talking and stuff!
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There you have it guys! Definitely grab an EP, this is one for the books and I personally look forward to what this band has to show us next!
xo
- k
