Floris van Luijtelaar (of The Vices)

01/27/2021

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again - your new single is amazing."
"I know."

Singer and guitarist of Dutch band The Vices, Floris van Luijtelaar took the time to talk to me via a late-night Zoom call about the band's newest single 'Looking For Faces', Coronavirus, and what being a musician means to him.
Listen to 'Looking For Faces' Here!
Inspired by the likes of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Jimi Hendrix from a young age, Floris van Luijtelaar doesn't like to have something specific that inspires his songwriting. "I never sit down with the intention of writing something. It often happens when I read and listen to music at the same time." However, when writing the band's new single, 'Looking For Faces', the titular song from the upcoming EP, this was not the case, "I wanted to write a song to finish the album, and I wanted to swagger. Some of our songs are really cool, and I wanted this one to be like that. I wanted it to be as easy as possible, so I started with just two notes. It's that simple." The new single, indeed, is something which I was not expecting when I first listened to it. Before reviewing it for the blog, I had never heard of the band before, but am glad I have now. Their music, this song specifically, is loud and energetic. Their sound is the kind of one which will define your teenage years. Blown away by the reception which the new single has received, Floris calls it "the biggest response we've ever had."
The Vices - 'Looking For Faces' Single Review

Since opening for English singer-songwriter Dominic Harrison, known professionally as Yungblud, when he was playing in the Netherlands, the band have seen their fan base grow. Floris explained how he interacts with the fans, "I try to be as normal as possible... I feel like I am the same as them - I don't lose my head over them like they do with us [and Yungblud]. I am a person, and I will talk to them and have a good time with them."

As it has shut down the Netherlands, COVID-19 has also shut down the rest of the world. However, this has not stopped the band from making music, "we have our own rehearsal space, which means we can work on music around the restrictions. It doesn't really affect us. Musically, it doesn't change what we make, lyrically it might a little because things have changed and it has changed what I write." Admitting that just earlier that day, Floris had been thinking about how the pandemic has affected the music industry, "a lot of festivals will go bankrupt, but on the other hand, a lot of people now have a bigger need for music. Maybe this will lead to something more. It's shit, but it will be good, too." He then went on to quote the Red Hot Chilli Peppers...

"Destruction leads to a very rough road, but it also breeds creation."

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