Post-night-out-existentialism

Photographs By Rick Perez

Los Angeles based rock n’ roll band Lucky Me opens up about creating community, figuring out your identity, and the story behind their latest EP, “Just Left The Party”.

Los Angeles, USA

What is the Lucky Me origin story?

We originally met in LA in 2021. One of our mutual friends was playing a show and needed a guitar player and a drummer and we immediately connected as friends through that experience. We both ended up moving back to our home states Arkansas (Connor) and Georgia/Tennessee (Kyle) shortly afterwards. During that time while we were both home, we happened to catch up over the phone and started talking about bands, ideas, plans to potentially move back to LA, and just shooting the shit. Eventually, Connor started sending me a bunch of songs he had been writing and had the idea of starting a band with the name “Lucky Me” as a placeholder. We both ended up moving back to LA in 2023 and that’s when Lucky Me really started to become much more of a reality.

What have you learned since then?

That there isn’t that much of a scene out here in LA for the type of music we make. There is no doubt that there is a lot of great music being made out here but LA feels dominantly made up of pop writers/artists and you see that in the live scene with all the showcases that are mainly pop leaning.. Nothing against it, but I feel like we have learned that we really want to create a scene or take what is already here and make it better. You see cities like New York and how amazing the indie rock scene is and you start to question and think: Why can’t LA have something similar?

What makes Lucky Me unique compared to other rock n' roll bands?

“In addition to having some probably pretty niche references and influences that inform the music we make, like obscure 2008 UK bands with only 3 songs out, lol, we truly want to bring people together and create a community that people can actually feel like they’re a part of. There’s so much more than just ‘trying to look cool’ or ‘being mysterious’ or whatever a lot of ‘caricature-esque’ rock bands tend to focus too much on. Image and branding are obviously extremely important to us, just as much as the music, but life’s too short to be an asshole and someone you’re not.” - Connor

Recently, you released your very first EP, "Just Left the Party". What is the EP about?

Post-night-out-existentialism and figuring out your identity and all the things that come with living in Los Angeles…

Well it’s funny these songs all came together in the most unexpected way. Some newer than others but it wasn’t like we locked ourselves in the studio for a month and decided to write an EP. As we continued to discover our sound and write songs, Connor had the idea to name an EP “Just Left the Party” which comes from lyrics in the first track “Midnight”. The more we listened to demos and kept writing new material, these songs kind of stuck out the most to us and fit the through line and themes we explored.

Which themes are you exploring?

As the songs came together, it became obvious that there were several themes being explored and some obvious settings that draw directly from our experiences moving to LA, being in our twenties, and figuring out who we are and where we belong. The dichotomy of escapism and belonging is something we explored a lot. Moving from Arkansas and Georgia and spending countless nights out in Hollywood came with a lot of excitement, but also overstimulation compared to the South. It's easy to get lost in the endless loop of partying, staying up too late, and trying to find your place in a city like this. There are a lot of questions that came out of this period in our lives, particularly around identity, belonging, and the search for connection, whether that's through love, acceptance, community, or something greater than ourselves. That search became a through-line in a lot of our songs. Not that we are afraid of “coming-of-age,” but it's something we are more aware of, and despite all the uncertainty, there's a lot of optimism and hope that directly ties into our songs.

How does "Just Left the Party" show your growth as a band?

It really challenged us in ways we didn’t think whether that was during the recording process or really leaning into intentionality in every facet of making the EP. There was a lot of intention that went into not only the songs, but the graphics and visuals, props and design, etc.

The EP also really shows an honesty and vulnerability which is something we have grown in and still continuing to grow in. One cool thing that also happened during this EP rollout was allowing room for spontaneity and we got to witness a lot of things naturally fall into place that we didn’t plan for.

What was the recording process like? What were some highs and lows?

We escaped out to the desert to this little airbnb called Mojave Sunset Ranch and set up shop there. While we had a blast recording in Joshua Tree, it also came with its challenges. It was hot and we had limited time to get all that we wanted to record done. We found ourselves following a tight schedule every day and staying up late into the night.

For each of you, which songs resonate the most?

“It’s funny…while with most of these songs I had written the lyrics a few years ago, they almost connect with me even more now than at the time of writing them. Not necessarily with the type of stuff I’m writing about now or the sonic directions we’re evolving into, but the songs are kinda aligning with various life experiences, thoughts, emotions, realizations etc. that are somewhat in real time. I think it’s mostly that I’m now able to fully understand and internalize what I was feeling and writing about at the time, and actually able to see it from a wiser and more seasoned perspective. Especially now that I’ve spent so much time with them, both listening and not listening to them, along with no longer being ‘new’ to LA anymore, ya know? With that being said, I think songs like ‘Weekend Warrior’ and ‘Way Back Home’ really resonate with me via what I’m describing, and are the vulnerable side of me that I sometimes struggle to express.” - Connor

“Way Back Home” is the first that comes to mind. It was sort of a happy accident that also turned into something really vulnerable and raw. During Connor and I’s first trip to Joshua Tree in 2023, it was late at night and we had just finished recording. We were drinking red wine and I picked up this shitty little acoustic guitar and started playing the chords…that guitar is what you hear on the recording by the way. I feel like we are really just trying to say that it is ok to not have all the answers and to come to acceptance with that by faith in whatever it is that you believe in.” - Kyle

And which songs do you enjoy playing live the most?

“For me, playing S’il Vous Plaît and getting everybody to go crazy is just the best feeling. I tend to go out into the middle of the crowd, give out some hugs and handshakes, and then just go crazy for the last chorus. There are very few opportunities in life where you can be as crazy as you wanna be and everyone cheers you on for it and even joins in, and so doing that during this song is just as much for me as it is everyone there in the audience. It feels so good.” - Connor

“From the EP, Take You Around and Midnight are both ones we love playing live. I would say from our whole catalog, it is really fun to play Ms. Me and S’il Vous Plaît at the end of the set and to watch Connor go in the crowd and really connect with our fans.” - Kyle

You celebrated the EP release with a show at The Moroccan Lounge. How did it go?

The Moroccan Lounge show was really special and we felt so lucky to get to play our EP release show there. The room was filled with both familiar and new faces, and the energy was unlike any show we’ve ever played. A special night celebrating with everyone who has been a part of the Lucky Me world so far. We will always remember it.

What's next for Lucky Me?

We have a show coming up at The Woodbridge on October 22nd that we are excited for and then the rest of the year we are working on new material and getting releases lined up for next year. We’ve enjoyed playing shows in LA this year, and we will continue building a community here in addition to reaching a broader audience beyond our city.