LANNDS are soaring to new heights. The psych pop duo, composed of LA-based vocalist-guitarist Rania Woodard and multi-instrumentalist Brian Squillace, are gearing up for the release of their debut LP after years of dropping one off projects and singles. Music For The Future, out Friday on Run For Cover, combines Woodward’s angelic vocals with bright percussive elements harkening back to the likes of aughts indie pop mainstays like Neon Indian and Cut Copy.
On Music For The Future, sparkling chords, airy melodies, and gritty beats are juxtaposed to create irresistible, dance-ready anthems. With tracks like “K Town” and “Vega,” LANNDS manage to make blown out earworms — all while taking a DIY approach. Each song on Music For The Future was entirely produced and engineered by the duo themselves. “When we do it ourselves, even if it’s a little more ‘home done’ sounding, it’s just more us,” Squillace says.
Ahead of the release of Music For The Future, LANNDS sat down with Uproxx to talk Green Day, mac and cheese, and Connect Four in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Drippy plant psych pop
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
Squillace: Sh*t that old people f*ck with.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?
Woodard: Brooklyn. We had a great show at Rough Trade. RIP.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Woodard: My family in the sense that it allows me to be more vulnerable and talk about my real problems and traumas, and as an artist I feel like that’s important.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
Woodard: My mom’s mac and cheese.
What album do you know every word to?
Squillace: Green Day’s Dookie.
What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?
Woodard: Bon Iver in Charleston, SC. He was touring on 22 A Million, and you could hear a pin drop.
What is the best outfit for performing and why?
Squillace: Shorts and flip flops. Whatever is the most chill and lets the audience know that we are definitely not cops.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
Unknown Mortal Orchestra on Twitter, because he’s the GOAT.
What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?
“Linger” by the Cranberries.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
Woodard: “Beyonce tour manager”
What album makes for the perfect gift?
Squillace: There is a legend that if you give someone Shania Twain’s Up they will have good luck for 20 years.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Squillace: We stayed at a motel in Detroit that was under construction and full of drug dealers. Not the cool kind. And we kept hearing strange noises from the room beside us, overall terrifying.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
Woodard: In 2017 I got drunk at John Shannon’s house, and Jesse Brantman gave me my first stick and poke tattoo. It’s a pizza triangle.
What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?
Squillace: If you mean hitting the skip button on Spotify That artist would be Fred Again..
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Woodard: I had friends come together and help me furnish my first LA apartment. They all pitched in money so I could by furniture.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Woodard: Don’t overthink everything, trust your gut. Everyone is so wrapped up in their own problems that they don’t care what you’re doing, so do whatever you want.
What’s the last show you went to?
Woodard: Porches solo show at the Echo.
What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?
Woodard: Independence Day starring Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
Squillace: I’m absolutely 100 percent undefeated at connect four.
Music For The Future is out 3/3 via Run For Cover. Pre-order it here.