Start Listening To: L'orne
From recording inside a 13-metre-high gas dome to writing songs that balance fragility and chaos, Rotterdam’s L’orne continue to stretch the edges of post-rock with raw honesty and a strange, cinematic beauty.
There’s something deeply human about L’orne’s music. Across their new EP Mirror, the Rotterdam five-piece channel emotional intensity through expansive, shape-shifting soundscapes that feel as intimate as they are unrestrained. Recorded in a converted gas station whose eerie acoustics became an instrument in itself, the project captures the band’s fascination with imperfection, community and catharsis. In conversation, founding members Quincey and Luka open up about the isolation and creativity that shaped the record, the vulnerability behind their single ‘Talk To Me Too,’ and why they’ll never stop chasing reinvention, no matter where it takes them.
For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?
Quincey: We are L’orne, a five-piece from Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The music we make could be categorized as post-rock, but it could be anything really! The common thread of it all is the focus on experimentation and honesty.
Can you describe your songwriting process?
Q: Our songwriting process is practically divided into two parts. First, Luka or I write the bare song (consisting of the voice and one instrument), after which we take this idea to the rest of the band. From there, it could pretty much go anywhere. In the end it’s rarely the same song!
What was the most challenging aspect of recording your new EP, Mirror, in that converted gas station environment?
Luka : Before we started recording, I was sure the most challenging would be to get the sound right. This dome is 13 m high and with that the biggest gas dome in Europe. You can imagine the echo doing all sorts of weird things. This was definitely very challenging, but together with our recording engineer, Niek van den Driesschen, it worked out quite well. In the end, the weird sound and atmosphere was what lured us to that place.
What I’m getting at, though, is that the more challenging part was the loneliness of this cold, old place. There was only one spot where you could rest I.n our makeshift little control room with no fresh air, breathing down our engineer’s neck. Anywhere else would be too cold, lonely and messy. This meant we were cooped up in a very small place with usually seven people. All sorts of weird stuff happens when a group is together for so long, ‘the monkey brains’ come out and you become a sort of hivemind. Everything gets weird and childish. Reminiscing about it, it was very interesting to let go of the individual experience and be a part of something you have no control over.
Can you share a bit about the themes and emotions you explore in the single, ‘Talk To Me Too’?
L: To get it out of the way, I’m autistic :) I love people, but it can be quite a challenge to function in big groups. I try to make conversation but get distracted, I make a remark that I think is hilarious, but it doesn’t come across or i speak too soft and then, when I'm dead serious, people laugh their asses off. It’s all good, I found my people and I have peace with who I am now, but in the past I felt very out of place and lonely most of the time. That’s what Talk To Me Too is about:)
How did your collaborative dynamic change during the recording sessions, especially given the unique setting and long hours?
Q: Well, every song had been pretty much rehearsed to death before we entered the recording space. We were 100% convinced of our material and just collectively focussed on nailing every recording, because we really didn’t have a lot of time. This somewhat shared tunnel-vision really made those long hours pass by a lot quicker!
What role does visual art and video play in your overall artistic expression and how does it complement your music?
Q: The great thing about making music, is that you can combine it with filmmaking, writing, performing and dressing up. I love making art in so many ways, so this was what made me choose the music thing.
Well, we LOVE making videoclips! For our debut-album, we made four videoclips that are on our Youtube page, and guess what! Talk To Me Too also has one! We make them ourselves with no budget or education on filmmaking and it’s my favourite thing ever. We think about aesthetics a lot and I do believe this makes all the difference in how you experience music. People want something to look at (that being the amazing visuals Rasmi Bolk makes for us at every show) , I do for sure!
As a band, how do you keep your creative process fresh and engaging, especially after your debut album?
L: Our idea with L’orne was, that it can be whatever it wants to be:) The music grows with us, this way it can never get boring. Each song is a puzzle waiting to be solved and we’re usually very determined to solve it.
What inspired the trilogy concept behind How are you, old ragged Bunny?
L: The concept of the trilogy was set in motion for me, when someone very dear to me was recovering from a suicide attempt and hospitalized for a couple of nights. I visited her every day and there were just so many bunnies! I would lay in the grass waiting for her, looking at a massive chestnut tree with about eight bunnies hopping around. It made me think about innocence and its lack of space for it in this modern day society. If not in this peaceful bit of green unaware of rent, bureaucracy and war, where could they live? If the bunnies in the big city were once soft and sweet, they would surely be ragged and old now.
How do you think your music connects with the community in Rotterdam, and do you feel a sense of local identity in your sound?
Q: I actually feel no shared identity with the ‘Rotterdam-Sound’. When L’orne started out, we noticed straight away that we didn’t fit into the popular scene here, which mainly consists of post-punk re-revival stuff. To be fair, we have changed musically since then, but our interest in re-inventing ourselves hasn’t. Something I don’t necessarily see reflected in a lot of the music in Rotterdam. Don’t get me wrong, there is a cosy micro scene of likeminded musicians here that we love to death. But I do have some bones to pick here and there. On the EP after Mirror, I actually sing about this. So that’s a little sneak-peak, if you will!
Can you tell us about a moment during your recent European shows that particularly resonated with you?
Q: A moment that really stuck with me was our first gig in Paris. The city holds a special place in my mind, because my grandfather (on my mother’s side) was from there. He unfortunately passed away and was never able to take me there. The day of the gig was my first day in Paris and, walking along the Seine, I saw an expo on Cesaria Evora, a great Cape Verdean artist. My other grandfather (on my father’s side) is from there. Being far from home, reminiscing about my deceased grandfather and realizing I felt alien in both cultures, was just a lot to take in. The show itself was wonderful, with some of our British friends showing up in the audience! But during the ambient part of our song Old Hag, all the emotions before and during the performance took their toll and I just started screaming and howling like a madman. I poured it all out, then and there, on a dimly lit French stage with my closest friends and partner right next to me. And it was fucking wonderful! I will never hold my emotions back on stage, ‘cause why would I?
What do you love right now?
Q: I love the movie All About Lily Chou-Chou, directed by Shunji Iwai. It’s the perfect coming of age story, in my humble opinion. But without all the cheesyness of Hollywood-blockbuster feelgood crap! Its soundtrack is also phenomenal!
L: I love Jim White - Searching for the wrong-eyed Jesus (the album AND documentary!) Also vegan carrot cake.
What do you hate right now?
Q:I hate (and am terrified of) the rise of right-wing extremism. Facism is becoming fashionable again and people are more prone to envy and ego-centrism.
L: I hate billionaires
Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?
Q: One record that stands out is Secrets Of The Beehive by David Sylvian, a hero of mine! It’s concise, with no filler songs to be found on it (a rare sight in albums, in my opinion). It’s moody, David’s voice is so soothing and the instrumentation has a deep atmosphere to it. From the first listen, it just stuck. My friends can attest to my missionary-like devotion to indoctrinating people with his music!
L: Afraid of Heights - Wavves is an album I love to revisit from time to time, to get that sweet nostalgic puberty and mental illness fueled rebellious but lonely and with big dreams feeling back. Why? Because I’m sentimental :)
When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?
Q: I really hope that they find what they’re looking for in the songs, that their itch gets scratched if you will. Which of course differs per person (and per listen). Whether that would be emotional resonance, musical inspiration or just a breath of fresh air, I’d just feel honored to be a part of that! Every day I’m grateful to share the music that matters so much to me :)
Photography By: Jules Van Eijs