Start Listening To: LUNGE

Plunge in to LUNGE.

LUNGE is made up of Mark “Arp” Cleaveland (Archie Bronson Outfit) and Via Seifert (Joe Gideon & The Shark), however, LUNGE’s sound contrasts from their shared past musical projects. Venturing into the synth-pop/electronic space, LUNGE weaves a template of extroverted and melodic sounds using both analog and contemporary production techniques. The duo talk us through their song writing process, audio / visual collaborations and what’s on their horizon ahead of their EP release.

Can you tell us who you are, where you’re from, and something about the music you make?

We are LUNGE:  Viva Seifert and Mark ‘Arp’ Cleveland. We live in Cornwall, UK and we record music in our Wavewitch studio, which is housed in a cabin in woods and although rustic,  it’s a  sea of old synths, mics, analogue hardware, congas etc.

How would you describe your music for someone who hasn’t heard it? 

Alt. D.I.Y. electro synth-soul music, with a sort of lyrical play on lovers rock.

How are you feeling about releasing your debut EP? 

Pleased to be getting some songs into the universe and staking a LUNGE flag.

We love your new single This Idle Motion. Can you tell us more about how it was created? 

Firstly, thanks ! 

I wrote the lyrics in bed one night pretty much as they are,  printed them in the morning and left them on the piano for Viva; who wrote the chords and melody the same day, we recorded it soon after. Our songs mostly begin with Viva Carole-King-ing at the piano before  we twist them through our LUNGE  mangle. Typically Vee is surrounded by a mess of papers and notebooks, from which she cobbles and forms a set of lyrics, This Idle Motion was a rare contained set and overall it was the easiest birthed of our songs to date. 

We have a tendency to overload at the recording stage, as it’s a bit of a fun, free for all approach - but I was conscious of keeping this really simple and stripped. The guitar part was recorded a bit later when my old partner in crime Sam (Archie Bronson Outfit) was down for a visit..

How is your music produced? 

After it’s written on the piano, we fire up the synths and see what happens ! As we have a studio at home we can be as experimental as we want and aren’t fighting a clock.. I’m pretty basic when it comes to computer production so everything is played in on keyboards / analogue.  After the obsessive recording /editing stage and it feels like we’ve nothing more to offer the song, we send it off to someone else - with more talent than I -  to mix.. 

You worked with Simon Owens on your new video, what was that process like? Did Viva’s former career as a gymnast influence the choreography? 

Simon was a revelation actually. He first reached out to us having heard our song Off With Their Heads on the radio, we then met on the phone and really clicked. As a director he made us ask questions of ourselves: why wouldn’t you want to connect emotionally with your audience?  it was useful and surprising. He takes his art seriously and so although he was in London, we went through a fair number of zoom meetings, with Viva dancing and the two of them working on choreography and then he’d send notes/ edit sketches before we’d meet again and go over it and so forth - it was a lovely collaboration. 

re: choreography. After her gymnastic career, Viva lived and worked as a dancer in New York and London. Currently she also runs a physical theatre group, so all those aspects of movement influenced the choreography, as well as Simon and his refinements. But the aim wasn’t to make a straight up dance video per se. 

You worked with a plethora of talented artists and producers on this EP: Dan Carey, Slowdive’s Neil Halstead, The Golden Dregs, Dean Honer of All Seeing I, Tim Goldworthy (Massive Attack, DFA) and Shuta Shinoda (Spiritualized, Hot Chip). What was it like working with them? 

It was really natural working with them as most are either friends or we have at least collaborated before. For their guitar bits Neil and Sam both came over to Wavewitch, but otherwise each was in their own studio dotted around the UK (Bristol \Sheffield / London) and we’d chat on the phone and then take it from there. Dean and Shuta I hadn’t known before, but were both ace. Dean is in fact currently working on some of our new tracks.

What inspires your music? 

Lone winter headland dog walks are key to lyric writing. I like that mixture of vastness, isolation and brutal weather. Generally, just a lifetime of obsessive music love. Specifically, Viva had an upbringing of old musicals and so is a big melody-machine.

Name an artist you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why?

So many! Curtis Mayfield, my groove God.

What do you love right now?

Heard the new Creep Show Yawning Abyss yesterday, which I loved.

Loving The Glory tv show at the moment.

What do you hate right now? 

In music; not a lot, I’m a bit past hating music, I used to hate so much, but I tend to hear something good in most musics now. Actually I fucking hate those faux innocent covers of famous songs that are always on adverts on tv shows.

outside music; Tories, energy companies, streaming royalties - the list is too vast for here..

Are there any releases you’re looking forward to in 2023? 

Slowdive’s new LP

Where do you see LUNGE one year from now? 

Readying an LP and picking out frocks for the Mercury or broke and quitting in disgust.. on different days I could foresee either.

Thanks for speaking with us! Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? 

We have 3 sexy t-shirt designs available (painted by S Windett) and CD’s too - www.lungemusic.com-  buy art to keep it alive good readers !