Photo via Facebook / LANY
LANY
Indie pop band LANY, along with special guest soul/pop/hip-hop group Surfaces, bring their electronic, sun-soaked grooves to the BMO Harris Pavilion on August 9 as part of their North American 34-city “Summer Forever” tour.
Singer and guitarist Paul Klein formed the group with drummer/percussionist Jake Goss and keyboardist Les Priest (who left the group in April 2022) in Nashville in 2014. Eight years later, the hardworking LANY, which takes its name from an acronym for New York and Los Angeles, now boasts four studio albums, several EPs, more than 3.5 billion song streams, and over 750 million video views.
In 2021, the band released its latest album gg bb xx, which includes tracks like “Dancing in the Kitchen” and “Ex I Never Had.”
The Shepherd Express recently interviewed Klein about LANY’s upcoming tour and future endeavors.
What can your fans expect from this tour, and what are some of your favorite songs to perform live?
We have a cultish fan base—we haven’t had a viral moment or a number one radio hit. If you know us, you found us somehow.
We’re working on our setlist right now. It’s quite a challenge, since we’ve made so much music, but we have mashups and different arrangements of songs. We’ve got “Thick and Thin,” which everybody loves, and “You,” which we’re presenting it in a different arrangement. We’re really excited; it feels good. The show will be a quintessential summer experience.
Which artists/albums you’re listening to these days?
I’ve been listening to (Japanese singer) Joji a lot—he’s an amazing artist, very thoughtful and creative. I love his music videos. As a band, we're very inspired by Coldplay, especially the longevity of their career and the quality of their songs and lyrics. I think Chris Martin is the Paul McCartney of this generation.
Are you working on any new projects?
We’re working on a new album with Mike Crossey—he produced our 2018 album, Malibu Nights, which was huge for us, and we love working with him so much. We’ve been playing about 100 shows a year, and have toured Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand, and Mexico—we’d love to have that universal appeal that some bands have. When we’re not playing shows, we’ll be in the studio working on our new album.
Is there anything else you’d like Shepherd Express readers to know about LANY?
We love Milwaukee; we last played there at the Rave in 2019, and we love Culver’s. We’re psyched to be back in Wisconsin in the summertime.
