The more Brisbane band L. Flora think about it, the bigger it gets.
The neo-soul, R&B-tinged four-piece have released their new single 'Bigger It Gets', directly inspired by artist Sebastian Moody's most well-known piece, seen as you enter Fortitude Valley off the Story Bridge. It reads: 'The more I think about it, the bigger it gets.'
“I used to drive past that all the time, and I've been in really hard places before where I've been mentally down and constantly over-thinking a situation and losing my way, losing sight of what's actually happening,” L. Flora vocalist Millie Khalu says.
“I was trying to help a friend out who was in a tough place around the time we had just started writing this song, and I didn't know which direction it was going to take yet.
"I was thinking about her and then I drove past the sign and it just clicked – she was over-thinking something and I was over-thinking how to help her, and I wasn't just being my true, supportive self.
“I was trying to tiptoe around her, but sometimes we don't want to face what we have to do in the situation. Once I saw 'Think Bigger' on the wall, everything fell into place then; the song was already formed but very mismatched with a confusing meaning, and that simplified it all for me.”
Emerging from an uncertain and restless time for the band, the new single is a reassertion of L. Flora's commitment to making music together. “There's been a bunch of challenges and a bunch of setbacks with this track but I feel like the harder it is to get through something the more it's going to teach us,” Millie says.
“It's brought us together as a band. It's like, going through all these issues we've encountered are making us a stronger force. So I feel like it's all for the better.”
'Bigger It Gets' is the next instalment from L. Flora following the release of their self-titled debut album in June 2018, after which the band fell into a period of inactivity.
“We released the album in June and then I went overseas for three months, which was a bit of a shame; we missed out on some really good gigs that would have kept our momentum,” Millie explains.
“Then after that gap, coming back we did have to push to get that momentum back. All of us have had a few things going on. . . so we've been pulled in different ways, but the focus of the band has always been there.
"It was a bit hard to get the momentum back for this song, but we all do love what we created with the song and the music behind it. We had faith that even though it was harder times, we knew it would pull us back together.”
'Bigger It Gets' sees L. Flora playing a Brisbane launch show in November. With the new single, Millie says the band is in a strong and confident position for what lies ahead. “We've got our direction now, and what comes with it comes with it,” she says.
“We're still trying to focus on our songwriting; it's changed a lot. . . we want to keep changing our set. We've been sitting on the album for so long and while we love what we do, we're ready to push ourselves, try new things and get tighter and really work on the production of our sound and songs. I think next year is going to be a good one for us as well.”
