The project of Jacob Sartori, LANES are an indie rock band from Perth who've been releasing their psych-flavoured jams since 2021.
With strong Arctic Monkeys and Tame Impala sonic influences, Jacob's original compositions are 'fuelled by a never ending thirst for growth and a deeply introspective creative process'."A lot of my lyrics these days are completely pulled from my subconscious," LANES reveals, detailing part of his creative process, which gives "different scenarios and meanings" to his songs over time.
After releasing their debut EP 'Bloom' last year, LANES have followed in 2023 with the singles 'IDA' (released in April) and the freshly minted 'Green' that dropped last Friday.
'Green' finds LANES exploring spacious landscapes filled with dreamy synths, tranquil guitar chords and gorgeously seductive drums that draw you into a world of auditory elegance.
Who is LANES... Is essentially the fruit of my songwriting ventures over the years. I had always played music in some capacity, but it wasn't until 2021 that I decided to start recording and gigging these songs that I had been putting together for some time.
Since then, LANES has become so much bigger and more impactful than I would have ever expected. I consider everyone and every entity that has had involvement in LANES over the past two years to be a part of who and what LANES is.
For without the collective input and contributions, the music and the message of LANES wouldn't be where it is today.
We sound like... We often get compared to artists like Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys and Foals, which are definite inspirations and I am very flattered and grateful for the comparison.
I suppose I tend to lean into more of the nostalgic, dreamy, alt-psych genre because those sounds really appeal to me, but I'm very open to exploring new sounds and don't necessarily feel attached to any one genre in particular.
Our first gig was... I believe our first show under LANES was actually the single launch for our debut single 'SAN'. This is probably still one of our best received songs to date and that launch was such a great time, a fond memory I still cherish today.
The venue we played at was called Lyric's Underground, a super-vibey venue beneath a bustling restaurant/ bar. I remember we covered 'Shooting Stars' by Bag Raiders and it absolutely went off!
When did you settle on the group's name, and was it a unanimous decision... I decided on the name LANES myself and it was actually my second choice.
I originally wanted to call the project LIINES, but it was already taken by a popular post-punk band in the UK, so I decided I would go through the alphabet and replace the 'II' in LIINES with letter alternatives until I found a variation I liked. I started with LANES, loved it and the rest is history.
LANES in the studio... is a combination of myself and Marcus Davidson. I usually send my home demos to Marcus and he will lay down drum and percussion tracks if necessary.
I'm then able to head into his private studio where I lay down all of the other layers I have in mind for the song. Following this, we meticulously dissect each track and together add any more layers that we think it needs as well as production elements we want to try.
Marcus will then work to produce the amazing mixes he creates and we decide where we want to go for mastering, which can change depending on what we want to get out of the track.
If I could tour with anyone... To be honest, I would be happy to tour with anyone who genuinely likes our music. I know it's a boring answer (hah) but my mission whenever deciding who we play shows with, is to put on an interesting and diverse event of music that I really enjoy and would be proud to share the LANES name with.
I would hope that we could serve the same purpose for other touring acts in the near future. Although if Tame Impala or Foals ever needed someone to jump on a tour, I wouldn't say no.
Social media is... A necessary tool for emerging artists. I'm not always a massive fan of social media and don't believe it is always serves us in healthy ways, but it looks as though it has become a permanent part of our future whether we like it or not.
So finding ways that make it useful and engaging for yourself and your audience can be a helpful and rewarding way to connect with fans and potential fans alike.
My favourite app at the moment is... Any music streaming app. I usually use Spotify but any music streaming app would work also. I spend most of my day listening to my favourite playlists and would be lost without the convenience of streaming apps.
Their algorithms also help me discover new music all the time, which is super handy when you feel like you're in a bit of a listening rut.
To date, our most embarrassing moment was the time... We were on a south-west tour of WA in early 2022 and after a show we ended up staying up until the early hours of the morning swimming at a nearby beach before swapping our favourite music selections back at our accommodation.
The next day we were told there were several noise complaints about us during the night, but the accommodation owners were very kind to us and we apologised for the noise. No complaints about the song choices though; guess we have half decent taste after all.
Life on the road can be... Amazing! So much to do, see and experience, but very tiring if you don't practice self care.
At the end of the day, between the travel and the multiple shows one after the other, you are bound to burnout if you don't monitor your energy intake vs output.
Be sure to eat well where possible and get as much rest time in between shows as the tour allows. Most importantly, enjoy the ride; what an amazing opportunity, be grateful for every moment.
If you'll have us on your bill, all we ask is that our rider contains... We aren't fussy, we are happy with just about anything.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was... I'm not sure if you could say I was 'scared' per se, but I was certainly very nervous about signing with our current label Rexius Records.
Based in Sweden and having no prior knowledge about them, I was both shocked and humbled when they decided to offer us a contract at the end of 2022.
It felt like quite a big leap of faith to say yes to the contract and put the trust of LANES in a larger industry entity, but I'm ultimately overjoyed to have partnered with them and can't wait to see where this collaboration takes us.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... Probably someone like Ricky Gervais, because he is absolutely hilarious and would be able to keep it real in such a heavily marketed industry.
He is the kind of famous person you could ask a question over a pint and get an honest answer from, which is a rare commodity these days.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why? That's a difficult question. Either NZ, Sweden or Italy.
NZ because the culture is beautiful and I love how it feels over there. Sweden so I can meet and work closer with the amazing people from our label, plus the cold weather doesn't really bother me. Italy because it is part of my ancestral heritage and I would love to explore it one day.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... Paul McCartney, Kevin Parker and Dave Grohl. Then we can all have a jam after we eat.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Probably fancy nachos or some kind of Mexican chilli. I'm a convenience kind of cook and Mexican cuisine is delicious and easy to throw together.
When it comes to pets are you a lover or hater of our furry friends? I LOVE animals. I currently have a black cat called Dave that is like my shadow and loves to sit on or near me when I'm working on music.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... I usually train from home so I haven't had to go to a gym for years. My home routines seem to work for me luckily, so I don't even have to leave the house to exercise.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? I'm actually one of those people who doesn't mind chores that much (haha). I find it satisfying to see the fruits of your labour come together in the end, therefore doing a chore can be a little tedious but once it is done, I am completely satisfied.
Do you have any phobias... I used to be pretty freaked out by heights and spiders, but I have worked on those fears over the years and now aren't as bothered by them as I used to be. In saying that, if a big furry huntsman crawled in close proximity I wouldn't stick around to see where it was going.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? Not my thing! I don't mind watching the odd reality TV show but I don't think it's something I would like to take part in, at least not at this stage of my life.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? I often prank my partner/ keys play of LANES, Sarah. Unfortunately for her, we live together and there are always plenty of opportunities to play pranks on each other.
My favourite is the classic; hide somewhere and wait for her to move from one room to another, then jump out with an instrument and play something really loud to shock her. It pretty much works every time and is pretty harmless. Don't worry, she gets her fair share back on me as well.
Best local takeaway joint for a midnight feed that will leave you with a food coma? Any kebab shop and there is always one open just when you need it. There is literally nothing that hits like it, but ultimately results in a full food coma afterwards.
Which fictional character best describes your personality? I don't know specifically but I feel like I'm the weird friend character in a TV show that is always coming up with wild theories and is convinced aliens are real.
Last show you binge-watched? Graham Hancock's 'Ancient Apocalypse'. I had been following the work of Hancock for a while before he produced the Netflix series, but his alternative history narrative was presented in such an entertaining and engaging way I literally couldn't stop watching until I finished the entire series. I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it already.
LANES 2023 Tour Dates
Fri 21 Jul - Frothcraft (Bunbury)Sat 29 Jul - 459 @ Rosemount Hotel (Perth)
Fri 4 Aug - El Grotto (Perth)
