DM, drone, post-rock - for Lovefear song direction is a black box, a series of inputs that lead to a sometimes unexpected output.
Lovefear is the alias of formerly Perth and now Melbourne-based artist Theo Hondros. Fresh off the release of his new single ‘Pa Gossamer,’ he sat down with Matt Do on Weekend Lunch.
“I can't really decide on what the output will be because if I try too hard to create something or if I put too much pressure on it, It kind of comes out not that good. Those are the tracks that don't get released, so it really is just about taking in as much as I can.”
Hondros can also point to the influence of things he’s been listening to – beats by Pharrell and Timberland – on past EP releases as well as the importance of juxtaposition in songwriting; a somewhat dreaded word.
“I hate to use the J word, but like, you know, between different sounds like I am always trying to make something different to keep it fresh in my mind.”
‘Pa Gossamer’, while functioning largely as a standalone single with only bone resemblance to early releases, was written at the same time as Lovefear’s last album release. 2024’s Schema is Lovefear’s sophomore album written two years ago and released four years after his debut Persona (2020). While contrasting largely to the new single, despite being written around the same time, the album featured a notable feature with Sydney artist 3NDLES5.
“I think we just connected online. We're great friends. We ended up recording that before I moved to Melbourne, but we were both in Melbourne at the same time and we Recorded it in his hotel room. He literally jotted it down super fast…the spoken word. It's his kind of thing. And it came out really nicely.”
Listen back to Lovefear’s full conversation with Matt Do on Sunday Lunch where they delve into changing relationships with production, release and collaboration.
Words by Rhea Thomas