Q&A: Lucy Frost Moves Through a Soft Whirlwind in “Prescription”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY ZARMEEN AKHUND ☆
Photo by Kelly Choi
EMOTIONS RUN HIGH —- in Lucy Frost’s captivating new single, “Prescription,” the precursor to her upcoming album. The song plays on a conundrum, one where love persists as a form of addiction. With her latest work, the singer-songwriter develops a unique sound, moving listeners through the tension and anxieties of an intoxicating relationship. Trapped in a vicious cycle, Frost conveys the dynamic as both ailment and cure. A stirring blend of guitar and synth-pop elements, the track introduces a kind of medicine made inescapable.
The song’s lyrics tread gently, with each one inching towards a seething middle, followed by an eventual feeling of collapse, and in turn, emotional release. Although tense, the melody soothes each verse. At its core, “Prescription” feels very much like the eye of the storm. Confessional by nature, the song depicts an ever present struggle for many of us; a lesson in letting go.
With a diverse foundation in music, Frost has a knack for capturing slice-of-life stories as they build, as can be heard in some of her other singles, “Angeles” and “Reputation.” She skillfully pushes the boundaries of genre and composition, honing her background in film scoring and practicing a wide range of musical styles. Over the years, she has collaborated on film projects and with various other artists such as Devon Gabriella, Ari Abdul, Natalie Jane and Bluey Thomas.
The Luna Collective had the opportunity to sit down with Frost and discuss both her journey in music and the inner workings of her latest single. Read our full conversation below.
Photo by Camila Florez
LUNA: Can you tell us about your musical background?
FROST: I've been playing music my whole life. I started playing piano when I was younger, and hated piano lessons. I improvised and made songs on my own. I would bring them to my piano instructor, who was like, “We don't want that. We have to practice reading.” So from a young age, I definitely knew I loved composing and film music. I actually went to Berklee College of Music and studied film composition and scoring. I’m self-taught at guitar and singing. But I’ve always been songwriting, and have loved creative writing. I moved to LA and became a writer for other people and other artists and I’ve continued to make work for my own artist project. Now I'm at a point where I want to focus on that. It means the world to me.
LUNA: You’ve worked within the industry in different contexts, writing for sync companies and film scoring. How do you compare those experiences to now forming your own body of work?
FROST:It’s funny, because I didn't know I wanted to go into that field, and I just kind of happened to write in a whole bunch of genres. I write country music, and I love rock music, and film scoring. I think there was a point in my head where I was like, “Okay, wait, I can do this for all sorts of people.” I like working in sync, because you do work in all these different genres. And during that process, it actually really helped me craft my own sound. Along the way I used to think, “Oh, maybe I'm more of just a singer-songwriter. Maybe I'm more of an R&B kind of pop artist.” And as I've been writing for other people, I've realized, okay, these are the songs I've written that sound very true to myself. So it’s been very validating, because I've been able to appreciate my own songs.
LUNA: “Angeles” is profound lyrically and rhythmically. I love the breakdown of details, and the story. Was the song written before or after having moved to LA?
FROST: That was written maybe four months after I moved to LA. I found myself, as one does when they move to a new city, saying yes to different things that now I maybe wouldn’t do. I ended up tearing my meniscus by like a freak accident - plugging something into an outlet. I was like, “Are you kidding me? That's insane.” I had to stay home for a month and then do PT. So I actually wrote “Angeles” in bed.
LUNA: Oh my gosh. It’s interesting, sometimes when you’re stuck like that, the best work comes out of it.
FROST: Totally [laughs].
LUNA: Congrats on the new single! How did the idea for “Prescription” come about?
FROST: So It’s the first single of an album that I’m coming out with. This group of songs showcases a feeling of being addicted to something, feeling like you can't let go. And being in a relationship that's pulling at you, but you're still heavily sucked into it. To me, “Prescription” felt like a release as I was creating it. Not helping yourself but just accepting that you’re still in this shitty situation where you’re getting pulled back in. A lot of songs that I've written and gained inspiration from have talked about parts of my life that have happened, maybe years ago that even today, still have some sort of ripple effect on me. Where I’m at now, I still feel that ripple effect. One thing can occur, and still, years later it’s affecting me.
LUNA: The track carries a “sonic anxiety.” That was a concept I was drawn to. What was it like crafting a narrative and sound to embody that?
FROST: So I worked on it with a couple producers out here. My writing technique, like in “Angeles” for example, has a lot of words. I gained inspiration from Bob Dylan… so words, story, more words. “Prescription” starts out with that. The pre-chorus is very much this bubbling up of something. What I love about the song is how the chorus hits. Because you’re talking a lot and there’s tension but it's simple and then there's a huge release in the chorus, where all of a sudden, there aren’t even lyrics for a little bit, and then it's just full screaming. And that's actually very new for me. I haven't done that. I forgot that it doesn't have to be about the lyrics necessarily. It can just be about the emotion.
LUNA: Do you think this came up in the aftermath? Like you went through the process and then thought, “This is what anxiety sounds like” or was it more premeditated?
FROST: I had this concept in my head…the song started with the lyric, “I took your word like a prescription / God, I was addicted / Swallowed up your lies.” It happens a lot, I start with a lyric or some sort of pull, and often it's my verses that lead me to, “Where's the hook gonna go and what's gonna happen?” And so it was a later realization of “Oh this is a good release and this is where I want the song to go.” Now listening back to the song, I'm proud of how it builds.
LUNA: You’ve worked with a lot of different people. What has been one of your favorite collaborations to date?
FROST: Well, I have to say it's with my producer that I work with now, [Dean] Mosaic. He’s on this song and doing the rest of the album. We have the same management company, and we were in the room with other artists doing some sync stuff. I've been working with other people that I still love to work with, but I kind of wanted to do something different with this new project. And so Mosaic, he’s been an awesome collaborator, because he's just so hands on and ready for it. I gave him like 13 songs. And he was just like, “Okay!” No one else would have done that so I’m grateful.
LUNA: I know this song foreshadows the rest of the album. Is there anything else you’d like to share on that, any sentiments carried throughout?
FROST: This album, to me, really is my own sound. I loved my music before, but I feel really proud of this project because it’s just raw and it’s the music I want to make. “Prescription” builds a nice little bridge for my older stuff moving into this new album. I’m excited for people to hear it. I hope they find it relatable, and can use it as a way of dealing with their own issues and releasing tension that they have in their lives too.
