EXCLUSIVE: The Luck Discuss Debut Album ‘Ready to Run’

The Luck are a Country/Americana duo consisting of British brother and sister Max and Esmay. The pair are currently gearing up for the release of their much-anticipated debut album ‘Ready to Run’ which was recorded in Los Angeles and showcases the vocal dexterity and lyrical flexibility of the siblings. Fans will be able to get their hands on the record from July 26th.

Here we speak exclusively to The Luck to discuss their forthcoming inaugural LP:

How excited are you to be one the brink of releasing your debut album?

Max: 11/10 excited! Ever since we started writing songs, we’ve wanted to put together a full album, so it feels really good to be finally doing it!

Esmay: Ha, yes! It’s the culmination of a couple of years’ work whilst we were over in California – so it’s a landmark for us. We are also in the process of getting vinyl’s made – majorly excited about that. 

How would you describe the overall vibe of the record?

Esmay: Oooo well overall, reflective and hopeful!

Max: A lot of the songs focus on channeling inner strength, focussing on positivity, overcoming internal battles to emerge stronger on the other side… There are a mixture of uptempo tracks and more melancholic ‘vibey’ songs so it will hopefully take you all on a journey. 

How did you find the overall writing process for the CD?

Esmay: We never wrote specifically ‘for the album’ which took a lot of the pressure off, I think… We weren’t chasing a thematic or trying to write certain types of songs, we just wrote a lot of songs that felt good to us and when we had a collection of material, our producer, Paul Broucek, decided it was time to go into the studio and record. We were staying in California at this point and Paul would come over with various instruments just to see what we’d write on them – autoharps, Gibsons, Nashville strung guitars… ‘Rise and Shine’ was born on Paul’s high strung guitar!

Max: Yep, and actually one of the songs that made it on to the album was written at the very beginning of our journey, even before we’d found our name, ’The Luck’. It’s a song called ‘Holding On’. Others were written just weeks before finishing the album, like ‘Ready to Run’, which encapsulated a lot of themes on the album, so we named it after that one.

Is there one song in particular that you’re most excited about sharing?

Max: ‘Tomorrow Turned to Yesterday’! It’s a song we wrote with a friend called Paul Beard. We met Paul at the Whammy’s in Los Angeles and had this instant Brit-connection, so we went and wrote a song together. It’s about growing up, looking back and reminiscing about the past… We took it a little Pink Floyd in the studio with the production and just love it!

Esmay: I’m really excited for people to hear ‘Lionheart’… It’s a banger. I put it on in the car the other day and was belting it out at the top of my voice.

Can you tell us a little about where you looked to for inspiration when writing the LP?

Max: A lot of the songs are about personal journeys we were going through at the time. There are a lot of opportunities to talk about what you’re going through when you’re on the road… we had a lot of conversations about the adventure we were on, far away from home – and all the ups and downs. We both had moments where we could see the other person needed a highway hug. And I think that consolation made its way into quite a few of the songs – that might be where some of the hopeful, positive messages emanated. Breakups (If This Is Love, Ready to Run…), life struggles – making enough money to eat, self-confidence, expectations and resilience (One More Try, Lionheart…) all came into the mix. 

Esmay: And along with the inward view, we were also inspired by what we saw out the window too! California paints a pretty epic picture and the scenery was captivating. Vertigo came from sitting at the top of Laurel Canyon! I have Vertigo and really struggle with heights so we thought it would be a perfect metaphor for a song… Also, a lot of the melodies and chord progressions are inspired by Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac – we listened to loads of their music in the car.

What are you hoping fans take away from the songs?

Max: Life can be quite unsettling, particularly at the moment. We hope the songs give people a sense of empowerment to go out there and be themselves and also have some optimism for the future! 

How do you feel being siblings helps your creativity?

Max: Well, the barriers of what you can and can’t say are definitely a little lower – you don’t have to second-guess suggesting ideas and you know they’ve got your back, no matter what – which definitely makes for an open writing session. And when they give you feedback, it’s always honest and direct; there’s no hidden agenda, it’s just straight-up, which can save a lot of time.

Esmay: Haha, that’s true. I also think there is a natural flow creating with your sibling – even though we didn’t grow up singing together, harmonising and blending our voices always seems intuitive, no matter what the song. And from a songwriting perspective, we grew up listening to the same music, going to gigs together and liking a lot of the same bands – so we have overlapping influences and often go to the same progressions…

Can we expect to see you touring the album this year?

Esmay: Yes, absolutely! We have our album launch show on Thursday 25th July at Thousand Island in London and we’re gigging throughout the summer… We’ll be playing a UK tour in the Autumn! 

Being a British Country band how excited are you by the growth of the genre?

Esmay: It’s great to see – there are a lot of really talented UK Country artists and with the growth of the genre, there are far more places for them to play their music to an attentive audience. It’s a very organic, welcoming part of the industry and we have met so many lovely people – from bookers and promoters to other artists and fans! Can’t wait to see where it goes. 

Do you have a message for your growing fanbase?

Esmay: If you’re at a show, come say hi – we’d love to meet you!

Make sure you follow The Luck on Twitter @TheLuckMusic to keep up to date with all their latest music and tour news!

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