The Way of The Lovelines

Duos formed by man and woman, whether they are couples, brothers or indefinite, have always been the talk of showbizz. In the first case, we have The Vaselines, a band that deeply influenced none other than Kurt Cobain, who named his own daughter Frances, in honor of the vocalist, Frances McKee. The White Stripes, for example, had in the mystery of the true status between Jack White and Meg White one of the band’s great attractions. As for brothers, we have turbulent examples and tender ones, such as The Carpenters and now The Lovelines.

Born in one of the funniest lands in the world, in Orlando, Florida, The Lovelines is also a very amusing and solar indie-rock duo formed by the brothers Todd Goings and Tessa D. From 2021 onwards, they have already released 2 singles – immediate hits: “Strange Kind of Love” and “Dark Thoughts about a pretty flower”(my favorite one, with a long title that harks back to other long titles commonly used by the White Stripes). The two singles are just a sample of the LP that they still intend to release in the medium term.

Regarding the dynamic between brother and sister that dictates The Lovelines, Goings says that one cannot exist without the other: “We’re co-leaders, co-managers, I think, because one without the other is not The Lovelines“. That said, Tessa D. is responsible for the duo’s sweetened vocals, which are so reminiscent of Nina Persson (Cardigans). Goings writes all the songs. The recording process could not be different: in the best DIY “Do It Yourself” scheme. How can we not love The Lovelines?

2 3 Things about The Lovelines (by Todd Goings)

RC – How does a duo band formed by brother and sister work? Who writes the songs, who’s the leader, and who’s the manager?

TG – My sister sings the songs and I write the songs for my sister to sing. I’ll show her a demo of a song, a sketch recording, with all the instrumentation, but with me singing the original. If my sister likes the song, I rerecord the song in her vocals range, and then we rerecord her singing it. Without her voice, it isn’t a complete painting, you know? We’re co-leaders, co-managers, I think, because one without the other is not The Lovelines.

RC – What are your major influences?

TG – My local jazz radio station WUCF 89.9 was a major influence on our debut Strange Kind Of Love, and sincethat single formed our sound its origin is important to note, I guess. On jazz radio, you hear bands performing rendition after rendition of what’s known as ‘standards.’ Classic compositions that bands cover, you know. I wanted to write a song that sounded like an old-fashioned jazz ‘standard’ my sister and I were covering. It’s not a cover, but it’s written with the intention of sounding like a cover. It’s our faux jazz standard.

RC – Comparisons with bands like The Cardigans actually bother you both?

TG – No (LOL). The Cardigans are a good band. I feel like The Cardigans don’t get the “new-band-packaging-themselves-as-an-old-band” pioneering credit that’s due to them. In sound and aesthetic, I think. For a band to be like that in ’94, especially in ’96 with First Band on the Moon because of its international influence, is ahead of its time when you realize it predates the garage rock revival scene by almost a decade.

RC – What are your projects till the end of 2022? A full album, festivals…etc

TG – We have a full The Lovelines LP written and recorded, we’re releasing single-to-single over the course of 2022-2023!

Watch now: The Lovelines “Dark thoughts about a Pretty Flower”:

Passionate. Brutal. Cruelty. Kindness. The Lovelines manages to unite paradoxical feelings in the same song. “Dark thoughts….” grows slowly until we feel nothing at all.