Artist You Should Know: LAYNE
Words & Interview by Rachael Dowd
Emerging back in 2015, pop rock band LAYNE has been gaining exposure across the web. Their two released tracks have over one million Spotify streams combined, helping them to earn a horde of devoted listeners over the past year. Making up the Los Angeles duo are Layne Putnam and Alexander Rosca, and they are preparing for the release of their new EP, The Black Hills, later this year.
Going back to her roots for their upcoming EP, South Dakota-born Putnam opened up about the band’s start, the impact social media has had on their careers and why she found herself back in her hometown to help bring The Black Hills to life.
For those that may not know, how did LAYNE get together and form?
I have been going by LAYNE pretty much my whole life and have played in a bunch of different bands. When I moved back here [Los Angeles], I began working and met Alex through an agent and it worked perfectly.
You are based in Los Angeles, but are originally from South Dakota. How has being in a city like Los Angeles influenced the type of music LAYNE creates?
I think I draw influences from everywhere. I guess I have some influences from home because I lived there, but the music scene is so alive and you can go to a ton of different shows and you get immersed in the scene and are able to be part of it. It’s a big difference from South Dakota.
Your track “Good” passed a million streams on Spotify. How have streaming websites and social media platforms impacted your career, whether positively or negatively?
Especially with streaming platforms, I think there are both positives and negatives that come with them. Things like Instagram and streaming sites are great, in my opinion, because I know how people listen to music, and you have to know that kids are going to stream music anyway. Instagram is a cool artistic outlet, but there is that stigma with social media, and it doesn’t matter who you are, they tend to hold the weight in numbers and it can have a downside. You could look at a band that has 100k followers and have never played a show because they can manipulate the media. It’s a thing you always battle with.
Your new EP, The Black Hills, is being released soon. What was the writing process like and how long were in the studio for it?
The writing process was over the course of a year, and it was sporadic. We would just write and track and write tons of songs. It was spotty, but we did go to my hometown, which is called Black Hills, and grabbed samples from lakes and places in the area which is why I decided to call it The Black Hills. We put the actual sounds in which is really cool. There are four songs on the EP right now, and it could potentially change.
Are “Good” and “Somebody” good reflections of the overall sound of The Black Hills?
I think they are good representations of the music. We are just experimenting and you will know that it sounds like LAYNE. Same idea and concept. I try not to walk in with the intent of giving anything. I usually just write and whatever happens, happens. At the end of the day, it’s still me and I like certain things and certain sounds. Some of the stuff on the EP we tracked before “Good.” All of the guitar sounds and vibes are the same and have evolved in some ways and it’s what I like. If you were painting a picture and used ten colors, you would continue to use those same colors. I try not to worry about it, but it is something I think about.
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