Not Overhyping, But lostboy Could Genuinely Be the Next Thing in Indie Rock
Max Clutterbuck (great name) the face of lostboy has a great gift for expressing accessible and catchy lyrics that still provide a poetic and introspective look. His song composition and production on the tracks lostboy have released so far show excellent utilization of real drumming, cutting guitar riffs, and high energy to match the flow of Clutterbuck’s sometimes crooning, sometimes quasi-rap singing style.
lostboy’s debut single “Luna” from 2019 immediately caught my ear the first time I heard it. A jangly guitar riff to open the song, followed by a Spector-like wall of sound, with a consistent return to the guitar riff as a hook throughout. On top of that is some of Clutterbuck’s most impressive singing on any of his tracks. A catchy chorus, with interesting and mysterious verses, the song became a perfect opener to the public career of the lostboy project.
Subsequently the band has released multiple singles and in 2021 a 5-track EP titled Bad News, their first compilation of songs recorded.
Since the release of his 2021 singles and the EP, lostboy continues to get more and more traction in his native UK, leading one to believe there’s a lot of potential for him to break even bigger within the next year. A fuzzier Declan McKenna or Kane Strang, lostboy, in this writer’s opinion at least, has the chance to beat them both out ultimately as the better artist. While the formers have both hit some level of a plateau after their initial success (though they continue to put out quality music, there’s seemingly less growth in traction with each new release), lostboy seems to have found a good formula for identifying his own unique sound, that’s both crowd pleasing, but also pleasing to the ears of the indie critics and gatekeepers. How big lostboy will become, still remains to be seen, and will certainly also depend on his ability to receive exposure playing at festivals and touring as we see the live performance landscape back up and running. Keep listening though, I have a feeling he may start to take over sooner than later.
Best Song:
“Luna” (Single)
Honorable Mentions:
“Kid” From Bad News
“Self(ish)” From Bad News
Best Lyric:
“Driving away feels like doing you wrong, So I’m coming home, I won’t be too long” – from “Luna”