“This band started a couple of years ago,” says Puccini in a recent Zoom call. “It was at first an all-female band and that’s how I became closer with Kayleigh [Hyland]. We went through some lineup changes at first, but we solidified the lineup we have to this day right before COVID. We cranked through COVID and then put out an EP.”
Even though band members were only in their early teens during the ’90s, the group still looks to that time period for inspiration.
“We all have our favorite bands, and we have a common love for ’90s alternative rock,” says Puccini, adding that the band’s influences are very diverse and range from punk to reggae so that that sound is a culmination of all those styles. “For this group, my big influences are that bands with that ’90s grunge feel but also Veruca Salt with a splash of No Doubt. We have favorites and influences in general. Since we’re alternative rock group, I pull from that spunky Gwen Stefani attitude and play off that.”
Hyland agrees that alternative rock has made an impact on her musical predilections.
“My biggest influences are Nirvana, Weezer, the Pixies and the Cure,” she says.
The new single, “Doll Skin,” rocks really hard and, in keeping with the sound that the band embraces, comes off like No Doubt on steroids.
“It’s kind of an interesting thing,” says Puccini when asked about the tune. “We will often collectively run with an idea. With ‘Doll Skin,’ lyrically, it’s kind of based on collective past experiences in relationships and not wanting to follow someone else’s road but wanting to follow your own road. Kayleigh I and started working on the lyrics and put the concept to some music she was working on and then as a group solidified all the pieces for the track.”
The song’s theme aligns with that of the other three tunes on the EP.
“We’re working on the EP’s title and landed on Pretend & Dare,” says Hyland. “When we write songs for an album, we try to find common themes. So for ‘Doll Skin,’ the theme of that song was more about pretending. Stylistically, it’s one of the more alternative type songs. Something like ‘My Imaginary Friend’ is even heavier. We do like to get heavy and like the guitar and vocal harmonies.”
The group patched together the EP by enlisting the talents of several friends. A friend from Superior Sound helped with the vocals, and a friend from the Rialto Theatre in Akron helped track the drums. The other band mates orchestrated all of the guitar and bass.
The release party will be a masquerade-themed and will include free masquerade masks for attendees. There will be photo ops, a best-dressed contest, specialty drinks and performances from opening acts Toro and FAWX.
“We wanted to lean into the masquerade theme,” says Hyland. “It’s on Friday the 13th of October, and it all seems to go together. We’re dressing up kind of fancy for the stage. We will have a special LILIEAE drink. We’re going to make it into a party. We’ll play all four of the songs on the EP, which is great because there is a song that no one has heard yet.”
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This article appears in Best of Cleveland 2023.