Fai Laci
Few bands see the early success Fai Laci has earned in recent years. What began as a college solo project is now a full band with a debut album on the way produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys.
“Elephant In The Room” comes out June 26 amid dozens of tour dates across the US this summer. Just before the band hit the road, frontman Luke Faillaci sat down with me to talk about it all.
Listen to this interview anywhere podcasts are available.
The following transcript was generated using transcription software and may contain minor errors or omissions.
YY: You started this band as a solo project in college, really not that long ago. And we're just like a few years later. You're about to release your debut album as a proper band, and I'm guessing you've probably been thinking a lot about this evolution lately. So what's been like the recurring theme as you think about this journey so far?
LF: Yeah, I think it's just like realizing that the bar is like as high as we possibly want to make it. We, we keep just reaching points musically where we're like, okay, now I see the other hill that we have to get get to. And that just keeps me so engaged with it. And it keeps everybody so engaged with it because we're just so excited to get to that next hill. And it's always so fun to get up to the top of one and then, you know, see the other ahead. And we're just -- that's what we're about right now is just like, we're all living in the same house, grinding like every single day rehearsing, getting ready for this tour. And, you know, I think like the biggest thing we have to learn and practice on right now is just playing live like we've played, I think 30 or 40 shows as a band together, which is just like an absolute drop in the bucket. So, you know, we got a we got an agent not too long ago who's fucking killing it from Atlas. His name is Luke Washburn. And he has us booked throughout the entire summer. And I think that's just what our lives are gonna is going to look like for the next foreseeable future is just playing as much as we possibly can.
Yeah, we almost weren't able to set up this interview because you're basically leaving on tour this week. And then for the rest of the summer, you'll pretty much just be gone. So I know you touched on it a little bit, but like what's going through everyone's minds as you're just ready to be in the wind basically for the next few months?
Yeah. So much excitement, you know, and I think it's like we've been preparing for this for so long. We haven't played many shows this year and it's like we're just dying to hit the road. And like the first time that we toured was in back in November with a band called nightcap, We opened for them. They're great dudes and like just the amount that we learned on the road from that, we were like, this is the most important thing that we go and do right now. Like we recorded our album and we were absolutely thrilled with it. And so yeah, the focus right now is us going and playing live and being in front of as many people as we possibly can and, you know, meeting people and yeah, just getting those reps in.
With the album, I was just reading another interview before this. You said something about how your EPs in comparison to the album sound so different. Elementary, I think, is the word you used. And I think it's mainly because, you know, you did this record as a full band, as kind of the main difference. So I guess what was the most difficult piece of, of like the transition from, you know, purely solo project to proper band?
You know, I think like one would think it's like working all together and like, you know, figuring how to part write together. But that was actually probably one of the most like, natural things for all of us. That was a big thing of why, you know, I kind of had all these different people join the band was because we've we've worked together well in the past musically, and our heads are in the same place musically. Especially in the creative sense. And so, you know, we all work very well together, like crafting songs. And the biggest hurdle of it all was just like, it's hard to say. I think I guess just looking at it from the perspective of like the average process in which five people would get together and like work on, on something together. It was, it's worked, it's worked really well. You know, we're none of us really have egos, which is the biggest, the biggest part of it all. Yeah. We're like, we, we're very open to criticism with each other. And like, that's like something that we, you know, we, we really do practice a lot and, and, you know, make sure everything's out in the open when we're, when we're dealing with shit. And that's helped us a lot.
Okay, yeah. You mentioned briefly the the writing process. When you're all together, what does that typically look like? What has that looked like for the album?
Yeah. It's it's different with it really. Every song, you know, we write, we write stuff in every way possible. You know, it's like individuals will come up with entire songs by themselves or they'll come up with ideas and then the whole band comes in and, you know, works on it, or it's like a full band effort, spur of the moment kind of thing. You know, it's all of those. And you know, like once, once we have that idea, we, we were, you know, grinding just like working on the parts and making sure, you know, everything was good to go. So that when we went and recorded, we knew what we were doing. Because, you know, studio time is just so valuable and you want to make the most of it. And I think we, we went in really prepared for the two weeks that we spent recording. So we were, we were really thrilled with it.
Yeah. It must have been kind of a marathon those two weeks.
Yeah, it definitely is.
And you guys have like, from what I was reading, every member, you all write your own music and you have different tastes. And I'm sure obviously there's some similarities, but everyone sort of listens to different things. How did you settle on the sound? You know, that we're going to hear on the album. How did you come to that? Because I know even prior to forming the full band, you had, you know, more of a variety, I think, in what you would put out.
Yeah. I mean, again, it's very it was just a very natural, natural process of just like all of us realizing what worked and what didn't work. And yeah, I think our sound is becoming more dialed as a, as a band. And I think just like the ability for everybody to be, you know, everybody's like kind of focused on, on different things at different times. And so it's like, you know, versus one person, it's just a whole different game. You know, I was, I was kind of comparing the old music and I was saying it was like elementary. And I don't know if that's exactly the right word, but it's like, I think there's just so much more depth to what we're what we're doing now. And it's like, I think every time you listen to, you know, one of the songs, you always find something new that you didn't hear before. And it's just so cool to be like, oh shit, I didn't even know that's what one of us were thinking. Yeah. So it's really cool. Yeah.
And I was reading what you said about the creative process for Grains of Sand specifically and how it was it was very emotional. I know you said that every song is different, but is there sort of like a trend? Do you find that many of your songs have a similar arc to that one, or was that one just sort of unique in that way?
Yeah, I mean, I think I think they're all pretty unique and they're all subconsciously just about like what's going on in our lives oftentimes, like, you know, we'll be writing songs and it's just like, you kind of just say some words and it's, it, it works. Yeah. And you know, I think there, there's definitely like deeper meaning to all of them, whether it's intentional or not. Yeah. There's always like, a lot of meaning to them.
Okay.
Yeah.
And obviously, you know, someone who was pretty instrumental in the production of this album, Dan Auerbach, Black Keys.
Yes.
How did that come together?
Yeah. He our manager was managing a band that also had done a record with him, and so he passed along our music to Dan, and he gave it a listen and was really into what he was hearing. So you know, we, we flew down to Nashville and met with him and we're like, it makes perfect sense to be, to be working with Dan. And that decision was completely true. Like the album recording process and the way that it all turned out was just like beyond what I could have imagined. Like it, it came together so well. And, you know, he was just like, he was always one step ahead of us with the, the sound in his head. And, you know, he did an incredible job of like preserving, I think what makes us special. And so that was just the best, I think relationship we could have ever had with somebody, you know, producing, producing our work. And we're so grateful. Yeah. Yeah.
It seems like he was really able to, like, put his finger on the pulse of your best qualities of what you were working on before, and then just bring that out. And we have the album.
Absolutely. Yeah. He, it feels like he, like, pushed us to be years ahead of where we were currently at. You know, had we tried to record this album by ourselves, I don't think it wouldn't have come close.
Yeah. I think like, you know, you've been vocal about wanting to combat this formulaic noise that's out there and wanting to hear, you know, talking about hearing music played by real people. And yeah, it's weird that this is even like a topic of discussion, but that's, that's the reality. So how do you maintain the band's sense of authenticity when in some ways, you do still have to put up with the algorithm as an artist in 2026?
Yeah, for sure. I think one thing that's true, it keeps proving itself over and over again, doing something that somebody else has done and trying to copy shit never works. Yeah. And the only way I think that you're going to stand out right now is if you're trying to do something different and sound different. And that's, and that's what we're, we're trying to do. We're trying to write things that are like, not what you hear on the radio. We're trying to use sounds that you would not hear. Typically we're trying to make our music as interesting as possible and as different as possible, because I think that's just what makes art really great is hearing something and being like, wow, I never heard something like that. And so that's what we've been striving for and that's what we'll continue to strive for. Yeah. And it's just really, it's really exciting. And like, again, like Dan did such a good job of like preserving that, that value that we have.
Yeah. You said something about how this album is really intended to be listened to from start to finish. And I love listening to especially like new music that way, just hitting play, you know, and letting it go all the way through. And so are you yourself sort of like a big fan of like the album experience, you know, listening to an album in full?
Absolutely. I think that's what's a big part that's missing with, I think the, the current music scene. And I think like the success that geese is having is like a big indicator of that. Like, I think the fact that their album was so like coherent and worked so well together, you know, yet had such a variety over those, you know, all those songs and it you can go and listen to that whole thing and enjoy the whole thing through. And it was obviously intended to be listened that way. Yeah, I think that's where music is headed again. You know, I think we've been in like this age of like trying to get this like, you know, just singles and pop singles and missing like the, the, the bigger body of, of work that people put so much time and effort into. I think that's like, that's what's going to stand the test of time, like making a, an awesome album. Yeah. And I'm so glad that, you know, we were in the position to be able to go and do that as well. You know, signing the record deal was like it pushed us to go and work on an album, make it the best we possibly could. And you know, boy, we've we've written. You know, we were probably choosing from like 100 songs of like what we wanted to you know, record. And so this album is like the best of what we have for like the past two years. And just grateful that that is what we ended up doing. Because I really do think that that is, that's something that's missing currently is, you know, the focus on making a killer album that's supposed to be listened to all the way through.
Yeah, I think it's always been a pretty rare thing to have an album that is just great song after great song. But even what you said, especially now, I think it's just even rarer. So it's really special when you find something like that. But that seems like a really big catalog of music for just the past two years. And so I guess, are you continuing to write as a group at that rate? And do you have anything in sort of the back catalog that might find its way onto a future release of some kind?
Yeah, well, we actually recorded a we recorded 15 songs when we went down to Nashville, and two of them we put ahead, we put out ahead of time before and they're not on the album. That was angels angels and the others and Grains of sand. And then we have a, we have another three that we're also super proud of that are, you know, hopefully going to come out on a deluxe version or something like that, you know, that just didn't, that just didn't fit that coherent work. Yeah. And, you know, that's the only reason that we didn't put them out like they're all individually great songs and I'm so excited to put them out eventually. But you know, we have that on the back burner and, you know, we're always writing new stuff. You know, hopefully we'll get a lot of inspiration from being on the road and just doing stuff, you know? So we're we're always writing.
That's not a bad problem to have. Having, you know, too many songs recorded for an album.
No.
Yeah. Well, cool. And the road's just going to be so fun. So the album comes out June 26th. I don't think I mentioned its name yet, “Elephant In The Room.” And so that's going to happen basically right in the middle of all these shows that you're going to be playing this summer. So there's a lot going on all at once. What are you most looking forward to just for the future of the band?
You know, it's like we've been playing these unreleased songs for like the better part of a year now. Some for even longer than that, you know? And there's nothing better than when somebody's singing your song back to you. And so it's like, I cannot wait for these songs to be out so that people can sing them, you know, because we're playing them a lot of the time. And it's like, you know, you see their face and they're just like, I wish they, I wish they knew the lyrics too. So yeah, I'm looking forward to that the most.
