Thrashy, excessively fuzzy, and probably a tad drunk: members of Lickity Split spit the chips on their debut EP.
Influenced by the likes of Blink-182 and the Foo Fighters, four-piece band Lickity Split know how to spur on that garage-rock thrill. Ferociously fast-paced and riff-ready, Daily Dose is their five-track EP.
After all meeting while studying at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, they divulged into a time of little less work and a little more play. Jamming their way to band formation, Lickity Split was born. Two of the four, Connor Hudson (guitar and vocals) and Jamie Selway (guitar and vocals) took a moment to discuss the EP, track-by-track.
Miracle
Miracle just had to be the EP opener! After working out what songs would make it onto the debut, it was only fitting that the catchy, distorted guitar riff and the punchy delivery on Miracle would introduce our first release. Miracle was written back in 2019 when times were a lot different and you didn’t have to sanitise your hands after every time you even look at someone. It is all about just enjoying yourself! You can take whatever you want from the lyrics in the chorus but, basically, we are saying that “just get on the piss and smoke some hooch. It will make you feel holy!”
Also, anyone remember that Nutri-Grain ad where the guy would get up on top of the mountain and let out the almighty “howie” scream? Yeah, you’ll hear that somewhere in Miracle.
I feel as though the instrumental chorus at the end of the track is the point in Miracle where you really feel the G’s! Then strap yourself in for the epic build-up which leads perfectly into the second track on Daily Dose.
Loner
Loner was basically written in a couple of days. With Connor and Jamie sending each other ideas back and forward, Loner was actually one of the quickest, most spontaneous tracks we have ever written. Both Connor and Jamie vibe off each other when it comes to the songwriting. With Jamie’s experience in this unreal genre and Connor’s modern flavour, Lickity Split’s sound is not defined by one song, but by a montage of music.
“Loner is the most pop/punk song that we have written and we didn’t even really intend for that to happen.”
Connor started the writing process of Loner when he laid down some rhythm guitar and it didn’t long for Jamie to slap that iconic lead guitar line over the top. The boys were on their way to finishing what would then become arguably the most catchy song on this debut EP.
With Connor sitting at home thinking how he could compliment this song with lyrics, he came up the basic vocal line, “I’m a Loner and a Stoner”. With the Good Charlotte-like verses and the headbanging bridge, Loner was complete! This song is a shoutout to anyone that’s ever felt like a Loner, which let’s be honest… that’s all of us.
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Just Let Go
Just Let Go is the slowest track on the EP, but it certainly doesn’t slow down your opinion on Lickity Split. Just Let Go was written back at the start of 2019! Once again the dream team were back at it, working together to try and get the best out of their music. With a similar process to Miracle and Loner, Just Let Go started as a basic little riff that quickly turned into the track you hear today. Those Aussie verses with attitude, followed by the catchiness of the chorus hits bloody hard! Connor and Jamie’s harmonies in the chorus really stand out in this one.
“When tracking Just Let Go, we really wanted to have a ‘co-vocal’ chorus as opposed to a lead vocal line and a harmony line. So when it was mixed, we wanted both mine and Jamie’s vocals around about the same volume.”
When we get into the bridge of Just Let Go, the pace changes only slightly. Not the tempo but the feel of the song. Not for long though! As the bridge builds up, you can feel something coming. Like a fricken shared guitar solo from our 2 boys behind the 6 strings. First, it’s Connor’s turn to shred but just as you think your settling in to it BAM, Jamie takes over and melts some faces!
There is a secret hidden gem in Just Let Go.
“We had a great laugh recording this EP together but you can just hear how much fun we had after the big 3 part harmony at the end of the track.”
If you listen carefully enough, you can hear Connor say “Oh Shit!” And then share an almighty chuckle with the rest of the boys! It may be the slowest track on the EP but don’t be fooled, you’ll still want Just Let Go on your pump-up playlists.
Stop Comin’ Around
Stop Comin’ Around was written in the middle of the first major COVID lockdown when no one could leave the house apart from essential items/work etc. Being generally peeved with the situation, I wanted a fast and aggressive sound for the tail end of the EP, so a minimum BPM of 280 was required.
Go fast or go home. Our drummer Reginald actually came up with a much slower variation of what the intro guitar riff evolved into, and after speeding it up stupidly and adding the other sections and some gang vocals, we started to get the sound we were after. All four of us feature vocally on this track, most notably Reggie’s sublime “1,2,3,4!”, which is heard a few times.
Go Fuck Yourself
Ahhh, Go Fuck Yourself. It’s a track I was inspired to write due to a run-in with an incredibly ‘inconsiderate’ cyclist towards the end of 2019. I don’t know about you, but idiots tend to annoy me, a lot. After a rather colourful exchange, I realised I might have a slight anger problem, and what better way to release that anger! (Writing a song, not abusing a fellow road user. Don’t do this.)
I wanted the last track on the EP to be the fastest and most aggressive on Daily Dose, so we jacked it up to 300bpm, and created the ‘shout’ verses to try and alarm the listener from the very first word. I came up with a mix of relatable and personal things about society and certain types of people/professions that really piss me off, for both the verses and the choruses but both delivered quite differently, with some post-chorus harmonies added in for good measure because harmonies are fucking sweet.
Enjoy the manic drama on the full EP on Spotify below:
